by Nicki Ruth
The man had told him he was from distant lands and visiting a nearby family. He'd invited Alexios to dinner at his friends’, but Alexios declined. He found it peculiar that someone who hadn’t even given his name wanted him over to dinner—him, a poor fisherman’s son. Alexios had become uncomfortable in the stranger’s presence and excused himself as politely as he could. As he walked back down the rocky path to his village, he glanced back to see the man smiling hungrily at him, like a barn cat eyeing a scampering mouse. A shiver ran down Alexios’ spine and he hurried home, his hunt long forgotten.
Later that night, as Alexios slept in the small, stone cottage that he shared with his wife and daughter, the man appeared again. The moon was bright, and Alexios was startled to see him at his side, veiled in pale moonlight. Before he could cry out, the stranger was at his neck, drinking his blood.
Alexios struggled but was no match for him. Thinking helplessly that he would no longer hear his young daughter’s riotous laughter as she splashed by the shore, he laid back on the cot dazed, awaiting the moment his life left his body.
“You’re not what I expected, but I want you nonetheless,” the man called Amelagar had whispered. Then darkness had taken him.
Alexios had woken to a burning sensation in his body, and he clutched himself in agony. He was no longer on his cot, but on stone steps outside a grand house. He burned and shivered simultaneously, and he thought death was cruel indeed. Weak and resigned to death’s clutches he then felt himself being carried and laid out in front a fire.
“I’m sorry,” a male voice had said. “Sorry he gave you to this fate, but I’ll try my best to ease you.”
That had been the voice of Damjan, a vampire who had taken him in, introduced him to vampire life, and made sure he didn’t suffer from being abandoned by his sire. The years that followed assailed Alexios like hell on Earth. Tortured by an unquenchable thirst, hallucinations, and his devastation over being torn from his mortal family, Alexios had yearned for a true death. But Damjan did his best to feed him, train him, and prepare him for life as a soldier.
Damjan became his mentor and best friend, and although he was much older, the two became inseparable. That all changed when Amelagar ripped Damjan’s head off his shoulders while Alexios screamed and begged for his mercy. For that and other senseless deaths, he swore Amelagar would pay for his sins, and Alexios intended to be judge, jury, and executioner.
∞∞∞
Davina sat by Lexi’s side as they looked over the forested carpet outside. Clouds of blue yuil spores floated in the distance, and forest creatures were singing their carefree songs. Lexi could take small steps now, and much to Davina’s delight, shades of pink had reappeared in Lexi’s mane. Davina had always enjoyed Lexi’s hair, which was so unlike her own dark, wiry curls and streaks of red. Lexi was more cheerful than before and had taken to reading books on modern life that Marius had given her.
“So what did you think of Paristan?” Lexi asked. “Beautiful wasn’t it?”
The question surprised Davina. She had thought Lexi would not want to talk about Paristan. “It was beautiful,” Davina agreed.
“Everything’s going to take some getting used to,” Lexi said after silence had fallen over them. “I’m eager to see the rest of the vampire planet.”
Davina laughed. “I'm still not used to it. Jason took me to the city, and everyone wore such strange clothing. You can get anything you want with the touch of a button. And I can't wait for you to see those flying ships. I still don't understand how they stay in the air!”
Lexi’s eyes lit up. “So they finally made ships that could fly. Sounds like fun. Damurios is beautiful in a different sort of way. The moons are spellbinding. Do you like it here?”
Davina looked over the forest of reds, purples, and oranges. “It is beautiful here. But I don’t think I’ll be staying. Once you’re recovered, we must find another place to live.”
Lexi’s eyes widened. “You can’t leave. This is your home. You’re meant to be here.”
“It doesn’t feel like home. It’s as strange to me as it is to you. I don’t think my mother intended for me to be here,” she said. “Don’t worry, Alexios says there are many other planets out there. We would have to find one that’s just right.”
Lexi looked at her strangely. “You shouldn’t leave his side, you know. He’ll keep you grounded.”
Davina made a face at her. “Why do you say that? What did you mean before when you called him my guardian?”
Lexi shrugged. “Because he is. He is fated to you in some way. I’m not certain how or why exactly, but I know he is meant to be in your life. He came to see me earlier, and we talked about that night in Zhar when everything changed, how you came to be here, now.” She sighed. “Back at the palace, he always had a strange, unreadable aura, but now I know the timing wasn’t right. He wasn’t ready then. But he would always stare at you with stars in his eyes.” Lexi giggled. “It was adorable.”
Davina blinked for a few moments, stunned. “Lexi,” she said a little more forcefully than she intended, “are you saying that Alexios was at the palace? Back in Zhar? Are you certain it was him?”
“Uh, yes,” she said slowly, eyeing Davina. “He was in the royal guard. Didn’t you know? Unlike you, I made it my business to know all the handsome ones.” Lexi laughed to herself.
Davina was speechless. Multiple emotions battled for dominance, but anger was winning out. Alexios had known her from Zhar? He had been lying to her!
“Um, Davina? Are you OK? You’re getting all scary vampire on me,” Lexi said.
Blinding rage erupted through Davina. She shook and slowly got to her feet. “I’ll be right back,” Davina said through gritted teeth, and she marched out of the room.
∞∞∞
Alexios and Marius were going over their surveillance plans in the library when Davina stormed into the room.
“You bastard!” she exclaimed, and before he could react, she slapped him across the face.
Marius rose and growled, baring his fangs. Davina hissed, baring hers.
Alexios’ cheek stung as he got to his feet, trying to keep his temper in check. It had been centuries since anyone had dared slap him. Whatever had gotten Davina worked up, he would try to be patient.
“What’s wrong, Davina?” Alexios asked, trying to keep his voice even and calm.
“What’s wrong? Your lies and deception, that’s what! How dare you? Am I part of some twisted game of yours?”
Marius moved to speak, but Alexios raised his hand to stop him. “What lies and deception am I being accused of? I’ve only sought to help you, to take care of you.”
“Really?” she blazed. “Then why haven't you told me you lived in Zhar, were part of my mother’s royal guard no less? If you had any part in my family’s demise, so help me, I will make you suffer!”
Her eyes glowed brightly. Alexios stood astounded, partly because he didn’t know what to say for himself about why he kept the truth from her, but also partly because she looked simply magnificent.
“And should I believe you found me in some mysterious capsule? For all I know, you absconded from Zhar with me when I was at my most vulnerable—taking me away from my home, my people. And for what?”
The room vibrated. The stone wall seemed to glow as if reflecting light from some unknown source. The energy emanating from her was building and prickled his skin. Alexios needed to defuse the situation fast.
Lexi spoke from the doorway. “Alexios has nothing to do with what happened on Zhar, Davina. I put you in the paarkhem so that you could live. I planned it after you refused to heed my warnings that you were in danger. I tried so desperately to save you, and used a forbidden spell to get you to a time when your path would cross with the one who could help you.”
Davina whirled around to face Lexi. “Don’t you dare defend him!”
Alexios had never seen Davina in such a temper, and he found himself turned on by it.
“All right, everyone. Please give Davina and me a minute.” He nodded to Marius, who frowned, and with one last hard look at Davina walked reluctantly to the door.
Lexi folded her arms across her chest and pouted, and Marius had to urge her away from the doorway. “But I want to see them go at it . . .” Her voice trailed off as they walked away.
The room still vibrated; Davina’s anger almost tangible in the air, had not lessened. “Please let me explain.”
Alexios stepped toward her then thought better of it, remembering the powerful slap she had dealt him a few moments ago.
“In my youth, I made my way east from a tiny village in southern Macedonia to a Persian territory and ended up in Zhar, the hidden kingdom of vampires. It is true that I served the palace as a member of the royal guard. I was skilled with the sword and other weapons, and a few days before their deaths your mother assigned me to watch over and train your brother, Damianos. To this day, his death pains me. I’m ashamed I was not at his side when he was attacked.
“We were betrayed by someone inside the palace, and I have searched endlessly to find out who was responsible. I regret not being able to save your family, Davina. It was my responsibility, my duty, and I failed. I have no excuse for withholding this information from you. I think my guilt, the shame that I have carried all these centuries, prevented me from uttering the words to you.” He let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I wanted to tell you. When I saw you lying in that capsule, I was shocked. I thought it to be some cruel trick. It was impossible to think that the queen’s daughter had survived all these years. Yet here you are.”
Davina’s anger had noticeably dissipated, replaced by sorrow and anguish. He moved closer, but she stepped away from him.
“I want desperately to help you recover even some of what you’ve lost,” he said softly. “If I could do that, maybe you can find me even a little worthy of your forgiveness.”
Davina stood like stone, her grief and sorrow clearly threatening to spill out from their dammed walls. Alexios reached out to hold her, and only then did she break. All the pent-up emotions she had been holding ever since she had emerged from the capsule erupted in gut-wrenching sobs that shook her body. Her anguish distressed him, so he did the only thing he could—he held on to her and let her expend her sorrow.
Maybe part of his reason for not telling her was that he didn’t want her to relive the incident that led to her being here, but certainly, he didn’t want her to know how he had failed her, didn’t want her scorn or contempt. All he ever wanted was her smile, to see her happy and hear her laughter like back in Zhar, when she was his shining light. Perhaps he had been selfish. Perhaps he, too, didn’t want the fond memories of her to melt away like mist at the rise of the sun.
Chapter 22
Davina took several deep breaths, willing her breathing to return to normal. The entire time she had wailed into his shoulder, he hadn’t let her go. Something had cracked open within her soul at the mention of her brother’s name, and grief rolled over her in a torrent of crashing waves. Young Damianos flashed through her mind: running around the palace with his wooden sword, enacting imaginary battles under their mother’s indulgent smile. Davina hadn't realized she had been holding on to . . . trying to block out . . . the pain of this unmourned loss. Now, the tightness she had been feeling in her chest eased, though it was not gone completely. She would probably always carry the pain with her, a scar etched on her heart.
She felt Alexios’ heat against her chest, reassuring her, lulling her into illusory serenity. She welcomed it. His smell intoxicated her, and her body responded to his proximity. Then she remembered his deception and stiffened, disentangling herself from him.
“I can’t believe they’re gone.” She sniffed, suddenly very tired. “What else have you kept from me?”
Alexios hesitated, until she glared at him. “I’m looking for my sire, and I hope to kill him,” he finally said.
She frowned. Vampire bonds were sacred. Death of a sire was painful, just as the loss of one’s natural parents would be. “Why would you want to kill your sire?” she asked warily, not willing to entertain any more pretense from him.
“He sired me then left me for dead. He’s also responsible for the deaths of many people I cared about and many atrocities against vampires.”
“He left after he sired you?” Davina asked, incredulous. “How did you survive?”
Alexios shrugged. “I don’t know. I had some help.”
Davina wondered about that. Only a sire’s blood can temper a sireling’s unrestrained bloodthirst. Was that why he indulged Jason whenever he wanted, despite Marius’ suggestions that Jason start feeding elsewhere?
“It’s impossible to survive without your sire, Alexios. Is what you say true, or is this another one of your deceptions?”
“I assure you, my existence is nothing short of a miracle,” he replied. “It was hard in the beginning, but I did not succumb to the effects of being sireless.”
“And now you want to find your sire and kill him? What other crimes has he committed?”
It was unforgivable to bring a new vampire into the world so cruelly. If what Alexios said was true, his sire needed to face justice. Davina felt her anger spiking again, this time on Alexios’ behalf.
Alexios paced the room. “Countless murders over the centuries, entire villages and families slaughtered. I’m not sure of his aim, but I intend to finally put an end to him.” He paused and looked at her. “The presence you felt in my chamber weeks ago was my sire. It was only the second time I have seen his face since he turned me. I’m sure you could tell that he is truly malevolent. I’ve spent centuries searching for him, but now I believe he may be planning to stay on Damurios for the foreseeable future. I need to find him and end him.” He clenched his fists, an angry set in his jaw.
Davina nodded. His mission to find this despicable vampire was one more reason for her and Lexi to get out of the way. But maybe she could help, even if just a little. Alexios did rescue Lexi, after all.
“I can help you find him. Now that I know his aura, I’m sure I can sense him again if he’s not too far away.” She didn’t know all about her gifts, but she knew they grew the longer she was on the vampire planet, as if she had tapped into an enormous power source.
Alexios’ brows rose and his lips parted into a dimpled grin.
“But first,” Davina said, “you need to tell me about your time on Zhar and everything you know about that night.”
∞∞∞
Marius gazed at Lexi, who glared back at him. He had only insisted she rest after her long ordeal. Why had she suddenly become hostile? She looked wan, though he had to admit she had come a long way in her recovery. Maybe he could take her on a short walk along the forested mountain path the next day so she could enjoy the trees and cool air.
“You’re becoming suffocating, Marius,” she said frostily. “I’m beginning to get tired of it.”
Marius sucked in a breath. Suffocating her? “I apologize if you feel that way, but you do need to rest.” He patted her hand. “You’ll be better for it, healthy and whole soon enough.”
Lexi rolled her eyes and took her hand from his. “Your own mission will be revealed to you in time,” she said cryptically, her eyes like emerald leaves swirling on a wild wind. “He loves you more than he knows.” With that, she turned away and settled herself under her covers.
Marius stood at the side of the bed, confused. What was she talking about?
He sighed. She seemed so fragile, so sad sometimes, that he felt the urge to protect her, to take away the hurt and loneliness from all those bleak years. Inexplicably, he felt as if he had failed her somehow, and he wanted to make it right. He scratched his chin not liking these new feelings at all.
∞∞∞
They spent several hours talking about his life before, during, and after Zhar. Davina peppered him questions. She became somber when they spoke about her fami
ly and her last days in Zhar, and again when he spoke of the family he’d lost and the difficult time of his transition.
He told her how her kingdom had fallen and disappeared and about the wars that ravaged Earth. He regaled her with stories of the wars he had participated in that eventually led to the formation of the Omnisan empire. He even threw in some funny moments he and his sirelings had shared, which perked her up and made her laugh.
It was clear he was proud of the men he sired. Davina had been struck at the gentle way he spoke of Jason. It was clear he was especially protective of Jason’s kindness and goodhearted nature. He boasted of Marius’s cleverness and how highly he was regarded by his peers. And Brandr; Alexios relished his fighting prowess although he had to temper Brandr’s bloodthirstiness at times. They bickered–often–but remained never far from each other. The four of them were close-knit family; a family Davina found herself wanting to be a part of.
Afterward, they strolled along the long balcony overlooking the cliff and shared a few moments of silence. Their fingertips often brushed together as they walked, and she had the urge to take his hands into hers. She admired the strength he’d been able to cultivate to control his bloodthirst as a newborn vampire. It spoke of his determination and will to survive.
Not only had he lost his family, but also his mentor, Damjan, who had saved him and cared for him. No wonder he was so closely bonded to his sirelings and stayed by their sides when other sires would have forced them to find lives of their own. Probably he didn't want to be alone as he had been for so many years.
And he was principled and compassionate. His time as a soldier had taught him the value of honor, though he could be ruthless when he wanted. Davina had been dismayed by some of his methods, like those on Delta B. She expressed her displeasure at the innocent lives he'd taken, and judging by the redness of his ears, he felt fully chastised. However, Davina felt closer to him and desired to understand all his complexities—what drove him and what fueled his compassion.