by Maya DeLeina
“I guess there’s nothing we won’t know about each other.”
Steffan chuckled. “I am also happy to report that it appears you have detection skills. You can feel the presence of vampires who shield.”
“I can?”
“Yes. I was shielding when you detected me outside in the hall.”
“What about the sensation sharing this afternoon, huh?” Anya spoke to Steffan’s reflection in the mirror. “I still feel weak in the knees. Now that was a little harder for me to do, but we’re definitely trying that again as soon as this shindig is over.”
“That was the greatest experience of my life—so far,” Steffan said as he winked at Anya. “We have to work on staggering each other’s climaxes, though. I nearly passed out, feeling mine and yours at the same time. But practice makes perfect, right?”
“Exactly.” Anya chuckled. “I see your hair color is back.”
Steffan nervously ran his fingers through his hair. “Yeah. I was worried that you would have to figure out how employ your biokineses to change it back to black. The blonde color did not suit me very well.”
“I still thought you were handsome.”
“Thank you, my love. Anya, I have something for you,” Steffan said as he reached into his pocket and encircled his hands in front of Anya’s neck.
“It’s just like my ring! It’s beautiful,” Anya said, admiring Steffan’s gift.
The elegant choker was the finishing touch to her outfit. It had an antique quality, like her ring, that she loved. The endless knot symbol was intricately carved in silver and accented with marcasite and diamonds. It sat attached to clear nylon, appearing to float delicately in the dip of her neck.
“My love, there’s something else we haven’t discussed. Something I would like to confirm before your introduction.”
“What is it, Steffan?”
“Have you given much thought to your name? The family’s tradition is to have a name bestowed, as a rite of passage for the transformation to a vampire existence. But I would love nothing more than for you to retain your name. I can’t see you as anything but Anya.”
“I would love to keep my name. It’s me. And if you can’t see me as anything but Anya, I would never, in a million years, change it.”
“Tell me, do you know the meaning of your name?” Steffan asked.
“Not really. It just wasn’t something I ever thought about.”
Steffan smiled. “It means infinite grace and beauty. And I can’t seem to find any other name you could take that would be more fitting.”
Anya smiled.
“Well my infinitely graceful and beautiful mate, they’re waiting for us. Shall we?” Steffan held out his elbow in an old-world gesture.
Anya melted.
Steffan’s antiquated movement, accent, sophistication, stunning looks, and pure love were all hers. He was her mate. Anya slowly entwined her hand to mold into his shape and they exited their bedroom.
They made their way to the top of the grand staircase to gasps and whispers of the crowd gathered below. They stood at the top, allowing everyone to take in their fill of their newly mated leader and the new addition to the family. The room was overflowing with faces, some new and some recognizable. Anya was overcome with shock as she processed the faces she knew. Never in a million years would she have guessed they were vampires.
Michelle would be floored with her report.
Steffan gestured for the crowd to quiet. His voice carried with a marked sense of authority.
“Thank you all for coming this evening. As many of you know, I have waited almost an entire century for this very moment. I had all but given up hope of finding my mate until that fateful evening, nine months ago. The indescribable connection presented itself, and I set out on my quest to find my mate. Tonight, I have the distinct pleasure of presenting to you, the newest member of our family and my cherished mate, Anya Matthews.”
The room was immediately filled with the sound of joyous applause. Steffan turned to Anya and gave her a kiss, like a couple would share after being pronounced man and wife in a wedding ceremony.
* * * *
Madeline stood still in the crowd, examining Steffan’s kiss.
A burning, stabbing pain filled her chest as the applause and cheers grew stronger. She ripped her eyes from their embrace and searched the crowd intently.
Ryan stood there, motionless among the sea of people.
Their eyes locked.
Madeline nodded once with a recognizable acknowledgement to Ryan’s inward pain.
It was time.
* * * *
Ryan clapped with an obsessive vigor.
The vampires around him dispersed, examining the odd behavior he displayed. The pronounced movements caught Steffan’s eye, and he fixated on Ryan.
“Yeah, Steffan. You got her. Yeah, everyone hail Steffan. He is the king. He is the man!” Ryan continued clapping. His voice rose above the murmurs of the crowed.
The room suddenly came to a hush and all eyes focused on Ryan.
Rhys and Eilian quickly made their way to him.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Rhys said. “Why are you all hyped up? Knock the shit off, I’m warning you!”
“What the fuck am I doing?” Ryan stopped clapping and paused to look at the two men.
Rhys and Eilian looked to Steffan as if waiting for guidance on how to appropriately deal with the situation. Rhys’s eyes were exploding in anger while Eilian’s were set in a state of confusion.
“Go figure. I should’ve known you both would come running to Steffan’s defense. Is he telling you to take care of me like he did when he first turned me?”
Steffan stood motionless at the top of the stairs, stunned by Ryan’s outburst.
Eilian and Rhys grabbed Ryan at each arm.
“You talkin’ to me?” Rhys growled, pulling him close.
“That’s enough, Ryan. You’re interrupting the entire ceremony for Steffan and Anya,” Eilian said with marked anger.
* * * *
Madeline stepped back further behind the crowd.
She aligned herself with the doorway enabling a clean getaway when things started going bad. There was no doubt that they were going to get really ugly, really fast. And although she moved a little further from the crowd, she still had an advantageous view of the scene unfolding.
She stood shaking with anticipation, basking in the enjoyment of what was about to happen.
Pride suddenly washed over her. She was going to be triumphant in her quest. All of the planning, lies, deceptions, and painstaking task of finding the perfect puppet were complete. She laid the foundation to allow Ryan to set the wheels in motion.
Steffan’s death was now inevitable.
Yet, for a brief moment, sorrow filled her heart.
The thought of the only man she loved being extinguished in the Nemesis pained her.
* * * *
“That voice…” Anya released from Steffan’s embrace and held her head as she tried to recall her mind. White noise echoed thunderously. The blaring lights made her feel light-headed.
Steffan looked at Anya. The strain on her face was etched in his.
Ryan continued his rant below.
“Anya? Are you recalling something?” Steffan followed her gaze that fell on Ryan. “Do you recall him? Do you recall your sister Anise?”
“I’m not sure. There’s…something.” Anya closed her eyes tightly and rubbed her temples.
“Anya. That is Ryan. He was Anise’s fiancé. He is one of us now. I didn’t want you to know until after the claim. And I certainly didn’t want you to find out quite like this. I don’t know what’s wrong with him.”
Anya remained quiet, with no emotional reaction to what he’d just revealed to her. She felt a numbing sensation, as if Steffan was trying to enter her mind. But something felt different. The white noise and blaring lights were stronger than ever before. They acted like guard dogs—predatory, protective, an
d aggressive. And they forced Steffan out.
Suddenly, Anya fell to her knees.
“Anya! What’s wrong?” Steffan yelled.
“Steffan, can you repeat to everyone in the family how, in fact, you came to find Anya? Let’s all hear you describe this connection you had,” Ryan yelled as Eilian and Rhys picked him up, attempting to escort him from the room.
“Ryan, something is happening to Anya here. I can’t deal with you right now! Eilian, help me!” Steffan screamed in anger.
Steffan helped Anya off the ground. She was still light-headed and crouched low to the ground.
“Go help Steffan. I got him,” Rhys said to Eilian.
Eilian left abruptly to tend to Anya, leaving Ryan in the hands of Rhys.
“Of course something’s happening to her! She’s learning all about your deceit! You didn’t think she could recall me, did you?” Ryan screamed in response.
Rhys released Ryan. “What the fuck?”
Whispers from the family started to vibrate through the room.
Steffan stood up, never releasing his lock on Ryan’s eyes.
Eilian continued to console and examine Anya.
“What did you just say?” Steffan asked in a menacing tone.
“You heard what I said!” Ryan shot back. He walked slowly to the staircase as the crowd scattered, carving a path for him. “You’re a fucking liar! A thief! She is mine! You broke the laws of our family!”
The crowd’s whispers turned to gasps.
“What is he talking about Steffan?” a man’s voice echoed through the room.
“What did you do, Steffan?” a woman’s voice bounced off of the previous question.
“I have no clue!” Steffan’s voice boomed through the room as he stood tall at the top of the stairs. “Ryan, how did I lie? How am I a thief?” He looked back at Anya who remained embraced by Eilian.
Then it dawned on him.
“Wait. Are you mistaking Anya for Anise? Ryan, I’m sorry you lost Anise. I had no idea that she had passed away. I turned you in hopes of reuniting you with her. I’m sorry for your pain. Whatever you’re recalling and feeling, it’s probably because Anya and Anise were identical twins. But, this is Anya…not Anise.”
“Anise? You still sticking to this fucking story? You know Anya is my only concern,” Ryan yelled, his eyes and voice full of anger.
“What is the meaning of all of this, Steffan?” another man’s voice pierced through the crowd as the whispers grew louder.
“My god, Steffan, have you mate abducted?” a boisterous voice pierced through the murmurs of the crowd.
“Everyone, please! I’m trying to figure it out what is going on myself. Don’t be alarmed.” Steffan motioned for the crowd to calm and then focused back on Ryan. “Ryan, I need to get Anya to our bedroom to lie down and rest. Come with me so we can talk privately and I can understand what the issue is here. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Ryan’s voice echoed with anger. “My wife is not going anywhere near your bedroom ever again.”
Exasperated voices rose in the room.
“Excuse me?” Steffan responded.
Anya looked up at Steffan. His eyes transformed into crimson globes.
“Anya?” Eilian said with marked concern. “Steffan, something is happening!”
* * * *
Anya’s body shook though she remained crouched over.
Inwardly, she was screaming wildly. Something was behind the light and noise. She could feel it. Out of frustration, she grabbed at the light in her mind as if clearing years of cobwebs from an old cellar. Slowly, the light diffused and the white noise faded. Without warning, Ryan’s image broke through the haziness and centered in her mind. The flood of images, their wedding, her love for Ryan, their happiness, played in her mind. The scenes quickly turned dark, as Ryan’s level of deception flashed before her, things she didn’t even know about, the other women, schemes he devised to lie and cheat his way through life, the draining of their bank accounts to leave her alone and destitute, and his lovemaking with Anise in their bed. A shrill of pain flowed through her body as if engulfed in flames. A low growl resonated from her chest as her nails lengthened and curled into a clawlike form.
She lifted her head and zeroed in on Ryan.
Her eyes burned. The bones in her face twisted under her skin. She felt her face contort with each passing second. She clenched her teeth, raising her upper lip to display the long daggered fangs that descended from her gums. The membrane tore viciously, sending rivers of thick blood to drip down her protruding fangs.
“Anya?” Steffan shook as he looked at Anya. “Eilian! What is happening to her?”
Eilian shook his head in disbelief at her transformation.
All at once Anya leapt from her position and soared through the air, hurling her body in Ryan’s direction. She landed on Ryan where he stood, wrapping her legs tightly around his chest.
Ryan gasped.
Anya steadied herself with one hand on Ryan’s shoulder as she pulled back the other, fully extending her claws.
Steffan, Rhys, and Eilian quickly took to the air to restrain Anya.
Just as her hand came down with intention to slash Ryan in two, Steffan grabbed her by the waist, and Rhys and Eilian pulled Ryan from her clutches. Her claws managed to still make a deep gash in Ryan’s neck, sending his thick, black blood to erupt from the wound.
“Everyone…leave. Leave now!” Steffan screamed as he held Anya. She was feral, her body viciously thrashing about as she screamed wildly. She could feel the power in his body, as if using every bit of strength just to hold her back. But, it was like he didn’t even exist at the moment. All she wanted was to get at Ryan. “Get him out of here! I don’t want him anywhere near Anya!”
Eilian and Rhys held Ryan down on the ground, his blood still spewing forcefully.
“We have to control the bleeding first, Steffan. Hang on. His repair mechanisms aren’t employing. We’ll need to try a secretion repair,” Eilian said.
“Goddamnit, spit in my hands! I need your saliva to seal the wound. You can’t reach it. You’re losing too much blood!” Rhys yelled as Ryan hurried to pool his saliva in Rhys’s hands. Rhys quickly smothered the warm liquid across the gaping wound, sealing it instantly.
The three men were covered in black blood as they carried Ryan off to the underground tunnel entrance in the dining room.
The house was chaotic. Vampires were everywhere. Some soared through the air to escape up through the Juliet balcony, others ran, pushing each other through the front door while others remained trapped near the scene, slipping and sliding on the black blood that covered the marble floor.
Madeline was at the home’s threshold, amidst the throng of alarmed guests making their way to the door. She turned around and looked at Anya and Steffan. She flashed them a devious smile before floating through the door with the sea of people.
A group of vampires, stately and noble in their presence, made their way calmly through the frenzied mass and stood before Steffan. A man from the group spoke solidly, “We will need to know what’s going on and pass judgment accordingly. Your mate just attacked another, and you are being accused of mate abduction. Both of these offenses are a breach of our creed and laws. As of this moment, you are released from your position on the authority board along with Eilian. He is considered too close to the issue at hand.”
Steffan nodded in response. “I understand. Let me handle this situation, and I will call for a meeting. I, too, would like to get to the bottom of all of this.”
Steffan was calm. He continued to hold on tightly to Anya, although she had calmed significantly since Ryan exited the room.
“I’m sorry, Steffan! I recalled him! I recalled everything! I broke through the light and the noise and there he was there. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I ruined everything,” Anya cried frantically.
Steffan consoled Anya. “Shh, Anya. My love, it’s all right. You didn’t ruin a
thing. We’ll get this all figured out.”
“Is she all right?” Eilian was winded as he returned to Steffan and Anya’s side.
“I’m just confused about everything. I don’t know where all that anger came from. I didn’t even feel like myself,” Anya said as she clutched Steffan tightly.
“That was an instinctive predatory and defensive reaction we have in us. We can tell the governing authority that it was just a reaction you hadn’t learned to control yet. Steffan and I are both on the board, so we can make a case for you. Although, they may want to exclude you from the proceedings,” Eilian said as he looked at Steffan.
“They have already excluded both of us, Eilian,” Steffan responded coldly.
“How is she?” Rhys raced back to Steffan and Anya’s side.
“Better,” Steffan said. “Who’s watching over Ryan?”
“Anya did quite a number on him. He’s a hot mess. He is resting right now. Aeron and Haydn volunteered to watch him and help him recover. Guys, I need to know what is going on right now. Ryan told me some shit that’s not sitting well inside me.”
“Let’s go upstairs. I want Anya to lie down. I can explain everything.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Anya lay on the leather sofa in the fetal position. Her head rested on a pillow in Steffan’s lap. He gently smoothed back her hair to calm her.
“He’s claiming that he was married to Anya and that you took her from him. He said you two fabricated the entire story of him being with Anise instead so you could focus on claiming Anya for yourself,” Rhys said, speaking to both Steffan and Eilian. Rhys sat in the leather club chair directly across from Eilian.
“What? I’m the one who decided to change him in the first place because I wanted him to reunite with whomever he was talking about that night. And this is what I get in return? Look, he never recalled any woman once he was turned. I tried for days to coax it out of him but still nothing. After Eilian told me about Ryan and Anise, I went to M.J. to confirm that was the true story. Then and only then did I start looking for Anya. I didn’t fabricate anything, and I for damn sure didn’t take anything from him!”