by Stina
“They need us. They cannot fight the Lykans alone and expect to win. They will perish trying. You can’t make that oath with Tiev. He is not to be trusted. We must unite the Sefu and the Malum as one if we expect to win. We have the most powerful vampire clans in strength and numbers. We cannot let the Lykans win this war.”
If it had not been for you and your queen, none of us would be in this situation. You are the ones who bore the child who woke the monsters up! Why should I fight to protect it?
“This war was inevitable. It was going to come whether we liked it or not.” Kesh’s voice was a low growl. He did not like the way that Talum spoke about his son, but he also remembered his promise to Dena. “I created you, Talum, not because you were weak prey but because you were strong. We were once brothers: brothers who had the same vision for our people. I never wanted it to be this way. There should not be two clans; there should only be one.”
One that only you rule over, right?
“Do you think I wanted this? This was never something I asked for. I never had a choice like you to become a king, Talum. When I was born again, this is who I was. I was created by an Ancient, and that makes me the king of all vampires.”
An Ancient? That explained why he was stronger and faster than the rest of them. It also explained why he was able to survive so long without feeding the last time they battled. It was right then that it dawned on Talum that, no matter what he did, Kesh would always be the alpha of the two of them. Not by choice, but by blood. Talum’s thirst for power had held him for centuries and caused him to lose someone he truly felt was his brother. All because he felt that he would never be Kesh’s equal if he wasn’t a king too.
“Just because I am king does not mean I do not view you as my equal. You are strong, Talum, and a fierce warrior. We won’t win this war if you are not by my side. I refuse to fight it if you are not there.”
What am I supposed to do?
“You must call a meeting with all of the Malum, and explain to them what is happening. I do not wish to be here in secret, and they will not fight with me if they hate me. They will not stand for me if they do not trust me.”
Why should I trust you?
“Because I am prepared to fight not only for my son, but for all vampires alike. Including you.”
When Talum walked back outside, Tiev and Calum were still where he’d left them. They were both sitting in an awkward silence until he presented himself.
“I was starting to think you ran off on me,” Tiev joked.
“And leave you with my queen?” Talum raised his eyebrow at him as if he’d said the most absurd thing. “Never.”
Tiev gave an impatient smile and glanced at Talum’s hands in search of the papers he was supposed to get. When he didn’t see them there, he checked the pockets of his jeans. Still nothing. “You don’t have the papers.”
“Ah.” Talum put his finger in the air as if he was suddenly remembering something that he’d forgotten. “About that.”
“What do you mean, about that? I thought we had a deal! I said you could kill Kesh if we make this deal.”
“Come on, Tiev.” Talum cocked his head at the vampire. “You and I both know that you wanted that pleasure all to yourself. Plus—”
“Plus, you would never be a true king to the Sefu.”
The voice made both Calum and Tiev jump in their seats. Tiev jumped up and faced Kesh with his fangs out. Calum jumped on top of the table and hissed violently when both Kesh and Adirah stepped down on the concrete deck, looking like they owned the place.
“Adirah!”
“Calum!”
Adirah felt her nails grow along with her fangs. There was nothing that she’d rather do than rip her teeth out one by one, but Kesh’s hand on her shoulder stopped her from attacking.
“What’s going on here, Talum?” Tiev growled. “Why is he here? And why have you not yet killed him?”
“Because I didn’t want to,” Talum said. “It dawned on me while I was upstairs that a blood traitor like you would never keep his word. Our agreement is off.”
“And as the king of vampires, I banish you, blood traitor.” Kesh’s lip curled as he spoke to Tiev. “There was one point when I would trust you with my life. But now, here you are, bartering with it. What changed?”
“Everything between us changed when you killed Vila,” Tiev said. “You did not even give her a chance to explain herself. You just killed her.”
“She, like you, tried to kill me. That is treason. I did not want to kill Vila, but she forced my hand.”
“She forced your hand because you put a mortal above your own clan.”
“Adirah is a vampire, just like you and me.”
“She is now,” Tiev sneered at her.
The hairs on the back of Kesh’s neck stood up, and he felt himself preparing for an attack. But the attack never came. Tiev must have realized that he was outnumbered, and he backed up slowly before running around the house to the front. Talum made to go after him, but Kesh stopped him.
“Let him flee. I will deal with him when I go speak to my people.”
Although Kesh had given Talum control back over his own body, Talum still did what he was asked. Calum, still perched on the table, looked back and forth from Talum to Kesh.
“What’s going on, Talum? And why are you listening to his commands?”
“We are uniting the clans,” he answered simply.
“Uniting what!”
“I will explain later when I address the entire court.”
“No, Talum, you will explain now.”
Talum looked at Calum and could tell just by the upset look on her face that she was not going to let him drop it without telling her exactly what happened. He sighed and quickly briefed her on everything that was going on.
“We can’t risk continuing this feud with each other when a far greater danger is heading right toward us. It will feed on our division and rip us completely apart.”
“So we must unite,” Kesh said.
“Under one condition.” Talum looked at Kesh.
“What condition?” Calum and Adirah asked in unison.
“The two of you battle,” Talum said looking Calum squarely in the eye. “You have not been training for nothing, my love.”
“And you have so much anger built up inside of you, Dira,” Kesh said.
“We have the perfect training area for you to let it all out. Calum, lead the way.”
“You mean, you won’t be there to watch?”
“Kesh and I have much to discuss, so I apologize. I will not be there to witness this fight.”
“Kesh . . .”
But Kesh was already back inside of the house, and Talum quickly followed. He shut the patio door behind him and locked it, leaving their women outside.
“What if they kill each other?” Talum asked.
“They won’t,” Kesh said as he walked. “They must learn how to fight alongside each other. What better way than to have them fight each other?”
Chapter 14
A year had been a long time to wait, but there they were, standing in the clearing facing off with each other. Both Adirah and Calum were changed into their vampire forms, breathing heavily. Both women were thirsty for victory, but only one would come out on top.
“I have waited a long time to be able to taste your blood,” Calum hissed with a low laugh. “How unexpected that you would walk right into my home.”
“It wasn’t hard,” Adirah spat back. “Knocking the two vampires out at the front gate was effortless. Just like I’m sure defeating you is going to be. I did it before. We drove all day and night just so I could do it again!”
On the last word, the two women ran full speed at each other, colliding with each other at the last second. Adirah was sure that her first strike would knock Calum on her back, but she stood her ground. The two women fought like ferocious beasts. Each attack they made was relentless as they were both hoping it was the attack that would be
their last. Calum ate one of Adirah’s punches and threw one back her way, catching her in the jaw. Adirah flew backward at the power of Calum’s punch, but she landed on her feet, skidding. She pressed her hand to the ground and used her claws to slow her down.
“Ahhh!” Calum had run and taken a great leap in the air in hopes of hitting Adirah’s face into the ground. Adirah dodged the attack at the last second and countered by chopping Calum hard in her throat. She then followed through with a quick left jab and a kick to the stomach that sent Calum flying through the air again. Using her speed, Adirah ran in the same direction and, instead of landing, Calum was met with a hard fist that sent her plummeting to the ground. The power of Adirah’s attack caused the ground to dent under Calum’s body.
Although in pain, Calum was not ready to give up. The mistake Adirah made was thinking that she’d already won. As soon as her guard was down, Calum attacked again. She jumped back up and grabbed Adirah by the neck, slamming her to the ground. She put all her power into her fists and pounded repeatedly into Adirah’s chest until blood spat from her mouth. Adirah was defenseless as Calum leered over her, watching her prey. That time, she had the advantage.
“I win, Adirah.” She smirked and gave a loud battle cry before she raised her claw high and brought it down forcefully.
Adirah clenched her eyes shut and tried to prepare for the pain to come. When it never did, she opened her eyes to peek. Calum’s face was inches away from hers, and she was panting. Adirah looked over to Calum’s hand that was supposed to be attacking her, and she saw that it was wrist deep into the ground.
“I win even if I don’t kill you,” Calum said, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
“You might as well just kill me,” Adirah said weakly, “if you won.”
Calum shook her head. “They would have never left us alone if they really believed we would kill each other.” Calum removed her hand from the soil.
Her ears twitched, and she looked to the forest to the right of her. Using her speed, she was gone from in front of Adirah one moment, but back the next. When she returned, she had a rabbit in her hands.
“Here,” she said handing Adirah the animal. “Drink. It will help you heal faster.”
Adirah didn’t think twice about taking the rabbit. She sat up weakly and bit down on the rabbit’s neck. It fought violently for a split second but stopped as Adirah sucked the life from it. When she was done, she threw it to the side and wiped what blood she could from her mouth. The pain in her chest was no longer there, and she was able to stand without wincing. They both changed back into their human forms. Neither knew what to say to each other at first, so they just glared into the other’s eyes.
“I guess you got what you wanted. A victory.” Adirah’s words came out hard, but it was only because she was bitter. How did Calum beat her when she had beat her so easily before?
“You fight well for a vampire who does not train for battle.”
“How would you know if I train or not?”
“A vampire who is war ready would never quit the fight before it was over. You got me good and expected me to be down for the count. On real war fields, Lykans are ready to fight until their last breath; it does not matter how bruised up they are. That goes for vampires too. Never give up unless there is no possible way that you can move.”
“You’re giving me battle advice?”
“Maybe,” Calum said and nodded back toward the estate. “Come on, before they come looking for us. I wonder how the rest of the Malum took to seeing your man here.”
“Probably the same as you. They probably jumped on the nearest table with their fangs out.”
She didn’t mean to, she really didn’t, but Calum felt the laugh come up through the deepest part of her belly and out of her mouth. She got a brief visual of the entire Malum clan doing what she had done, and she thought it was the funniest thing.
“She has a sense of humor?” Adirah pretended to be shocked and put a hand to her chest.
Calum instantly stopped laughing, and the hard expression was back on her face in seconds. She cleared her throat as they walked, but it was too late. She’d already shown Adirah a side of her that rarely got brought out unless she was with Talum. “Sometimes.”
“Huh?” Adirah asked.
“Sometimes I smile genuinely. Sometimes I laugh.”
“Why only sometimes?”
“I’ve been around a long time. I’ve seen a lot of things, done a lot of things that have taken the laughter out of my cold heart. This life will take a toll on you after a while. The only thing that made sense for so long was our feud with the Sefu. But now I’m thinking we . . . I used it to cloak my need for something more. I took my frustration over not feeling complete out on this petty-ass war between—”
“Your brothers and sisters,” Adirah said.
“All behind Talum’s hunger for power. That was a long time ago, though. Recently I have noticed a shift in him, before you showed up at all. I think he realized his mistake a while ago; it has just taken him until now to realize it. I know he grows tired of seeing vampires kill other vampires. Not only that, I feel like he blames himself for pitting them against each other.”
She thought about the Talum she’d first met and the Talum he was at that very moment. The craziest thing was that, throughout all of his changes, it was like she changed with him. When he wore hatred like a sheet of armor, so did she, fighting anyone and everyone who opposed them in any way. Now, Talum showed remorse and compassion. His hatred for Kesh was what started him on his journey in the first place. But after that last battle took place, Calum noticed that only she was training for the next fight. Talum was always somewhere else getting lost in his thoughts. Slowly but surely his hate for Kesh had gone away; she felt it. And since that hatred was gone, there was nothing else to fuel the fire of the feud.
As they walked, she was so lost in her own mind that she almost didn’t hear Adirah’s soft voice begin to speak. “There is a place, where the Ancients live, where all the vampires live in peace. You know the craziest thing?”
“What?”
“They all have the choice to leave, and come back to this world, but they don’t unless they have to. They would rather live in peace.”
“How do they feed?”
“They own a blood bank,” Adirah answered, remembering something that Constance told her.
“They don’t hunt humans?”
“No,” Adirah said. “Those ways are long behind them.”
“Will we meet them?” Calum’s question came out hesitant, and she failed to mask the plea in her voice.
“Yes,” Adirah answered. “They want you all to come back with us. If the Malum and the Sefu cooperate, that is.”
“They will.”
“How do you know?”
“Because our two men are the fiercest leaders ever to grace this earth. If they were powerful separate, imagine what they can do together. No one will want to oppose that. You see how Tiev fled.”
By that time the two of them had reached the estate. There was not a vampire in sight but the two at the gate. Calum assumed that they were all inside. There were no loud uproars coming from inside of the estate.
“Maybe they have all agreed to end the divide,” Adirah said hopefully.
“Or maybe they have all died from the shock,” Calum said. “Either way, let’s get in there and see what the hell is going on.”
With their differences not too far behind them, the twosome made their way up to the front doors in hopes of walking in on a truce. They both held their breath as they opened the doors to the mansion. Calum raised her eyebrows when she noticed everyone bustling around doing their normal duties. Calum grabbed one of the women walking by her by the arm.
“Where is Talum?”
“I think he’s still in the library talking to Kesh.” She said it with such ease, like nothing was wrong with her statement at all. She turned her afro head to Adirah and offered a kind smil
e. “Hello, Adirah. Welcome to our home. I’m sorry that a truce couldn’t have been called at a better time, but I am pleased to know that the feud between our clans is over.”
Calum released her arm and looked over at Adirah in awe. “What the hell happened while we were gone, Liza?”
“Talum made all of us go into the library.”
“And then what happened?”
“He told us that there would be some changes to our lives, and then he brought out Kesh.”
“No one opposed?”
“Of course they did.” Liza looked at Calum as if she had something on her face. “But given that everyone knows about the birth of their son, and most of us know what the prophecy says, we shut up to listen. And . . .”
“And what?”
“I’ve been feeling it too.”
“Feeling what?”
“It,” she said. “It’s coming, and I’ve been feeling it for days now. A few of the others did too. We all spoke up for Kesh. The others knew we wouldn’t lie.”
“Thank you.” Adirah gave her the gratitude she deserved.
“So, is it true?”
“Is what true?”
“Are we really going to go stay with the Ancients?”
“Yes,” Adirah said and offered a kind smile. As soon as we get the Sefu to agree to the truce as well.
“Then I am ready to go to war.” Liza walked off with a big smile on her face after her last statement.
As soon as Liza was gone, Calum ran off in a direction so fast that Adirah had to hurry after her to keep up. When they finally stopped, they were in a library facing both Talum and Kesh. Adirah had a big smile on her face while Calum looked at Talum with wonder on hers.
“So, who won?” Kesh asked casually.
Adirah opened her mouth to answer truthfully, but Calum beat her to the punch. “That does not matter anymore,” she said. “We both had our weak moments. If you would like, while you two are here I can begin to train Adirah.”
Both Kesh and Talum stood speechless.
“It’s inevitable, right? The war is coming. She needs to be ready. Lykans fight like no other beast that I’ve ever met.”