by V L Moon
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“Fuuuuuucccckkkkk!” Rhys’ fist crashed into the wall. Laziel’s answers intensified the guilt shrouding his already damned soul. Another curse and he buried his other fist into the block wall. Something heavy crashed into his side throwing him off balance. Rhys turned and snarled, eager for an outlet for the aggression spiraling inside of him.
“Haven’t you destroyed enough today?” Arial bellowed at him. Tears tracked down the angel’s face, unnoticed and unchecked. “If you hadn’t come here, Clariel would be alive. Celix would be healing instead of dying.”
Rhys made no attempt to dodge the angel’s fist. It slammed into his jaw and sent him reeling a few steps. He welcomed the pain and turned back to face Arial with a sneer. It was all the challenge Arial needed. Blinded by pain and anger, Arial transferred his internal anguish to physical brutality. Rhys protected his few soft spots, but didn’t fight back. Because, Arial was right. It was his fault Lucifer had shown up.
Darklon provided the portal, but Rhys had provided the beacon. His hunger for Arial, his arousal had been a siren’s call to Lucifer. As the purest incarnation of indulgence and transgression, Lucifer suffered or enjoyed the perils and pleasures of sin far more intensely than any other being. Jealousy was a particularly powerful vice, and Lucifer resented every aspect of Arial and the love Rhys held for him. It didn’t help matters that only Arial aroused Rhys to the point of losing control enough to allow the small bit of Heaven’s light inside of his soul to shine. For all of his power in Hell and upon Earth, Lucifer coveted the Creator’s power and his place in Heaven’s sanctified grounds.
Two large hands landed against his chest and shoved him backward. His head cracked against the door. “Fight, damn you, the way you should have fought Lucifer. You could have saved them both instead of just standing there like a lemming.” Arial stumbled to a stop in front of him. His breath heaved in his chest. Tear tracks marred his pale cheeks. Abject sorrow mixed with pain in his gaze. It ripped into Rhys’ chest.
Without thinking, he reached for Arial. The angel fought his hold, but Rhys pulled him tight into his chest and wrapped both arms around him. After a few minutes of fruitless struggle, Arial sagged against him. The angel turned his face into Rhys’ throat. The dam holding his emotions broke. Harsh sobs shook Arial’s massive frame. Rhys closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing as Arial’s pain throbbed around them.
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Conflicted by his emotions, Arial curled into the warmth that Rhys’ body offered. The ever present numbness that had seeped into his heart over the centuries chilled him to the bone. Arial couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt the warmth of another’s embrace or the rush of blood heating his veins. Visions of Clariel’s sweet face haunted him.
He’d been so small; yet, the bravery within had known no bounds. As for Celix, Arial swallowed, fighting back the lump in his throat. Celix had only ever known pain. He’d taken untold punishments in the hope of keeping Clariel safe from the perversions of the treacherous bitch that lead them. It sickened Arial to think that the whore was responsible for his birth.
Anger leeched through his sadness, grasping at the tendrils of his curse and bringing them forward. The battering ram of hunger ripped through his insides. Arial lunged. He grabbed Rhys and took him to the floor. Straddling the demon, he closed his mouth around the lips that had haunted him. Arial drank, gripping Rhys’ hair in both hands to keep him still.
He took pull after pull of the addictive noxious essence of evil and groaned at the overwhelming flavor as it filled him up. It sent a flare of raging arousal coursing through his veins. Disgust warred against the carnal delights tempting him into the erotic depths where Rhys thrived. Arial gasped and threw himself back against the wall.
“Don’t stop. Take it, take all of it. I don’t deserve to be here. He’s dead. That sweet, silly, crazy kid is dead and it’s entirely my fault. So, take what you need. I won’t fight it.”
Rhys pulled himself up to crawl on hands and knees toward Arial. He edged over Arial’s legs and forced Arial onto his back. Rhys attacked Arial’s mouth. Teeth and tongues dueled for dominance. Reeling from his feeding, Arial succumbed to the demon’s talents. A forked tongue explored his mouth; illicit groans vibrated against Arial’s mouth. A memory of what that tongue was capable of flashed through his mind. The devilish way it teased in and around the slit of his cock making it weep. Arial broke away, rolled out from beneath Rhys and lashed out.
“Ever the fucking martyr. You want to lessen the pain of your guilt over losing two of the most precious souls I’ve ever met. Well, fuck you. You deserve to fucking suffer. Get the fuck out of my life, stop following me and go home to daddy. I’m sure you’ll both have a real good laugh about it all, that’s after he’s sucked your dick.” Arial spat. The vehemence in his words did nothing to hide the pain in his voice as it cracked. He turned away giving Rhys his back. He wanted to walk away, never look back but something pulled at him, begged his conscience to stay.
His heart and mind had never known what was best when it came to Rhys. His heart yearned for the warmth of once familiar hands, but his mind rebelled. It tried to lock the memories away, a defensive mechanism perfected over the centuries to protect his heart. But, one crack in his armor and the memories flooded back. They washed over Arial’s walls and shattered them back to Hell.
He’d never be free of Rhys. As hard as he fought against and denied the echo of love ringing in his heart, Arial just didn’t have it in him to turn his back once and for all on what they’d once shared, and maybe could share again. Resigned to facing his feelings toward the demon who held his heart, Arial turned ready to say the words that threatened to spill from his lips. Except, he found he was alone. Rhys had disappeared, leaving behind the bitter scent of the demon’s regret. Arial remembered the scornful words he’d spat in defiance and added the weight of that guilt to the burden of despair already plaguing him. Maybe, it was time to put the past to rest and with it the embers of love Rhys stirred to life.
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Chapter Twenty-Nine
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Ontario, Canada
Indifferent to the water’s freezing temperature, Copi hauled the female’s body into the cave. Jesus, she was pale, as in snow white. Even her hair was white. If it wasn’t for the fact he could hear the blood racing through her veins, he’d have sworn she was dead. Not surprising considering the amount of bruises smattering her body. Most were old, fading into patches of purple yellowing flesh. The same could be said for the cuts, scratches and scarring on her arms, legs and face. The most recent oozed fresh pools of blood. Her fingernails were ragged and welts resembling rope burns marred her wrists. Whoever she was, she’d been through one hell of a fight.
Copi wondered if she’d been pushed into the river in a bid to get rid of the body. Did her assailant purposely leave her to drown, or had the attacker believed her to be already dead? It didn’t matter. Either way, Copi wanted to rip the motherfucker’s head off. What the fuck was wrong with people?
He looked over the female’s ragged, beaten form. She looked so fragile. Long strands of hair lay plastered to her face, obscuring most of her features. Being as gentle as he could, Copi brushed back her hair and curled his frame around her trembling body. Basic survival skills in a bid to get her warm. If he’d been full vampire, the maneuver would have most likely failed.
But the other part of Copi, the half of him that crawled just beneath his skin ran hot to the touch. Hopefully, drawing the beast in him toward the surface would help. If she freaked out once she came around, he’d deal with it. At the moment, she needed warmth. As desperate as he was to get to Rome, Copi couldn’t leave her. There was something about her that called to him. It wasn’t carnal or anything remotely close to what he felt for Vischeral. It was more an overwhelming need to make sure she pulled through safely. The desire to care for her startled him.
For hours, Copi lay pressed against her, hushing he
r gently when soft whimpers echoed in the cave. Fierce tremors tore through her body; yet, Copi detected no sign of fever. When he drew his hand back from her forehead, her hair came with it exposing her neck and the pulsing vein that ran up her throat. At first, he feared his hunger would bring about her demise.
He hated himself for needing more blood. His thirst was growing stronger, and yet, with it came a strange urge, an unfamiliar feeling that settled the ravenous side of his nature. He leaned in and sniffed at the female’s snowy white skin, ran his nose along the damp patch of skin behind her ear and then jumped back quickly when the female started to stir.
“Please don’t be scared. I won’t hurt you,” Copi whispered into the growing darkness surrounding them. Light shuffling followed by a low moan and coughing brought him in a little closer.
“Are you alright? Do you need a doctor?” He asked keeping his distance so he wouldn’t scare her.
“No doctor. My wounds will heal in time. Thank you for dragging me out the water and for keeping me warm.” The softly whispered words echoed her obvious pain. Copi didn’t need light to see her flinch and wince as she shifted to face him. She sniffed at the air in the cave. Copi waited.
“What are you?” She gasped, and instead of backing away, the female inched a little closer to the spot where Copi sat hidden by the cave’s darkness. “What’s your name?”
“Copi. My name is Copi. I’m a cop. I’m looking for my partner Vischeral Bourne,” he explained.
“I don’t mean your job. Your wolf is so strong. But, he’s different, not whole. Close, so close, I can feel him beneath the surface itching for release.” She tilted her head to the side and took another deep breath. “Something is stopping him. He’s afraid.”
Another inch closer and Copi edged back. She was so small. Almost childlike in stature. But, her face held a level of maturity that gave away her age. Her oval doll-like features were obscured by her mismatched eyes. The huge green and blue orbs overtook the rest of her face. But it was the look of devastation within their depths that stalled Copi’s breath. Reeling from her knowledge of what hid inside of him, Copi looked away from those eyes that stared into his soul.
“He needs to be afraid. Vischeral would have broken it completely, made it a dormant part of me given time. But, he was taken.”
“Vischeral is your sire? You are both vampire and wolf? How?” Her questions were cut short by a gasp of pain that left her breathless and shaking.
“You need to rest.” Copi caught her lithe frame and felt the jolt of fear at his touch. She trembled with fear, he could taste it.
“What’s your name?” Copi asked guiding her down and covering her up.
“Sage. My name is Sage, and I really need to leave. I can’t risk staying here. He’ll find me. And when he does, it won’t be pretty.”
“Well, Sage, you’re not going anywhere tonight. You need to rest. No one will find you here. If anyone comes close, I’ll smell them, whether human, wolf or other. Vampire Jedi skills.” Copi winked and tapped a finger to his head. “I’ll protect you. I promise.”
Her slight resistance was futile. She was weak, mostly from exhaustion, and she fell asleep before mustering the strength to argue. She needed food and Copi needed to feed. He didn’t think he’d be able to continue the journey without more blood. With his phone about to give up the ghost, he used the last bit of power to Google the town. He waited until Sage fell into a deeper stage of sleep before stepping out through the curtain of water protecting them.
Kakabeka Falls and the town and camp sites surrounding it offered plenty of opportunities for him to gather or borrow clothes and food for Sage. Copi scented the air and listened for anything out of place. Using his vampire speed, he flitted unnoticed between camp sites and trailers gathering the necessities he needed for Sage. With dry clothes and an ample supply of food stored inside a large plastic bag, Copi hightailed it back to the cave without thinking to feed himself.
It didn’t take long for the smell of food to rouse Sage. Her stomach growled loudly as she gratefully stuffed her face. Copi watched, smiling at having appeased her hunger.
“I need to head back out. There’s a city not far from here. They have medical centers, hospitals that should have a good supply of stored blood. I can’t risk waiting another full day without feeding.” Copi looked away. He didn’t enjoy drinking from bags, but there was no way in hell he’d take from a human vein. The only vein he’d ever think of taking belonged to Vischeral. A stab of painful yearning made Copi’s gut clench.
“You haven’t fed? Why not?” Sage asked cautiously as she pulled out the clothes from the bag and looked at Copi with sad eyes.
And yeah, he wasn’t answering that question. “I’ll wait outside while you dress. My coat will keep you dry if you want to come outside when you’re done.”
“Thank you,” Sage replied. Copi sensed her fear and mistrust, but he was grateful she didn’t push the issue.
“Copi,” Sage stopped him from leaving and handed him the bag.
“What was the name of the place you need to get to?” Sage asked.
“Thunder Bay. Lake Superior is right alongside it. From there, I need to find a way to get to Rome. I have to find the vampire king and an angel. I need them to find Vischeral.” Copi didn’t hang around for any other questions. He wanted Vischeral, needed to know if he was alright. It seemed like months had passed since he’d last seen him. The ache inside of him grew in ferocity with each passing day.
“Can I come with you? I know someone that might be able to help. But, before I can contact them, I need to know I’m safe. I need to get to the lake, too. Will you help me? I wouldn’t ask, but I keep telling myself it’s safer to travel together. If you wanted to hurt me, you would’ve done so by now.”
He thought about the injuries, her skittishness and the fact she’d said ‘he’ was still after her. His cop instincts kicked him hard in the gut. “Yeah, we go together. I’ll wait outside while you change.”
She looked away and backed deeper into the cave. Copi made his way outside. He didn’t mind having her tag along. At least with her at his side, he could make sure she stayed safe. And hopefully, he might get a little help in return.
A break in the natural flow of the water drew Copi’s attention. He stepped back, stumbling against the rocky outcrop as the water parted around the form of a slender white wolf.
Don’t be scared. It’s me. Sage.
Copi blinked as the words filtered through his head.
“How did you do that?” Copi half laughed. There was so much he didn’t know about the new world he inhabited.
You’re half wolf, half vampire. You should find this easy. Just use your mind. Focus on the words and the person you’re trying to talk to. Sage’s voice sounded a little deeper when in wolf form, but Copi did as she asked and concentrated on trying to communicate.
Sage?
Not so loud. Laughter followed her words.
Sorry. Copi replied made his way up to the bank. He showed Sage the safer way and earned a low growl in return.
You don’t seem to know very much about our world. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you end up this way and why has your sire left you? It’s most uncommon and highly frowned upon for a newling to be left alone. The risk of discovery and human casualties is huge. Sage’s questions rolled through Copi’s mind.
Resigned to a slower pace, he used the time to explain the run up of events surrounding his circumstances. Sage stayed silent throughout Copi’s recitation of the attack on his life and how Vischeral had saved him. Once his story was complete, they walked side by side, a vampire wolf hybrid and a wolf. The concept of his new reality floored him. However, all he needed to do was remember the way Vischeral looked at him to convince himself of his place in all of it, which was right alongside Vish. Or, it would be once Copi got to Rome and tracked down the motherfucker who took him.
You’re in love with him, the one that sired you?
> Copi nodded his reply. He recognized the pain in Sage’s words and lowered his hand to touch her beautiful white pelt.
You’ve been treated badly. Please don’t be afraid of me. I know I’m new to this world, but as a human it was my job to protect others. I’d like to think I can bring that part of my human life into this one and help others. Vischeral was my partner in more ways than one. I know he’d feel the same. He was one hell of a cop, even if he did use what he was to get what he wanted. The end result was all that mattered. He saved lives. And now, it’s my turn to save his.
A cold nose rubbed at his palm.
I think you’ll do great things with your new life, Copi. You just need to learn a few things first. The basics like feeding being first and foremost. You can’t allow your thirst to get the better of you. That’s when humans get hurt, and you end up in a lot of trouble from both sides of the fence. The vampire king is said to be a fair ruler, but it’s also been said he has a very volatile temper. So, I’d tread carefully there if I were you.
As for the wolves, my Uncle Jorn is the alpha of my family’s pack. He is also the Summus the leader of the entire wolf shifter population. He was partly responsible for the new treaty between the vampires and our kind. It’s been a long time coming. There’s so much you need to know and learn, Copi, but all in good time. I’ll help where I can if you’ll let me.
Talking as they made their way toward Thunder Bay helped take his mind off of the journey ahead. They walked well into the night making good progress. Copi practiced his telepathy while at the same time gaining some useful, and at times, shocking information along the way. Sage really opened his eyes to his new world. He didn’t think he’d ever get a grasp on the enormity of it all.