Darkness Is Rising

by C. M. Sipes

Emma refused a beverage from the butler before he handed Aerona a drink of her own.

  “How could I forget?” Marcella replied sadly.

  Silence encased the room for a moment before Emma spoke up.

  “So…this bloodluster and devourer issue. What are we going to do?”

  Aerona and Marcella looked surprised at Emma’s voice, and Vittoria eyed her with a smirk.

  Clearly she was set on speaking.

  “My companion is right to ask. They are becoming more brash with each passing day, and while I am aware that both vampires and werewolves have been handling the situation to the best of their ability—”

  “It isn’t enough,” Aerona finished. “My wolves have been taking down any devourers we have come across.”

  “What about bloodlusters?” Vittoria asked.

  “I did not believe I should until I spoke to the two of you. I did not want to… overstep, any boundaries.” Aerona eyed Marcella carefully, her hand playing with a dark curl.

  “You have my full support to rip any bloodlusters you see, to shreds,” Vittoria said as she took another swig of the liquid.

  Marcella nodded. “You have mine as well and I hope you will extend us the courtesy of destroying your devourers.”

  “Absolutely,” Aerona replied quickly. “I do not want this situation any more than you do. Both parties are out of control and need to be silenced.”

  “So, we are essentially agreeing on total annihilation,” Vittoria said.

  Marcella and Aerona both nodded.

  “Are none of you curious as to why this is happening in the first place?” Emma asked, drawing everyone’s eyes to her. “I mean, from what Vittoria has told me, this has never happened before, both of them working together? So why now did they decide to start doing this?”

  “Emma is right, I have been wondering the same thing,” Vittoria replied as she looked at Aerona and Marcella.

  “I had assumed that they finally just became fed up after thousands of years of persecution,” Marcella replied with a shrug.

  “No, Marcella. I believe you think differently,” Vittoria challenged, her eyes searching her maker’s.

  “Surely you do not think…” Marcella left her sentence hang in the air.

  “Indeed I do,” she replied solemnly.

  “I apologize, but what the hell are you two on about?” Aerona asked as she twirled her drink. She took a swig, patiently awaiting their response.

  Marcella and Vittoria eyed each other; everything they needed to say going into that look. Some things had not changed; even though hundreds of years had passed, they still had their unspoken connection.

  Vittoria nodded her consent and Marcella sighed before beginning.

  “We seem to be in agreement,” Marcella began, gesturing to her heir. “Vittoria and I believe that this recent development might have some sort of connection to Lilith.”

  “Lilith? Your First?” Aerona asked, suddenly very intrigued, her eyes flickering to their red-rimmed yellow as her red lips parted in a grin. “Fascinating. Tell me more.”

  “I appreciate the enthusiasm, Aerona,” Vittoria said with a light chuckle. “Marcella and I had discovered a shrine to Lilith back in the 1500’s. The bloodlusters worshipping her believed there would be a second coming and they would no longer have to hide. Needless to say, Marcella and I annihilated the group. However, if Lilith is somehow connected to this, the consequences could be devastating.”

  “How so?” Aerona asked.

  “Well for one, we would have to kill her,” Marcella chimed in, “and due to Lilith’s age and her being the First of us, I would say that is damn near impossible.”

  “We also do not know what would happen to us if we did manage to kill her,” Vittoria added.

  “What do you mean?” Emma asked, her blue eyes wide as she looked at Vittoria.

  “No one ever knew for certain if Lilith was alive or dead since she disappeared from the earth. Marcella and I only found out in the 1500’s that Lilith had been slumbering this entire time. So, we are unsure if we would live or die if Lilith was destroyed,” Vittoria explained.

  “We are literally bound by blood. It’s all very supernatural, so it is possible that through some magical link, we might perish with her—” Marcella started.

  “Or because we really have no clue, we might live should she perish,” Vittoria finished.

  “So you have absolutely no idea?” Emma asked, her brow furrowing before she turned to Aerona. “What about your First, Aerona? Does he still live?”

  “So, you know of Enki?” Aerona asked surprised, her eyes flickering to Vittoria. “She seems to know a great deal, Vittoria.”

  “I filled her in on my past, Aerona. A portion of it anyways.”

  “The most important, by my judgment,” Emma commented. “But really, Aerona, is he alive?”

  “That is a good question,” Aerona sighed. “Enki has not been seen for a very, very, long time. I believe he disappeared only a few hundred years after Lilith’s disappearance.”

  “So you know of Lilith’s disappearance?” Emma asked.

  Aerona shrugged. “Not much. I just know that Enki and his wolves hunted her to destroy her and her kind. After a while, Enki eventually disappeared, as did his most loyal followers. The rest eventually died. We do not have the ‘blood memory’ advantage that the vampires do. All of our stories are passed by word of mouth. So, I know very little of Enki and his connection to Lilith.”

  “Perhaps that is for the best,” Vittoria said, causing Marcella and Emma to look at her strangely. She had left out the connection between Lilith and Enki when she told Emma her story.

  “Well, if Enki is alive as well—just in hiding, shouldn’t we be worried that maybe he and Lilith are behind this?” Emma asked.

  “That would imply that they would be getting along,” Vittoria commented with a snort.

  “Well, we have managed,” Aerona, said to her with a smile.

  “You and I have a very different history than they do, dear, or so it seems,” she replied as she stared into her drink. “I have no doubt that this could be connected to either of them, but I certainly do not believe they are doing this together. There is no possible way.”

  “Well, then we have a very serious problem,” Marcella said. “If either of them are the cause of this uprising, we certainly have our work cut out for us.”

  “How do you capture a ghost?” Vittoria asked with a sigh as she sat back in her chair. “Enki is in the wind and has not been seen. Lilith has been missing for thousands of years and is most likely still slumbering…” she trailed off.

  A chill suddenly ran up her spine.

  A tingle that she could not quite place—but she shook it off for the moment.

  “What if we lure her out of hiding?” asked Emma.

  “How would you propose we lure her out?” Marcella asked with a smirk.

  “Use Vittoria as bait,” Emma replied, her eyes looking to Vittoria sympathetically.

  Vittoria remained silent for a few moments before speaking, “I had a run-in with a devourer about a month ago. Emma, you recall the man with the glowing eyes at the library,” she began, “he was very eager to expose himself to everyone in that library, and I have no doubt that if I had not intervened he would have done so.”

  “They are determined,” Aerona muttered in agreement, slightly confused as to where Vittoria was heading with that line of thought.

  Vittoria paused, mulling over their options before agreeing with Emma. “My point is they are becoming brash…careless even. Perhaps we should use me as bait for Lilith. Hopefully, we could at least get a few answers from her. We need to act quickly to contain this.” She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

  “Absolutely not,” Marcella said immediately, her eyes wide. “What if she kills you?”

  “She will not. You and I both know that she has some sort of interest in me,” Vittoria replied quickly.

  “Perhaps she needs
your blood, or wants a pretty thing as a trophy. Regardless of what it is…” Marcella trailed off. “We do not know what she wants, Vittoria.”

  “Marcella, the woman has been in hiding for thousands of years. She broke her slumber once—to our knowledge—to find me. She clearly has some plan for me, and she will not kill me.” Her eyes bore into Marcella’s, pleading with her.

  The chill returned then, creeping up her spine and making the hair stand up on the back of her neck.

  “Vittoria?” Marcella asked, worry oozing from her voice. Her eyes frantically ran over her heir’s body, noticing the way she had suddenly tensed.

  “My apologies. I just felt…strange,” she replied quietly. She shook off the feeling once more and looked at everyone. “Our problem with luring Lilith out of hiding is that we have absolutely no idea where she is.”

  “The last you know is that she was in Italy,” Emma commented.

  Marcella and Vittoria both nodded.

  “Wait, you two knew where she was?” Aerona asked.

  “It is a long story, but yes, we did. That was in the mid-1300’s though,” Vittoria replied. “From what we know, she returned to where she was slumbering but I do not know if she had woken and moved or if she stayed where she was.”

  “We could always fly to Italy and check,” Marcella said seriously.

  “What would we do if she is still in her hole?” asked Vittoria, raising a questioning eyebrow.

  “Then we know she is not behind the influx,” Marcella replied idly.

  “So you would fly to Italy for that?” Emma asked incredulously.

  “Do you have a better idea?” Marcella responded, her nose crinkling in a snarl.

  “Ladies,” warned Aerona, her eyes changing as she glared at Marcella.

  The chill made another appearance, and Vittoria stood quickly, her body spinning around and eyes blazing. She let out a low growl, effectively silencing the others in the room. Her body rippled as she took a defensive position.

  “Vittoria?” Marcella asked worriedly as she stood, her posture stiffening suddenly.

  “You smell that?” Aerona asked as she stood as well.

  Emma remained seated, turning in her seat to view the door.

  “What’s wrong?” she whispered to Vittoria, her hand coming up to lightly grasp Vittoria’s own.

  “Face us!” Vittoria yelled, her body still rippling and her fangs beginning to puncture her lip.

  The doors opened suddenly, flying back with such force that one fell off its hinge.

  “My deepest apologies. I had forgotten my strength.” The voice was rich and velvety, a slight British accent poking through when she spoke.

  Vittoria recognized the voice before her appearance. Her knees began to feel weak, yet she forced herself to remain standing.

  Aerona and Marcella looked at each other in confusion, inching closer to Vittoria in uncertainty. Marcella tensed suddenly and Vittoria could smell the fear that began to roll off her in waves when she realized who was in her home.

  “Lilith,” Vittoria breathed out.

  “Hello…Vittoria,” she drawled, her voice a seductive purr as she sauntered into the room. Her eyes roamed leisurely over each of them, pausing on Marcella. “Marcella, lovely to see you again.”

  Marcella stiffened and Vittoria turned to glare at her questioningly.

  “Oh Vittoria, don’t look at her like that, she doesn’t remember.” Lilith grinned before she moved toward them, stopping behind Emma’s chair. She carefully took a strand of her hair in her hand and played with it.

  Vittoria’s eyes remained trained on the action, fear beginning to coil in the pit of her stomach.

  Lilith looked up, Vittoria’s red eyes locking on her deep brown.

  “I won’t hurt her, Vittoria.” Lilith dropped the strand of hair before taking a seat in a vacant chair next to Emma. She crossed one leg over the other and Vittoria finally relaxed enough to take in her appearance.

  Her hair was black and straight, hanging down to her breasts. Her eyes were lined with black eyeliner, a smoky eye shadow delicately placed on her eyelids, and deep red lipstick painted on her lips. She wore a black vest that dipped low, black leather pants, and black high heels—all accentuating her tanned skin.

  She looked like a sinful wet dream.

  Vittoria swallowed thickly, attempting to push down the anxiousness that she felt in her presence.

  “Please sit. I believe we have much to talk about,” Lilith said as she gestured to the chairs.

  Marcella and Aerona sat back down, and Vittoria grabbed Emma by the hand, pulling her up and quickly placing her in another chair. Vittoria eyed Lilith as she sat down in Emma’s former seat, waiting for her to speak.

  Lilith smirked at the change of position. She leaned back in her armchair and examined Vittoria, her eyes slowly trailing over every inch of her body.

  Emma shifted uncomfortably at Lilith’s action, while Vittoria kept her eyes trained on the ancient.

  “You are the same as you were when you were first turned,” Lilith began, “very beautiful and strong. I am quite pleased.”

  “I hope that is a good thing,” Vittoria replied carefully.

  “Oh, of course it is.” Lilith smiled before turning to look at all of them. “Now, I could not help but overhear your conversation. While I appreciate your plan to lure me out of hiding, you can see that it will no longer be necessary.” She spread her hands in gesture. “So, now that I am here, I believe I should be included in your meeting about this influx.”

  “Are you behind it?” Aerona asked, eyes turning color as she glared at Lilith.

  Lilith merely laughed. “Oh, it would seem that I had slumbered through something important. Werewolves and vampires being friends—how…intriguing. Next you will tell me that Marcella has a witch lover.” Lilith laughed once more, exposing her bright white teeth.

  “You’re late by about five hundred or so years,” Vittoria said with a tight smile.

  Lilith looked at her. “So it would seem. Slumbering is such tricky business. It is nearly impossible to keep a tab on things every single moment.” Lilith sighed before looking to Marcella. “I did, however, manage to catch a peek of your betrayal, Marcella.”

  Marcella stiffened in her seat and Vittoria felt a pang in her heart. She chanced a glance at Marcella, her breath catching in her throat when she saw a flash of shame flitter across her face.

  “We will talk about that later,” Lilith commented with a mischievous grin. “Now, this influx…it is absolutely not my doing. The entire reason why I am even exposing myself is because of this pesky problem.”

  “Why would you come out of your slumber for this?” Aerona asked. “We are more than capable of handling this ourselves.”

  “No,” Lilith stated bluntly, “you are not. None of you are even slightly aware of what is brewing.”

  “Enlighten us then,” Vittoria demanded.

  Lilith’s eyebrows rose in amusement at her tone, her lips parting slightly and a breathy laugh escaping them.

  “The idea of total exposure has been a nagging thought in the back of some of the bloodlusters’ minds for centuries. I believe you two recall that,” Lilith said to Marcella and Vittoria. “It was only a matter of time before they began to press for it. I also assume that some of the devourers have brought up this idea as well?” She looked at Aerona.

  “Unfortunately,” Aerona replied.

  Lilith hummed. “You cannot kill an idea. No matter how many you slaughter, their ideas will still float through the wind.”

  “Indeed,” Marcella muttered in agreement.

  “So, since we are unable to kill an idea…we need to kill the next best thing,” Lilith said.

  “Which is?” Emma asked, finally breaking her silence.

  Lilith turned her gaze on Emma, an amused smirk dancing on her lips, as she looked Emma up and down.

  “She is pretty, this one,” Lilith commented to Vittoria. “I must say Vit
toria, you must have a type.” Lilith tilted her nose up and sniffed the air. Her eyes lit up suddenly, slowly changing to the deepest blood-red, and bringing forth the eyes that haunted Vittoria’s dreams. “Oh, how curious. Your scent.” She leaned forward in her chair, eyes fixated on Emma.

  “Lilith,” Vittoria growled, a snarl on her face.

  Lilith’s eyes turned to her slowly and she grinned, the red turning back to brown as she leaned back in her chair. “My apologies. I have not fed in a few hours.”

  Marcella merely clapped her hands and a butler swiftly entered the room, a decanter of blood in his hand. He handed Lilith a glass of the dark liquid before quickly scurrying from the room.

  She smelled the blood, sighing as she raised the glass to her lips and took a healthy gulp. She let out a pleased hum as she swirled the liquid around.

  “Thank you, Marcella. Such a gracious host,” Lilith commented before looking back to all of them. “Anyway, the next best course of action is to do some recon. Send some scouts, infiltrate the ranks of the bloodlusters and have them work their way to the top. We need to find out who the leader is. The same, being done for the devourers.”

  “How is that supposed to put an end to things? Things are already getting out of control,” Emma said pointedly.

  Lilith rolled her eyes. “I am aware that your two prime suspects were myself and Enki. Now, I certainly have nothing to do with this. However, Enki is a possibility.”

  “You can’t be serious,” Aerona said, her voice low.

  “I am not saying he is.” Lilith shrugged. “However, I am not ruling him out either. Enki has been quiet for a very long time and, as far as I have been able to tell, still very quiet.”

  “Which could mean that he is definitely the one we are looking for,” said Vittoria.

  “Indeed. But we do not know for certain, hence the infiltration,” Lilith replied before taking another swig of her drink. “Once we are aware of who we are dealing with, we can proceed.”

  “And then?” Emma asked as she shifted in her seat.

  Lilith’s eyebrow rose. “Then we take out the leader and slaughter the rest.”

  “Why can’t we just slaughter them now?” Emma asked.

  Everyone in the room looked at her in surprise, except Lilith who merely laughed.