~Chapter 16~
Circumstances
The funny thing about plans, even the best ones, is that they can always change. Often the smallest detail can alter the end result, leaving you lost and without direction. While it may be impossible to factor in every detail, every detail is important. It is often the things that seem insignificant that are the most impactful. While it is good to have a plan, sometimes it is better not to. When you face a situation without a clear path, it is easier to adapt to and change based on the circumstances that you are faced with. As Nicholas enters the room wearing his signature smug expression that serves no purpose other than to piss me off, I try to relax my mind. If I am going to come out of this alive I need to focus. I will my heart rate to slow, my breathing to quite, and focus on what has to be done. I am terrified, but now is not the time for fear. In this room, fear only equal deaths; a price I am not willing to pay.
The only true difference between courage and fear is reaction. The cowardly let fear paralyze them. The courageous let fear move them. The fearful hide from the world, but the courageous change it. I may be many things, but I am not a coward. I may not have a plan, or a clue in hell how I am going to survive tonight, but of one thing I am absolutely certain.
Nicholas Knight is going to die today, even if it cost my own life.
My Lamont powers may not work here, but I bet my ass that my dark powers will work just fine. The only problem is that there is absolutely no way I can win a power struggle with Nicholas. He is just too strong. I have seen what he can do. The man has no light. Wait a minute. He has no light.
Light!
Light has always been the answer. For darkness cannot exist in the presence of light; instead it is overpowered and reduced to shadows. If the light is bright enough, not even a shadow can remain. It’s the shadows that people should be afraid of; not the dark. The shadows provide the perfect cover for darkness to hide and wait for the chance to strike. I have to make sure that my light covers every inch of this room. I cannot afford for a single shadow to survive.
How ironic is it that the key to my survival, to everyone’s survival, is the very essence of my soul. Unfortunately, it is also an essence that I cannot access at the moment. Nicholas is a smart man. I’ll give him that much, but he overlooked one very important factor. I am more than light.
I am also dark.
Light may be a key weapon in my arsenal, but it is not my only line of defense. It may be the key to winning the war, but darkness is the weapon that will win this battle. I silently study the walls that trap me here, looking for any sign of weakness. A crack in the wall, a hole in the floor, anything will do. At this point beggars can’t be choosy. After all, it only takes one weak link to break even the strongest chain. One loose board to bring down the most solid of foundations. I smile in satisfaction when I find my weak link, highlighted by a small streak of sunshine that would go unnoticed if I had not been looking for it.
A violent smack to the face brings me painfully back to the present. Tristan’s angry growl vibrates through the room as my already split lip opens even farther. Stars assault my vision, but I blink them away. I shudder in revulsion when Nicholas takes my face in his hands, and pulls my throbbing lips to his own. His kiss repulses me. I would rather suck face with a skunk. He sucks hard on the cut, drinking my blood straight from the wound. Tristan’s angry grunt is audible from the other side of the room. My hands curl into fist, the need to punch the vulgar vampire in the face is over-whelming. “Patience.” I have to wait on the others to arrive. Anything foolish right now will only get us both killed. If he touches me again though, Tristan will act. Plan be damned, he does not like to see another man touch me. Nicholas is ripped from me before I can even process what is happening, and for a moment I think Tristan has snapped. That is until I hear the angry voice of my rescuer. It does not belong to Tristan.
“Father! You dare touch what is mine!”
Derek now has Nicholas by the throat, his eyes flashing between caramel and crimson every few seconds. He has somehow broken through the hold that Nicholas has placed him under, but I can see the struggle for control clearly on his face. As he speaks, he steps out of the shadows into the only patch of light in the small room.
The pained gasp from Tristan snaps my attention away from the vampire version of playtime. I focus my vision in his direction, struggling through the darkness to see his face. When I do, the expression there terrifies me. He looks like he has seen a ghost. His bright blue eyes hold un-shed tears, and his mouth stands wide open.
“It- it can’t be,” he whispers, the agony in his voice evident. I have never heard him sound so unsure before, and for the first time since he arrived I am scared. It takes me a moment to realize that the reason behind his alarmed state is Derek. He has not taken his eyes off of the Prince of Darkness since he stepped into the light. Then I see something that I have never seen before.
Tristan cries. Sure, I have seen a few tears from him, but nothing like this. This is a soul crushing sob that echoes from the depths of his throat straight into my heart. The kind of cry that has few tears, but loads of hurt. Only a single tear falls, the rest he manages to keep contained. A tiny little bubble of moisture that pools from his ocean blue eyes, leaving a perfect trail of dew on his golden skin. He doesn’t even try to wipe it away. He doesn’t move, doesn’t blink, and I silently worry that maybe Nicholas has gotten control of his mind somehow. My physical pain and current impending death forgotten, I stare perplexed at what could have possibly caused such a strange reaction from him. I look to Derek’s face, only to find he too looks confused by Tristan’s reaction to him. I am seconds away from demanding to know what the hell is going on, when his question answers my thoughts. He only whispers one word, but that single word puts it all into perspective for me.
“Cade?”
Cade is Tristan’s brother who disappeared nearly a century ago while on a hunting trip. Tristan told me that while they never found his body, they did find blood; lots of blood. His family assumed that he had died at the hands of a wild animal. I realize from the look on Tristan’s face as he studies Derek, that he had indeed been killed by an animal; just not the kind that they thought. Nicholas did this.
My thoughts flash back to my time with Derek, the real Derek, not the man that he is in his father’s presence. I remember him telling me that he had been loved in his old life, that he was certain that he had a family, even if he couldn’t remember them. Can it possibly be that Derek Knight is really Cade Hart? I search for the truth in Nicholas’s eyes, and the smug grin that he is wearing says it all.
Derek Knight was once Cade Hart. Tristan’s brother.
Derek holds Tristan’s gaze, still refusing to release his grip on his father’s neck. For a moment, he looks like he might actually recognize Tristan, but then his eyes turn crimson and Nicholas is released from his hold.
“My name is Derek Knight. I don’t know anyone named Cade.”
Tristan shakes his head, refusing to give up so easily. He gives Derek an understanding look before turning his attention to Nicholas. The look he gives him is murderous.
“You! You did this! Tell me why! Why him?”
Nicholas’s response is a laugh that sounds as cold as his heart, that is if he still has one. “Silly boy. I do not owe you any answers, however, since you are going to die anyway…. Why not?”
My stomach turns. I did not tell Tristan about Derek, or the connection that we seem to share. It seemed un-important at the time, but now I am certain that my omission is going to prove to be a mistake. Nicholas is going to tell him all about it. As if he can sense my dread, Nicholas turns his cold eyes in my direction.
“Tssk, Tssk, Tssk. Don’t worry child. I will make sure to leave nothing out.”
Tristan’s eyes find mine, and I try my best to tell him that I am sorry without words. Though I have technically done nothing wrong, what he is about to hear is going to hurt him. For that I am sorry. Derek
takes a protective step in my direction, and I notice that his eyes are once again doing that crazy flash thing. I only pray that he will gain control over the darkness inside of him.
“Tell me what, Nicholas?” Tristan ask. His voice is controlled, but I see the fury hidden in his eyes as he continues to stare at his brother and me. It’s not that I doubt his love for me, or even think that he will blame me for the connection that Derek and I have. No, that isn’t it at all. What bothers me about Tristan finding out that my soul belongs to his brother just as much as it belongs to him, is that once he knows it will be real. Reality is a bitch sometimes. It forces us to face feelings that we don’t understand. It is so much easier to just live in my own perfect bubble. I grimace as Nicholas starts to speak. My bubble is about to be popped.
“The truth is often ugly my boy, and it is hardly ever fair. Yes, Derek was once your precious brother Cade. I selected him nearly a century ago to fill a very special purpose. I needed an heir, and your brother here was the golden boy for the shield. It was a win-win you see. I get my heir, and I also get to destroy one of the Shield’s most promising recruits. I knew with his beauty, strength, and special abilities, he would be perfect for the role. While I did need an heir, I needed more than that. I needed someone of pure blood for my plan to work.”
He turns his cold stare my direction, and slowly makes his way over to me. He gently touches my cheek with his hand as he continues. “She is magnificent. Isn’t she? I used his blood to complete the spell that brought us sweet Ridley here. I gave her my darkness, and his light. You see, even as a vampire Derek was unlike us. He did not lose his light until the moment that she took her first breath, and he will not get it back until the moment that she takes her last. The bond they share is a true blood bond. The very light that you love about her is his. You may be her mate boy, possibly even her soul mate, but he….he is her life force. His blood calls to her like a soft melody that in time she will not be able to resist, despite her love for you. I tried to turn her into one of us so that she would be more willing to take her rightful place as his queen, but she is strong. Her love for you blocks the transformation, for now. Make no mistake Tristan, she will be one of us. It is her destiny.”
Whoa! Hold up just one freakin minute! Derek did not mention that part! I was under the impression that I was bonded with him through darkness. Not light! How? How can I be bonded to two brothers through light? That- that is not possible!
All the color has drained out of Tristan’s face as he looks between Derek and me. He cannot hide the pain that his blue eyes reflect, not from me. I do not possess my super-human hearing at the moment, but I swear I hear his heart break a little. He is crushed, and I… well, I am confused. I may have known that Derek and I were connected, but I had no idea just how connected to this very moment. I am right about Derek, his soul still harbors light, and according to Nicholas, my soul carries it. He didn’t just make me for Derek. He made me from him. We are one and the same. That thought both excites and scares the hell out of me. My soul… my essence…. is the same essence hidden inside of him, incased by the layers of darkness that he will never break through on his own. Only my death can set his soul free. He knew that, and still he allowed me to live. He loves me, and I….I love his brother.
I look at my love, the hurt and confusion on his face causing my heart to ache. I silently beg him to forgive me. Tristan has never given me anything but love, and I have never given him anything but pain. I may not have chosen this fate, but for whatever reason this fate chose me. Tristan told me once that we can’t change fate. That it is already written for us long before we ever take our first breath. I believed him then, but now I’m not so sure. I think that is not the case at all. I think that if you believe in something enough, love something enough, that there isn’t anything that you can’t change.
Tristan has not moved at all since Nicholas dropped the bombshell on him that I am somehow fated for his brother. I am starting to really worry that maybe he finally realizes that loving me just isn’t worth it. His normally understanding eyes never once look in my direction as he processes everything that is going on.
“This is it! I’ve lost him!”
Then… I see it. Like a beacon of light to a ship lost at sea, his beautiful blue eyes latch onto me. The passion, the love, the strength, and the fire that makes this man so damn irresistible roars back to life. The man that stands before me looks fierce, and I pity anyone who gets in his way.
“This changes nothing Nicholas,” he roars as he snaps the chain that has been holding him like it is made of paper, and not magically infused cooper. Those might be the best words that have ever left his lips. He turns his eyes in my direction, pulling me into his spell. In that moment it doesn’t matter that we are in some evil torture chamber, or that we both look like hell. He only cares about me.
“It changes nothing Ridley. You are mine. Never doubt that. It doesn’t matter who made your light. All that matters is that your heart, your soul, they were made for me. You were made for me.”
His love amazes me. After everything, he still believes that we are destined for each other. I will use that. I will hold on to that, because I have a feeling that his love is going to be the only way I am going to get out of this alive. I see the movement out of the corner of my eye, but my warning comes too late. Nicholas has used our little moment to his advantage. Tristan is now on the ground, and by the looks of it un-conscious. Nicholas quickly wraps a thick copper chain around his neck, and hauls him to his feet. Anger rolls off of him as he chains my beloved Tristan to the wall by his throat. Only the tips of his toes are touching, not allowing him much oxygen. Nicholas draws his hand back, and slaps Tristan with such force that I hear his nose as it cracks.
“Enough! Love this! Love that! Love does nothing but destroy! Love is a weakness!” Nicholas is on the verge of a full rant as he continues to hit Tristan over and over again. I squeeze my hand around the key, knowing that now is the time. I am just about to unlock myself when Tristan speaks.
“No! Love builds. People destroy. Love makes you stronger, braver; if you let it. A man in love is a man that has a reason to fight.”
Nicholas apparently does not want to hear it, because he just starts hitting Tristan again. Tristan is strong, but I am a little worried about him. How much more physical damage can one body take? Still, he doesn’t fight back. I know that it is killing him to pretend to be weak. If you ask me, that alone proves his strength. We have no choice but to wait on the others. Nicholas is too strong to beat in a fair fight.
I watch in horror as he applies the same chains to his arms, legs, and waist. The crazy weird part is that he doesn’t lift a finger to put the chains on him. He places them with some kind of spell. From here I see no lock. No possible way to get them off. So much for they key in my hand. Well, maybe it still works on my chains. Tristan’s agonizing scream cuts straight into my soul, and plan be damned. It is time to end this.
*****
~ Tristan~
I have never wanted to kill someone so much in all my life. I swear, it is taking every last ounce of self- control that I possess not to rip Nicholas’s cold, un-beating heart right out of his chest. I want to break his bones, one by one, and heal him just to do it all over again. I am not a person with hate in my heart, but for him I make an exception. The time for revenge will come, but for now I must wait. Ridley needs the others here to help her in case I’m not strong enough. I don’t know what the hell he has just wrapped around me, but it is nothing I have ever seen before. A few minutes wrapped in this, and I will not be strong enough. It seems to be pulling energy from me somehow. I am so drained that I am numb to the continuous assault he has me under. I feel no pain from his blows, but I feel strange. Just when I think that it couldn’t be worse…I feel it.
Darkness.
The chains that wrap my body are soaked in dark magic. They are feeding off of me; draining my light. I swallow, forcing back another scream. If I
scream again, she won’t wait, and she has to. This is bigger than me; bigger than her. I wish that I could take this from her, fight this battle for her, but I cannot. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in her. Hell, probably more than she believes in herself, but that doesn’t mean that I want this for her. The need to protect her is ingrained in me, and it is killing me, knowing that this time I can’t. It is a major hit to my pride to let my girl fight this battle. Sadly I have no choice. Darkness is a gift that I cannot control. Darkness and darkness alone will get us out of this place.
So, I do nothing as the pain sears through my body. I am helpless as the light is pulled from me. I will not last long without my light, for it is essential to my soul. I would give that and much more if it means she will live.
~Chapter 17~
Checkmate
Pain, so raw and so real, consumes me as I watch the love of my life slowly slip away from me. I have felt pain millions of times, in thousands of different ways, but none of it compares to this. True pain is not physical, but heart-felt. I watch him in awe of his bravery, knowing that he is doing this for me. He is suffering...dying ….so that I won’t have to. He does not flinch as the darkness overpowers his light, pulling from him the very thing that I love the most. Not once does he cry for it to stop. He won’t. He’s too strong for that. He will hide the pain from me until his last breath. That is the extent of his love for me. To suffer any pain, so that I never have to. I appreciate his sacrifice, but I am not going to let him do it. I have no desire to live in a world that he isn’t a part of. I no longer care that we are planning to wait for the others. Plans change. I only care about saving him, and I will save him.
I don’t even remember unlocking myself, or charging Nicholas. I just know that I do, or at least I try to. I am inches from ending that monster when he rounds on me. His eyes furious. With a simple motion of the hand, I am frozen mid-leap. No one is touching me, but I am now several feet off of the floor. An icy chill works its way up my body, leaving me weak, yet sated. I know the coldness that I am feeling well. It’s a coldness that I struggle to keep locked away. It is the frigid touch of dark magic. A surge of power so strong that it grips my soul. My magic is weak compared to this. I have never felt anything so powerful, so potent in my life. It is a sinfully sweet, deceptively desirable feeling. As much as I try to fight it, my dark blood likes the power.
Destined for Darkness Page 22