by Stina
These were speculations that he often kept to himself, simply because he did not want to give Calum another reason to have hatred in her heart. He hated to see her on edge the way she had been. Although he was the one who started the war, he was beginning to tire of the destruction caused by it. By becoming a king, he had vowed to protect his clan; instead, he kept leading them down paths of destruction. And that was why when he found Kesh and his family, he vowed to make their deaths as quick as possible, and never go to war with another as long as he lived.
Chapter 2
“This boy is a handful.” Adirah sat in the kitchen of their quaint home and stared, admiring her perfect little boy. The kinky curls all over his head, mixed with his dimples and wide, light brown eyes, made him the cutest little boy she’d ever seen. He was the perfect mixture of herself and Kesh, but he definitely had her eyes. They were the same eyes she shared with her mother.
He sat happily in his high chair clapping his hands and eating his baby food. Adis was the first of his kind: a day walker. He could still live off of regular food and go out in the sun without a special ring. However, he had a strength not normal of a baby, and he was developing faster. He learned how to walk when he was only eight months old, and he had a thirst for blood. That was the reason they were not able to take him out around animals; he would kill them and drink from them. Kesh told Adirah that it was something he would grow out of, because for him it was not something he would ever need unless he was weak. It was like an energy booster, because he would grow to be stronger than all of them without the need for blood.
“Just like his father already.” Kesh came from behind her with a grin.
At the sight of Kesh, Adis began to clap his hands harder and bounce in his chair. Kesh leaned down and kissed his little forehead before standing straight again and kissing Adirah’s lips.
“What’s for dinner?” Kesh joked and headed to the fridge that they kept in the garage.
When he returned with two fresh pouches of blood, he noticed that Adirah had taken Adis out of his high chair and gotten him all cleaned up already. She was making funny faces at him and making him giggle from deep in his belly. The love she held in her eyes for their son was so pure. She was barefoot and dressed casually in a baby blue blouse and a pair of jeans that hugged her newfound curves. She had a glow: not the vampire glow, but a different kind of glow that only motherhood could bring.
“Motherhood suits you,” Kesh said, setting the two pouches of blood on the tall, square kitchen table.
“Thank you, honey,” she said as she rocked Adis and listened to his coos. She could tell that he was sleepy by the way that he kept blinking his eyes and fidgeting in her arms. She knew that after a nice warm bath he would be knocked out. “I’m about to go and get him ready for bed. When I come back, we can pretend we’re trying to make another.”
She winked sexily at Kesh and made her way to the back of the one-story house. The house was a step up from what she was used to growing up, but she knew that it was something that Kesh had to get used to. The only good thing was that their backyard had a pond and many trees. Also, all of their neighbors were older folks who didn’t care to poke their noses in their business. Adirah tried to make their new normal life as seamless as possible, especially for Kesh. He was a king subjected to living like a peasant temporarily. She didn’t know how much longer they would have to live like that, but for the time being, she figured it was the safest thing for them.
With both the Malum and the Sefu clans at odds with them, she knew they couldn’t resurface until they were absolutely ready. Although she had defeated Calum, she was not battle ready. When she got involved with Kesh, she never really thought about what the title of being his queen would really entail. It wasn’t like the things she saw on the television. She wasn’t going to just be able to sit on a throne and look pretty with poise all day. Being Kesh’s queen meant leading an entire clan of people she knew almost nothing about. It also meant putting her life on the line for something that she didn’t understand. Still, whether she liked it or not, she would go to the end of the world and back for Kesh. The love she felt was like a fire that burned in her chest and, for him, she had already given up her soul.
“Come on, honey,” she said while she put Adis in his baby tub. “Let’s get all this food from underneath your fat chin. Ooooh, where did all these rolls come from, huh? When did you get so chunky!”
She let him splash the water around for a little bit before she cleaned him all up with her favorite lavender-scented baby soap. By the time she scooped him out of the tub, he wasn’t even able to hold his head up any longer. His head flopped on her shoulder and by the time she got him in his pajamas his tiny snores were filling the air. She laid him down in his crib and turned on the baby monitors, placing one on the nightstand and the other in her back pocket, before leaving the room.
Her hunger began to well up inside of her, and she couldn’t wait to get to the bag of blood waiting for her on the dinner table. She was sure that Kesh was done with his by now, but when she got back, she smiled. Kesh was sitting at the dinner table with a full bag in front of him. He’d waited for her, although she knew he was hungry too.
“Kesh, you could have eaten,” she said taking her seat. “You know I don’t like for my king to be hungry.”
“And I don’t like for my queen to eat by herself,” Kesh countered and nodded toward the pouch.
Adirah popped her pouch open and chuckled slightly. “You know when I was younger, my mother wouldn’t let us touch our food if we didn’t say our grace. I guess it doesn’t really matter now.”
Her smile was a sad one, as it always was when she thought of her mother. She hadn’t seen or spoken to her in over a year, and she really hoped that she was doing all right. Instead of letting her sad thoughts consume her, she dug into her pouch of blood. The craziest thing was that it always tasted as good as steak used to taste to her. It fulfilled her every need and it was almost as if she could never get full off of it.
It took them a matter of five minutes to suck their pouches dry, and when they were done, they wore satisfied expressions on their faces. Their eyes connected and Adirah’s tongue licked the few drops of blood trying to sneak their way out of her mouth. She stood and walked slowly to where Kesh was sitting across from her. With little effort, she pushed his chair out and away from the table so that she could straddle him. His hands found the small of her back as she leaned in to kiss him. The moment their lips were about to connect, Kesh turned his head.
“What is it?” Adirah breathed. “What’s wrong? Did I do something to make you unhappy?”
“No, my dear Dira,” Kesh said, turning back to her and looking up into her eyes. “You make me the happiest I have ever been in this long life. Before you, I was lonely, empty.”
“Then what is it?”
“We need to go back.”
“Back where, Kesh?”
“Back to the Sefu.”
Adirah leaned back to get a good look at Kesh’s face. He hadn’t mentioned that name in a while, and the last time he did he had a different tone of voice. “But, are we ready?”
“I fear we may never be ready. They are my clan and, although they are displeased with me, I am still their king.”
“What brought this about, Kesh? Just a while ago you said we have to wait until the time is right; now you’re saying there is no right time.”
“Something is coming.”
“Something is coming? What?”
“I feel it. It’s a darkness, but I can’t make it out or tell what it is. But I can feel it, and I know that I need to be with my clan. Now is the time to make things right.”
Before Adirah could respond, she heard a sound coming from her pocket. “The baby must have woken up,” Adirah said, taking the white monitor from her pocket. “Let me g—”
“Shhh. Go to sleep. Go to sleep. Go to sleep, little baby.”
It felt like Adirah’s heart had froz
en over listening to the sing-song voice coming from the monitor. She jumped up from Kesh’s lap, and both of them moved with a speed faster than the human eye could see, reaching baby Adis’s room in seconds. They burst in the door, and Adirah gasped seeing the hooded figure cradling her baby boy. Whoever it was had their back to the door.
Kesh charged toward the figure, but one simple finger flick sent Kesh crashing into the far wall. Instead of sliding down the wall to the ground, Kesh was held there, as if he was pinned.
“Who are you?” Adirah said. “Release my son and I will not kill you.”
The figure chuckled, set Adis gently back down in his crib, and slowly removed the hood from their head.
“You wouldn’t be able to do that if you tried.” The person turned around, revealing a beautiful woman with long dreads pulled back. Her skin glowed, and her fangs glistened in the darkness, revealing her true nature. “I wouldn’t even dare you to do that.”
“What is it you want?”
“I think the question is, what is it you want?”
“I want to know who the hell you are and why you are here.”
“Fair enough,” she said in an even voice. “My name is Dena, and I am here to show you who you really are, Adirah Messa.”
“What? What do you mean, who I really am?”
“I take it that your lover boy here has not told you the truth about your bloodline. Or why he is so drawn to you.” The look on Adirah’s face answered the question since her mouth did not. “I didn’t think so.”
Dena turned to Kesh, who held a shocked expression on his face. He fought against his invisible restraints as the intruder took a few steps toward him, but he could not get free. That was a power that he had never seen before, and he could not understand how she was doing it.
“Kesh, king of the Sefu clan, what a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. I wish it had been under better circumstances.”
“I wish it hadn’t been at all!” Kesh snarled.
While Dena’s back was turned, Adirah tried to attack her from behind. Bad choice. She was sent flying the same way Kesh had been, and now both of them were pinned on the wall.
“I told you not to try that,” Dena said over her shoulder and then turned her attention back to Kesh. “I understand that this may not be as tasteful an entrance as I would have liked. In all honesty, I would have liked to remain a—what do these kids call them these days? Ah, yes—an urban legend. But times call for measures more undesirable. Kesh, I am here to tell you that everything you know about your creation is a lie.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean Adie, your creator, was no princess or queen of the Sefu clan.”
“How do you know about Adie? How would you know she was not the daughter of the king of Sefu?”
“I know because Adie was my younger and more reckless sister. So, if she were a princess, I would have been too, right?”
“Sister?”
“You heard me right. Can’t you tell by my eyes? Aren’t they the same as Adie’s? The same as your dear Adirah’s?”
Kesh’s breathing slowed as he studied her eyes. They were the same shape and color as both Adie’s and Adirah’s. He gasped and shook his head. “But why would Adie lie about something like that? I don’t understand.”
“I do not want to wake my greatest nephew, so I will release you both only if you promise to not attack me again.”
There was a small pause before Kesh finally nodded, and Adirah did the same behind her. With them still glued to the wall, Dena made her way out of the room. The couple did not fall to the ground until Dena had already turned the corner and was headed toward the living room.
“Greatest nephew?” Adirah tried to ask Kesh, but he rushed out of the room behind Dena.
In the light of the living room, Kesh was able to see that Dena was dressed in casual clothes as well, but over them she wore an old hooded burgundy cloak. She was seated comfortably on the tan love seat and made a motion with her hands toward the couch directly across from her. “Sit.”
Adirah didn’t know how she felt about being given permission to sit down in her own house, but she also knew that this Dena person was no one to play with. She had powers that not even Kesh possessed.
“If Adie was not the daughter of the king of Sefu, who was she?” Kesh asked as soon as he sat down. He couldn’t stand the suspense. He’d just found out that his entire existence was a lie, and a part of his cold heart seemed to be in pieces. “And why couldn’t I sense you?”
“Ever since we were little, my sister was always the more outgoing one.” Dena gave a small smile. “And when we were turned together it remained that way. We were so special, our existence was supposed to always be kept a secret, but of course, Adie couldn’t accept that. She couldn’t stand the thought of being kept away from the world we knew so well for eternity, so she left. She went above ground and recruited other lost vampires. They saw that she was more powerful than any other vampire they’d ever seen and they followed her with no question. She fabricated the story about her existence, and they believed her. She helped people with the same brown skin as us fight for their rights to be human.” Dena began to laugh and shook her head. “Can you believe that? She fought for the right to be something that she never would be again. And then she met you.” Dena’s eyes bore into Kesh’s, and there were many unspoken words exchanged.
Adirah took notice of this and cleared her throat. “Excuse me. I just have a question: why did you call my son your nephew?”
“Because you, Adirah, are a direct descendent of my sister. Her blood courses strong through your veins.”
Adirah’s head shook, and she tried to make sense of what that meant. “But I thought vampires couldn’t reproduce.”
“Not just any vampire; only the one who was given the gift of reproduction from the king of vampires himself. Dracula.”
Kesh sat up straight in his seat at the mention of the king of all kings. His brow furrowed in Dena’s direction. “That is just a myth.”
“You asked why you were not able to sense me, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Recite the myth to me.”
“‘Through the blood of the king of all kings, nine were given life. With the gifts of illusion, telekinesis, fire, ice, clairvoyance, energy snatching, precognition, shapeshifting, and life they are the most powerful of all soldiers. Ancients. The only things that can remove them from earth are if they place their essence inside of another being or from the bite of an Ancient Lykan.’” Kesh stopped reciting in the middle of the myth and put his hands in the air. “What does old folklore have to do with anything?”
“It has everything to do with everything.”
“But how?”
Instead of answering, Dena lifted her hand, causing everything in the living room except the couches they were sitting on to rise from the ground. After a few seconds, she drew back her power and allowed everything else to drop back to the ground.
“Telekinesis.” Kesh felt all the wind leave him. “You’re an Ancient. So, Adie wasn’t born a vampire?”
“No. She, just like me, was bitten by Dracula himself.”
“She was an Ancient as well?”
“Yes. And so is Adirah; well, a descendent of one. The other vampires think that the key to reproduction lies in you, but it does not. It is in her.”
Dena pointed at Adirah who, in turn, pointed at herself in shock. “In me?”
“Yes. It has taken centuries for the gift to present itself again. For years I have acted as a protector of all of my sister’s children and their children, but you are the only one with the gift. It was not by chance that Kesh found you, and in time he himself will tell you what I mean. But you, Adirah Messa, are the only vampire in the world who can give birth to vampire babies. To day walkers. You are the true queen of vampires, Adirah. This all was your fate. And now it’s time to fulfill your destiny.”
“So there have to be other born vam
pires if Adie’s bloodline has come this far.”
“No. Adis is the only born vampire known to our kind. The way it works is tricky. Only the true queen can give birth to a vampire; the other kids had no abilities. All of them were human. None had the thirst for blood. It is something that I have been trying to understand for centuries. But now I understand. But this is not all I have come to tell you. I am afraid I have bad news.”
“I think all of this is a little hard to swallow. I don’t think anything else you can say would surprise me at this point.”
Dena looked back to Kesh, the man whom both her sister and her greatest niece loved. She understood why. He was strong, and his sense of loyalty to his clan radiated from him although they had betrayed him. He was a born leader, and he would do whatever to take care of his family. Good.
“You feel it, don’t you?” Dena asked him. “That bad feeling in your gut that just won’t go away. When you go to sleep and wake up, it’s still there. Like something is coming for you.”
“Yes,” he breathed. “What is it?”
“It’s them. They have awakened.”
“Who is ‘them’?”
“Our mortal enemies: the Ancient Lykans.”
“That’s a myth. A tale to scare vampires.”
“A few moments ago, I was a myth too, right?” When Dena got no response, she continued. “Kesh, it’s up to you to unite all vampires against them. Even your personal enemies, the Malum. We cannot fight this war alone. We need every vampire we can get.”
“Why me?”
“Adie chose you to be the king of all vampires. You are the Ancients’ general and chief. And because, by bringing Adis into the world, you have awakened them. They want him. As long as you stay here, you all are in grave danger.”