“No.”
“Belphegor then?”
“No.” He threw his hands up in the air. “Honestly where is your spirit of adventure? I have it in me because I write about it every day.” He thumped his chest with pride. “I suppose you do not. You’re a pale-face hybrid. Plain as vanilla. With no imagination. Why did I get such a useless son?”
“You don’t have to make this personal, Father. I may be simply a vampire, but I’m also a warrior of the Dark Place. I serve to protect others and keep the peace. I don’t need to look for adventure. You find enough ‘adventure’ for me to clean up as it is.”
“You are such a dumb brute,” he said. “You think being a warrior makes you important among us, demons? You’re a fly on my ass. That is all!”
Refusing to get into a shouting match with him because the door remained open, I held my tongue. Instead, I shut the door to his study and assumed a calm, yet defensive position. Hearing his lack of love for me always reminded me that my chosen path was the correct one. I didn’t want to be the man he was. Not now. Not ever. I didn’t want to rule the Dark Place in the condition it was currently in. Things needed to change.
His passive aggressive nature tempted me to lose my temper, but I wouldn’t do it. He was the one who lacked imagination. Instead, I straightened my back and legs, crossed my arms, dug my nails into my well-toned biceps, and glared down at my father. Given his short stature of five feet, it was easy to do. It pleased him to remind me of my lineage. He may be my demon father, but my mother was human and I favored her ancestors, not his or that of his brothers. He delighted in reminding me of that.
I had the same bright blue eyes, pale complexion, and shiny raven black hair as my mother did. From her journals and letters, I had obtained, she dreamed about my growing up to overthrow my father someday and becoming a ‘great divine warrior’ as she phrased it. One day I would have revenge because my father was the reason I could no longer see my mother. He had banished her to the Beyond. I had yet to discover if she was alive or dead. If she was dead, there would be Hell to pay. That I knew.
Father’s voice brought me back to reality as my nerves gnawed a hole in my stomach. “I don’t have to run every single idea by my brothers. All I have to do is create some havoc for the werewolves now and then. They’ll love this plan. When opportunity comes knocking, what am I to do? Look away? I think not. And what better opportunity than kidnapping Lividius’ daughter? She’s a peach, my boy. Not the brightest star in the cosmos, but she’ll make a terrific pet. Fuck her well or else.”
“If she’s a Livonian werewolf, Father, that means she’s bound to the Moon Goddess, and she’s a threat to us. If she’s a virgin, she’s extremely dangerous! Do you really want the Moon Goddess showing up and blasting us away or exiling us to the Land of Intolerables?” I asked.
Father scoffed at me, repeatedly rubbing the lapels of his velvet jacket with one hand as he chewed on the tip of his pipe with the other. I had hit a nerve. He and I both knew living in our city of Asmodian was fine. Being banished to the Land of Intolerables, a place inhabited with creatures far scarier than either of us, was a thought neither of us wanted to entertain.
“No one has seen the Moon Goddess in centuries,” he replied. “She doesn’t exist. That’s a myth Lividius came up with to protect the Golden Kingdom, and so is that Livonian werewolf crap. They can’t keep us out, and I proved that today. The Golden Kingdom has no one protecting it. The Moon Goddess is gone. Wait until your uncles hear about this! They’ll owe me!” He bounced around his desk like a school kid.
“You’ve taken leave of your senses. This will plunge us into war.”
“Doubtful. I bet Lividius won’t even notice she’s missing. She’s a female. A woman can’t be a Livonian werewolf, virgin or not. Women are good for one thing, fucking. Okay two. Fucking and then killing. They don’t count unless they are dead.” He laughed again. “Don’t worry. I’ll return her at some point or get rid of her. Yes, I’ll get rid of her after the games and add her to my wall, with the rest of her family.” His eyes glowed, and he glanced over at me. Quickly he looked away when he saw I was not amused. “But don’t you get any bright ideas. You’re not letting her escape. I mean what I say. She’s to be your pet and presented at the first tournament, or else.”
For a few moments, I glared at him, and then I turned on my heel, not waiting to hear anything more my father had to say. Staying out of this shit storm had suddenly disappeared as an option.
***
“Sir, I did the best I could. I had to settle her down before she created an incident.” One of my domestic assistants, Johann met me at the door to my bedroom. His agitated demeanor was on overdrive. He raked his fingers through his wavy red hair as his eyes darted from side to side, avoiding making eye contact with me. Being a werecat, the presence of a wolf sent him over the edge.
“What did you do, Johann?” I inquired attempting to appear calm.
“I had to think of something quick. She broke her chains and was shifting all over the place. I had to protect myself, and I couldn’t let her escape, sir.”
“That’s fine. I’ll see to it now, Johann. Thank you.”
“Yes, sir. I’m sorry I couldn’t help more.”
I nodded, hoping my loyal friend of many years, would adopt the same composure before someone from Father’s staff heard us.
Johann stood frozen in his tracks, his eyes remaining extremely wide as he rapidly blinked his eyelids and twitched his nose and lips. Werecats were skittish forest creatures.
“Bring me some refreshments, towels, soap, that sort of thing. Okay? Leave them by the door here.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thank you, Johann. That will be all.”
“Oh sir, should I get her some clothes or something?” Cautiously he backed away from the door when he heard a thud on the other side.
I smiled at him, keeping my fangs hidden from view. In a normal situation, I thought, I would have said yes. However, this was not going to be a normal situation. Far from it.
“She’s a gift from my father, a pet. She’s to serve me…” I paused for a moment, searching for the proper phrase of words.
“In the games, sir?”
“Yes, among other things,” I mumbled. “Okay?”
Johann’s pale face turned beet red. “Yes, sir. Of course, sir. Thank you, sir. I’m sorry. Yes, okay. Thank you, sir. Thank you.”
***
Knowing it wouldn’t take Father long to find an excuse to stop by my chambers and check in on the woman, I quickly considered my options. As I watched Johann scurry down the hallway, I entered through the door of my library, adjacent to the bedroom. I shut the door and glanced about the room. I waited and listened. The thudding sound had subsided. Assuming the woman was loose in my room, I decided it would be best to materialize instead of walking through the door and possibly frightening her again. I retrieved the bottle of potion Michel had given me from a hidden compartment in one of the large walnut bookcases that surrounded my library and drank down the contents. Instantly I vaporized into a trail of blue smoke and found my way through the locked bedroom keyhole.
Nothing could have prepared me for the scene in my bedroom. The startling realization of seeing the woman in wolf form crammed into a wire cage jolted me out of my vapor form. I fell to the floor in a heap. I’d have to speak to Johann immediately. She wasn’t going to remain in a cage.
I approached her.
She growled, showing me her sparkling white fangs. Her thick, light beige fur rose along the ridge of her back. She slammed her head into the cage a few times, threatening to attack if she could break free. Once she stopped moving, she continued to watch me with angry eyes, her head swaying back and forth like a snowy owl, all the time remaining defiant, fearless, and ready to kill me at a moment’s notice.
I knelt before her, hoping my research on Lunar mythology was accurate. A wolf chant may calm her down. I had to reason with her in this form
before Father arrived. Would she understand me? Would the chant work?
I spoke to her in the language my mother had taught me. It was the language of the Lunar world and allowed me to speak with many others who were shifters or practiced the Magics. She probably knew it too. Maybe I could convince her I wasn’t a threat? “Una bellezza come nessun altro. Così bella. Calmati. Calmati. Io non ho intenzione di permettere a nessuno di farti del male.”
Her eyes glowed a magnificent shade of amber unlike anything I had ever seen before.
I repeated the phrase again and again and again. It didn’t matter what I said as long as I repeated it, like a chant. Quickly, I sped through the words. I wanted her to know she was safe.
Her eyes flashed. She slumped down, touching the steel surface of the cage and slightly whining as she placed her paws over her head. Damn it. I spoke too rapidly. She was in pain.
“Come on, Vincent. You can do this. It’s a lot like snake charming.” I laughed at that last statement I said to myself, recalling the last time I had seen my uncle Sarif in snake form. A giant black cobra, arching 10 feet in the sky, spitting fire down on his servants like a crazed dragon when they failed to prepare enough meat for the feast. That had been a fun family visit.
I returned my attention to the she-wolf, saying the chant again, this time slowly, softly, and with feeling.
After a few moments, her back legs slouched and collapsed on the bottom of the cage. She continued to glare at me. I held her gaze, commanding her to hear me. I’ll help you get out of here, but you’ve got to trust me. Soon enough her eyelids grew heavy, and she passed out. Welcome to Hell, little one, I mentally added, knowing the connection was broken.
“Vincent, how are we doing in there?”
Father’s voice boomed from my library, instantly bringing me to my senses.
***
I slammed the bedroom door behind me, forgetting the noise would likely disturb my guest. “It’s a mess in there, Father. I can’t let you in.”
“I’m not interested in your interior decorating or lack of. It’s not like you have any,” he said, probably referring to my basic attire of a black fitted T-shirt and black leather pants to go with my steel-toed leather boots or my few pieces of furniture in my rooms. I spent my earnings on weapons or books, not meaningless knick-knacks like those that he did.
“I have things under control here,” I announced.
“I’d like to visit our pretty pet.”
“She’s not ‘our pet.’ She’s mine, remember? Besides she needs time to adjust. She’s not exactly happy with this situation.” I continued to block the door as he wandered around my library.
He noticed the small bottle of potion on the floor and sauntered over to where it was. “She’s still in wolf form then?” He picked the bottle up and examined it carefully as he spoke.
“I’m afraid so. We wrestled, and I knocked her out,” I lied. In my haste, I had made a grave error.
“Pity. I was hoping to get a look at her this evening before the hunt. I hate hunting on the grounds, but perhaps the tents by the stadium are set up already. I may go over there. Care to join me?” He strolled around my desk in his hunting outfit which consisted of a long red riding coat over a silk shirt with white slacks stuffed into black leather riding boots. He tossed the bottle near a stack of my books.
“I have my blood tea. Thank you just the same.”
He arched his eyebrow at me, clearly displeased with my answer. He was extremely hungry, and it showed. I wasn’t letting him anywhere near the she-wolf. His wrinkled face and sunken eyes reminded me of the welcoming globes that would be used to light the roads leading to the stadium for the games.
“Perhaps another time.”
“Certainly,” I replied as I impatiently waited for him to make his way across the room and out the door.
“My boy?”
“Yes, Father?”
“Just because your mother was a sorceress doesn’t mean I want you dabbling in Black Magic. You were born a vampire, and you’ll remain as such. I’ll not have you become a threat too, so no hocus pocus.”
Before he could finish his second threat for the day, I added ‘or else’ and nodded with an over-exaggerated bow of sarcastic respect. “I may be a warrior, protecting the Dark Place, but I know my place in your city. I’d never jeopardize my standing among the guard,” I announced.
“Just so we are clear.”
“Crystal,” I snapped, not caring if that implied I’d be consulting my crystal ball later. I didn’t own one. The realization that he referred to my mother in past tense startled me. She couldn’t be dead. You, cocksucker, if you killed her…
I turned around to return to the bedroom when I heard the library door open again. I hissed and dropped my fangs in that direction, ready for the threat. Father stood, holding the door ajar for two of his staff members as they slunk into the room. One deposited the bathing supplies on my leather couch while the other dumped several feet of chain and a black dog collar on the Persian rug in the center of my library.
Both held their heads low until Father summoned them with a cluck of his tongue. He followed the domesticated hellhounds to the door.
“By the way genius, silver paralyzes the movements of werewolves. Unlike the others, these chains should keep your pet in her place. I will see her the next time I visit.”
Mentally I heard the threat with his ‘or else’ words again being added despite the fact I had not heard him utter them. My father, Lord Alichino was spectacular at being an asshole. I had to come up with a plan and fast.
Chapter 2 - Emily’s Awakening
This chapter is told from Emily, the heroine’s point of view. Remember each chapter goes back and forth, sharing the hero and heroine’s point of view.
The minute I awoke, I knew I was alone. For how long I had been alone, I didn’t know. “Move, Emily. Move,” I thought to myself. Cold steel stung my naked flesh, and I realized I was finally in my human form. I opened the door to the cage and wiggled my way out.
The bedroom was sparsely decorated with only a few items positioned strategically in the room. The enormity of it halted me in my tracks as I searched for something to put on. A square dining table that doubled as a writing desk and nightstand was pushed against the wall next to the largest antique four-poster bed I had ever seen. A pile of books and papers was scattered on the table amid a few small blue glass bottles, bowls, and ceramic cups. Almost touching the seven-foot-tall wooden ceiling, the bed was made of the same red mahogany wood and had a coral colored bedspread and curtains lined with gold tassels. The bed stood on a plush ivory rug that peeked a few feet out from beneath the bed.
“I hate hunting on the grounds this close to the games. Will you join me perhaps?”
When I heard voices in the other room, I dove into the closet. Weapons, I thought. Clothes or weapons. What can I use as a weapon? I stood frozen in fear, contemplating, questioning my every move. How was I going to do this? My hands began to tremble uncontrollably. Control, Emily. Get control of yourself.
Immediately I called upon my wolf sense, the wonderfully intuitive side of my lunar nature that kept me balanced, focused, and ready to take on the world. A warmness settled in my stomach, and I stretched my neck through a man’s long-sleeved shirt that reminded me of silk. Problem one solved. I realized I’d be sore for weeks after shifting half a dozen times because of my human fright, but I pushed that to the back of my mind. I continued to search through the closet, and then suddenly felt cold steel. These will do.
Exiting the closet, I raised my nose in the air and breathed in, hoping to understand my surrounds. Wolf, where are we?
In the land of demons.
***
When the door partially opened, I took aim at a large, dark figure and threw the first knife of several. I stood behind the massive bed, using it as a bunker, as the person came into view. This demon was not going to take me alive.
The figure grunted, slumping
slightly to the ground.
I heard the weapon I had thrown at him fall to the floor.
My aim was bad and had not found the demon’s heart. I was at a great disadvantage. “You stay back, demon!” I shouted, hoping to sound far more threatening than I’m sure I appeared to be. “I’ve got more where that came from!” Dripping wet, I was maybe one hundred pounds. Cold, weak from hunger, and nearly naked, I was half of that I was sure. Or at least I felt like that. Adrenaline and self-preservation would have to see me through so I could complete my mission.
“Do your worst,” the tall figure announced. “However, I’d like to ask if I may turn on a few lights before you continue your attack. If you don’t mind?”
He mocked me, which should have infuriated me even more, but I held my position and watched as he illuminated the room. He flipped a few switches by the door frame, and the room took on a blue hue as if it had been bathed in the soft, gentle lights from beneath the sea.
I looked up at the ceiling just as the wooden beams filed away to two corners. “How did you do that?” I gasped, forgetting my defensive stance all together.
“I can’t handle fluorescent lighting, so I had these installed. Blue is my favorite color actually, even though I wear a lot of black. Here let me show you one more thing. I just had this done.”
He raised his muscular arm upwards and pressed a button at the top of the door frame.
I blinked my eyes several times, getting used to the various colors I saw forming on the ceiling. An image was being constructed.
The lighted design was magnificent and astounded me. A variety of shades of blue, green, and purple illuminated behind the picture of a warrior standing besides a fierce wolf. The enormous wolf, with its head held high and proud, stood with the warrior on a set of rocks jutting out from the edge of a cliff. The warrior wore silver armor, waving a lance in one hand as he looked across the horizon. His other hand was propped on the wolf’s head, in a manner of affection, not discipline. A strong image of a strong warrior and his companion preparing for battle. Why would a demon have such an image promoting the bond of man and animal fashioned on the ceiling of his bedroom? It didn’t make sense.
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