“Values?” Thyos asked. “You think that you can just take over the empire because the emperor is gone? What makes you think the people of Citta di Paludi will choose you to lead? We’ve had enough humans in charge, I think. After everything that has happened, it’s only fitting a different faction should rule.”
“We agree,” Carter said. “We want all three factions to rule, as we’ve already stated. And we want you to represent your faction for the vampires. We understand that humans are probably being hunted by vampires as we speak, and rightly so. Vampires were treated terribly, and no one did anything to stop it. Everyone, including us, looked the other way. And for the rest of my life, I have to live with that. But I decided if I had the opportunity to change, I would take it.”
Thyos looked around the room. It was barely furnished. It reminded him of who he was before Aurelia, of how much he had changed.
“I think you are fools,” Thyos finally said, his hands on his waist, as he looked around. “I have to get back.”
“Do you think Aurelia would say the same thing?” Olivia asked softly, raising her brows.
“What?” he asked. He almost spit out the word. He did not want to remind them not to talk about Aurelia at all, much less as if they knew her.
They did not know her.
He didn’t know her.
“Do you think Aurelia would think we are fools?” Olivia asked again. Her eyes were stubborn, but she was still respectful. There was no attitude in her voice; it did not seem as though she was trying to be rude. If anything, she was being passionate. Which was oddly annoying.
“I do not care what Aurelia thinks,” Thyos said. “Her opinion does not make my decision. I am not going to say yes on the off-chance that she might agree.” His fingers tightened their hold on the brown bag. “Why does this have anything to do with Aurelia?”
“We want Aurelia to rule with us,” Carter said, his lips curling up into a smile. “You, me, and Aurelia. A member of each faction represented. What do you think?”
“I think it’s shit,” Thyos said. He turned, rolling his shoulders back. He felt cramped in the room. “Aurelia will not rule.”
“Why?” Olivia challenged. “Because you said so?”
Thyos stiffened.
“Why do you get to decide that?” Olivia pushed. It almost felt as though she was taking his statement personally. “If she wants to rule, she should be allowed to rule. Why can’t we tell her what we’ve told you and let her decide for herself?”
“Do you presume to think that I have any control over the decisions she makes?” Thyos asked, tilting his head to the side. “I trust her decisions. If she wants to make that decision for herself, so be it. I will not stop you. But that does not mean I’ll allow you to return with me yourselves so you can ask her directly.”
“What if we meet within the city?” Carter suggested.
There was something fishy here, something Thyos could not quite put his finger on. The humans were being honest, for the most part, but they were also hiding something as well. What that was, he did not know, but he intended to find out.
“Why are you so intent on meeting with both myself and Aurelia?” he asked, shifting his eyes between the two humans. “You better fucking tell the truth, or I will manipulate you both so you do and if I don’t like what you have to say—”
“Yes, we know,” Olivia said, and she nearly rolled her eyes. “You’ll kill us in some vicious way and do something to our blood.”
Thyos nearly cracked a smile at her sauciness, but he refrained due to the seriousness of the situation.
“After the emperor died, we made flyers and passed them out throughout the entire city,” Carter explained. “We reserved the right to speak at the Colosseum tomorrow at three in the afternoon. And we need you and Aurelia with us when we speak.”
Thyos blinked. “Why would you need me and Aurelia there when you speak?” he asked. He did not like to admit that he did not understand or was confused in certain situations, but he did not think he could hide the emotion from touching his face.
“This will not work if you aren’t there,” Carter pointed out. “Your presence will reinforce the beliefs we’re trying to get across to our people. I can only rally the humans. Aurelia can only rally the witches—what little witches there are left. And you, you are the only one who would be able to get through to the vampires. We need you. Perhaps I can be replaced. Even Aurelia could be replaced with another witch. But the vampire… that must be you.”
Thyos swallowed and looked away. He did not like the amount of pressure and responsibility he felt after hearing Carter’s words. He had never been responsible for anyone but himself before, in his life before the Rift.
And yet he chose to take responsibility for someone else the minute he refused to slaughter that child.
“The vampires need someone they can trust,” Carter continued, his voice eager. “They need someone who can get them to stop lashing out, to stop spilling blood. You are the only one who will be able to do this. You, and you alone.”
Thyos bristled at the thought.
“Please, Thyos,” Olivia said. “Will you simply consider it?”
Thyos did not answer. All he wanted was to be home. He wanted Aurelia’s legs wrapped around him as he buried his cock inside of her as deep as it would go, where he could forget, for a moment, that he was a vampire and she was a witch and that their love was forbidden to the point of death.
Love?
No. Not love.
But as Thyos chewed on the word a little bit longer, he realized it was not as repelling as it had once been.
Before Aurelia.
Chapter 23
Aurelia did not know what to say. Her guard was up. At the very least, she knew she could shield herself if she needed to.
Was it wrong that she did not trust her sister? Ashana believed in a world of peace? In equal factions? She certainly had not given any indication that she had, even though Aurelia had vocalized such a thing a few days ago. If Ashana had wanted, she could have met with Aurelia in private. She could have trusted her. And now Ashana had managed to track Aurelia here and was asking for her trust.
She did not know what to say. She did not know how to feel about that.
Before, Aurelia would have been ecstatic that Ashana had reached out to her. She had been seeking her eldest sister’s approval since before she could remember. And now, Ashana was giving it to her.
Was it a trick?
“I understand if you don’t believe me, Aurelia,” Ashana said, her voice tentative. “I have given you no reason to trust me. I have been cruel and unfair, dismissive and petulant. But I promise you what I’m saying is true.” She took a breath. “Use the truth serum on me.”
“Truth serum?”
“Can’t your lover manipulate me into telling the truth?” Ashana asked. She nearly choked on the word lover, but she forced herself to say it. Aurelia could not help but appreciate the effort, even if she was a tad annoyed by her sister’s clear disgust with Thyos.
“My lover isn’t here,” Aurelia said before she realized what her words implied. She took a breath and continued to look Ashana in the eye. There was a nice, cool breeze that picked the hair off her shoulders and caused the tall grass to whisper together. “Ashana, if you came here to take me from this place—”
“I did not,” Ashana said, her eyes fierce. Her hands were fists at her sides. “I promise you I did not. Aurelia, I could paralyze you and transport you back to the city in a mere five seconds. You know this. But I have not.”
Aurelia could not hide the suspicion in her tone. “What is it you want?” she asked.
“To talk,” Ashana said. “About the city’s future. Would it be all right if we sat down for tea?”
--
Aurelia still did not know whether she should trust Ashana or not. She did not feel comfortable letting her into a cabin that did not even belong to her, but there was something in Ashana’s tone
that made Aurelia at least humor her sister. At the very least, if Ashana wanted information, if she wanted to bring Aurelia back to the city, if she wanted to harm Aurelia, she’d already had plenty of opportunities to do so. Aurelia still did not have full control over her magical abilities, but she did not think that would make much of a difference. Ashana would attack if she felt the need to attack.
And because Aurelia could not defend herself, she would be vulnerable to said attack.
“Would you mind making us some tea?” Ashana asked as she took a seat in the dining room. Aurelia noticed her sister did not even bother to look around the room, did not even bother to take in her surroundings. The only thing Ashana did was, upon entering the cabin, was scrunch her nose, as though the scent of vampire was worse than the scent of the surrounding swamp. “You were always good at making tea.”
“Probably the only thing I’m good at,” Aurelia quipped. It was not meant to be self-deprecating, but she grimaced when she realized how it came out.
“You really are a fool, Aurelia,” Ashana murmured, rolling her shoulders back and employing her perfect posture as she looked at her sister.
“Clearly,” Aurelia said, throwing a look over her shoulder. “I did not know the emperor and Mother had been intimate. I did not know I was a product of their affair.”
“No one did,” Ashana said. Aurelia gave her sister a glare before reaching up to collect tea cups. “Up until your magic did not manifest right away. Mother pulled me aside and told me to protect you, that you were the rightful heir to the empire. Adela overheard.”
Aurelia’s nostrils flared as she tried to control her breathing. “Does Father know?” she asked.
Ashana shrugged. “I do not know,” she replied honestly. “All I know is that I hated you in that instant. But I hated Mother even more. She did not even try to pretend he had taken advantage of her. She engaged in the affair because she wanted him, probably wanted to be with a man who had more power than Father. I doubt Father suspects anything because each witch manifests differently.”
“That did not stop him from being terribly disappointed in me,” Aurelia said as she put a metal teapot on the stove. She took a seat across from Ashana, waiting for the water to get hot. “He barely talks to me. He cannot even look at me since I am not what he expected.”
“Better have him ignore you than beat you if he found out what you are,” Ashana muttered, playing with her fingers on the surface of the small circular table.
“Why did Adela not say anything to him?” Aurelia asked, furrowing her brow gently.
“Every time she tried, I threatened to muzzle her,” Ashana said, the left corner of her lip lifting up as she recalled the memory. “I showed her exactly how I’d do it on her favorite doll, and I left that thing muzzled for a week. She could not unmuzzle it, despite her own magical ability.” She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “Aurelia, if we’re being honest, a part of me hated you as well. A part of me knew it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t cause Mother to have an affair with Paletyn. You did not ask to be born. However, you were so much like us, but then not.”
The teapot started to whistle, and Aurelia stood up and walked to the stove. She brought out tea, two mugs, and sugar and cream. It did not take her long to assemble everything—Ashana always preferred hers with a hint of cream. She was not the type to like sugar and rarely ate anything too sweet. Aurelia, on the other hand, poured sugar into her mug, hoping to sweeten the bitter taste. The sisters were silent as they prepared their tea and took long sips, letting the hot liquid slide down their throats and warm their bellies.
“You seem comfortable here,” Ashana pointed out, her eyes flickering over the tiny kitchen, the non-existent dining room. “Much more comfortable than you ever did at our home.”
Aurelia was not sure what she meant by that, but she knew her sister was fishing for information. It wasn’t typical for Ashana to beat around the bush; if she wanted to know something, she asked, but now, she was choosing her words carefully, trying to be… nice.
Nice was not a word she’d ever expected to use to describe Ashana.
“I am comfortable here,” Aurelia murmured, looking down at her lap and flexing her fingers. She lifted up her eyes, hoping that would convey how serious she was. “I am very comfortable with Thyos.” She pressed her lips together. “Ashana, while I am glad to see you are unharmed, can you please let me know why you are here?”
Ashana let a sigh slip out of her mouth, and she interlaced her fingers and leaned forward on the surface of the table. “Aurelia,” she said. She pressed her lips together and prolonged her time by taking a gulp of her tea. “Aurelia, I am not the sister you think I am.”
Aurelia opened her mouth, furrowing her brow and trying to understand what Ashana was trying to say. “I’m sorry, Ashana,” she said slowly, fingering the handle of the mug. “You’re going to have to elaborate because I do not think I completely understand what that means.”
Ashana nodded. “Aurelia, I’m part of a small group that preaches equality among factions,” she said. “Remember that speech you gave at home about equality and how women were women, and they should feel safe no matter what faction they came from? I believe that as well. I believe it strongly enough to be part of this group, to risk everything for this group. To risk coming here.”
“Did anyone follow you here?” Aurelia asked, standing from the table.
“I made sure they did not,” Ashana said. “I’m good at tracking—the best—and as such, I know how to ensure that I will not be tracked.” She paused, curling a strand of hair behind her ear. “Aurelia, I’m here because after what happened that day, Citta di Paludi needs rulership. We need a leader who will guide us into the future that we wanted.”
“A future that sounds too good to be true,” Aurelia pointed out before tugging at her bottom lip with her teeth.
“Yes, but not unreachable,” Ashana said, raising her brows. “The problem is, Aurelia, I cannot live the life I want to live without a change. Without the necessary change. And I do not think such a change can happen without the appropriate people at the helm. You and your vampire companion are those people.”
Aurelia did not comment on her role in Ashana’s vision of the future. Instead, she tilted her head to the side. “And the human,” she stared, picking her eyes up to lock with Ashana. “Who is he? Or she? Because for your future to exist, there would need to be three leaders ruling together, correct? A human, a vampire, and a witch. Who is your human choice?”
“His name is Carter Avery,” Ashana said. “He is the person who started the group I’ve been part of since high school. At first, I did not believe such a future was possible. But he was hopeful and inspiring, so I stayed and reserved my judgment. And now I can see the future so clearly out in front of me…” She let her voice trail off and shook her head. “It is so close, I can almost taste it.”
“You cannot mean to put this pressure on me and me alone, Ashana,” Aurelia said. “If this is important to you, I expect you have a backup.”
Ashana snorted. “A backup?” she asked, almost in disbelief. “The majority of the witches have fled for the storms, choosing to take their chances with them rather than within the city. A few have already been slaughtered by the vampires. The humans are hiding out in their houses, boarding up doors and windows because they know it will be worse if they find them. I have no idea what happened to Adela and Augusta after you and Thyos left. They took off, and I went to my group. We have a safe house…” She shook her head. “It must be you, Aurelia.”
At that moment, the door burst open, and in walked Thyos, a brown bag of groceries in his hand. Aurelia felt her body torn with conflicting emotions; it had been a while since he’d left, so she was glad he was all right while simultaneously she tensed because she knew him well enough to know the minute he locked eyes on Ashana, he would immediately think the worst and do something about it.
She was correct.
&n
bsp; Thyos’s eyes were stormy grey, which was astounding because they were typically a sky blue. Sometimes, when they were engaged in the physical act of intimacy, his eyes were a midnight blue, filled with desire for her and her body.
Now, he was angry. The only other time she had seen him this angry was during her whipping at the Colosseum.
He did not say a word. He did not look at the groceries as he dropped the bag to the floor.
He strode over to Ashana, and with a tight-lipped grimace, he slammed his hand into her throat, wrapped his fingers around her, lifted her off the ground, and squeezed.
Chapter 24
Thyos wanted to laugh. He was not typically amused by many things, but this was hilarious. Equal factions in the Citta di Paludi?
What a joke.
That would never happen.
Neither would a vampire being intimate with a witch, a voice in his head pointed out. Neither would being able to feed on a witch without getting hurt. There are many things that seemed impossible until meeting Aurelia. Perhaps this could be something they could change as well.
“And what do you expect me to do about it?” Thyos asked, furrowing his brow as he looked at this small group of humans. Surprisingly enough, he had no desire to feed on them. No desire to fuck any of them. He would wait for Aurelia. Why demean himself with less when he had the best waiting for him at home?
Home. As if to imply a dwelling he shared with someone.
Thyos wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He knew he was uncomfortable with the idea of monogamy. He did not like having a weakness, something he could lose, something that could be used against him in order to get him to bend his will. And yet Aurelia was not someone he planned to give up. Even if that meant he now possessed a weakness.
“We expect you to lead,” Olivia said, her blue eyes burning with obvious passion. “Thyos, you have a following amongst vampires.”
Poisonous Temptation: Division 2 (The Berkano Vampire Collection) Page 14