“You’re telling me. I knew she wasn’t going to like this.” Kal says, rubbing his face. Zuriel clasps him on the shoulder.
“You have nothing to worry about. I’ll take care of Ali and I’m positive Nardia will as well. You’ll have to introduce her to the twins; they might enjoy her company more than you know.”
“Twins?” I ask, looking between them. Zuriel grins.
“They’re the other two of the elite team, brother and sister. They’re identical apart from their hair; otherwise you’d constantly be calling them the wrong names.” Zuriel smiles at me, hopefully I had nothing to worry about. I needed more friends than enemies in this place. So far I wasn’t coming out on top.
“Vampires from a shadow clan, some of the most skilled fighters I’ve ever seen. I came across them when I was searching for more of Dominic’s kind. They were ensnared by him, he was the main reason they came back with me. Their home is across the continent,” Kal says, turning to me. They sounded interesting, and dangerous. I couldn’t make them my enemies.
“They sound nice.” I say simply.
“Just don’t get on their bad side, they’re absolute psychos.” Zuriel was so casual about everything; he didn’t seem to have a worry in the world. He gives Kal a quick handshake before ruffling my hair.
“Alright, I’m off love birds, I have to go show those two who’s still boss in this team.” Zuriel walks over to them before I can deny that we’re in fact not love birds. I grumble as Kal leads us back outside.
“What did you think?” He asks, walking in step with me.
“Uh let me think. I have to trust my life with a vampire who wants to kill me. So yeah, great. It went great.” I say, exaggerating my point. I couldn’t ever trust Cassidy, not when she held so much resentment for me.
“Why does she hate me so much? Is it because I’m still human? She’d damn well still hate me if I was a vampire!” I exclaim, frustrated. Kal stares ahead.
“I’m sorry Ali. It’s from a long, long time ago. Cassidy and I were intimate once, nothing too serious. It was something to distract us and help pass the time. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind at that point of my life, I was still mourning Cassidar. I wasn’t in love with Cassidy; she never voiced how she felt. She might have wanted something more serious but I think she knew I wasn’t ready. She’s loyal as anything and one of my strongest fighters, I couldn’t let the fact we’d been together interfere with business. So we’re civil. After I went into hibernation it ended whatever we had, I think once I was awoken she thought there was a chance.
“When they came to me with the news Cassidar’s descendent lived I could have cried. Cassidy tried many advances and was rejected each time. I wasn’t interested and I’m still not. I think with you living here it’s just a reminder to her. It has nothing to do with you but with how I went about things. I hope you’re not angry.” I stay silent as I think about what he said.
Cassidy loved him, I imagine she always would. I couldn’t really be mad at her for that. I didn’t ask to be Cassidar’s descendent. I didn’t ask for any of this and surely she had to realise that. She couldn’t stay mad at me for simply being me.
“I guess that makes sense. I didn’t ask for any of this you know. I don’t want it. I was fine just being a human living a simple life.” I say quietly, I wish more than anything I could go back to normal and be normal.
“Ali, if there’s one thing you and Cassidar have in common it’s that you both want peace and equality for humans and vampires. That’s what she stood for, she loved the humans more than herself and I know if she could go back she would do the same thing. She was too good for this world.” we break the tree line. The castle looms over us as we grow closer to the garden.
“I’m not her though, I’ll never be her. Of course I want equality but I’m not the key to it. Humans and vampires can be cruel things, some things I witnessed other humans do to their own kind makes me want to curl into a ball. Both races destroyed this world and now they have to live with the consequences. I’m no Queen Kal, you need to realise that.” I stop walking and study him; I need him to understand this. He turns back to me, his face flawless in the moonlight.
“I know you’re not her. I’m not asking you to be her, I’m asking you to be the hope for humans and vampires. Yes, there is evil in this world but it doesn’t outweigh how much good the world has. They need someone to fight for that, I believe that’s you. I’m not asking you to be my queen, but I am asking you to be something they can look up too,” he says, taking a step towards me.
“Look at me Kal; I’m a broken human and vampire girl who was experimented on in that camp. Who knows what I’m going to turn into. I’m not stable and I don’t know if I’ll ever be. I want to be their hope, I want salvation but I can’t give it to anyone. If I can’t help myself how can I help others?” I search his face. His eyebrows furrow, his eyes sadden. I felt relief; I’d finally voiced how I really felt about this.
“Let me help you. I don’t expect anything from you, Ali.” I take a step back and look away.
“You can’t save me Kal, it won’t bring back Cassidar.” I brush past him and head into the castle, he doesn’t follow. Tears fall into the garden and my vision blurs as I continue walking; not knowing where my destination is but I can’t stand still any longer.
Chapter 6
Kalabhiti
I sit in my private study, sipping a glass of human blood. I needed to taste it again; the deer blood was becoming overwhelming. The conversation with Ali is still replaying in my mind; I would never lie to her and always tell her the truth. I believe she is the key to save races, human and vampire. I am not the same man I was when Cassidar was murdered; peace now seems to be the only way to go about this entire mess.
Vampires need humans to survive; there is only so much animal blood to go around. With numbers growing in other cities it is getting hard to keep up with the demand, more and more transfers are being made. I sigh as I look down at the opened documents in front of me. The three highest ranking vampires from the three cities over where coming to meet Ali in two weeks, regardless if I wanted them to or not. I cannot deny them; if I do it will only raise more questions. They insist they need to see if Ali is as real as the rumours.
I have to tell her.
“Kalius, can you escort Allison to me please?” I call through the wooden door; Kalius is a trusted male, always quiet. I don’t think I’d heard him say more than three words in the last century. Which is a good thing, I know he can hear the conversations that happen in this room.
Ali walks in cautiously, her hair is pulled into a high bun; loose silver strands sit against her bare neck. She’d taken off her necklace. Her red silk skirt brushes against the floor, a matching red silk crop top exposes the flesh of her stomach. I force myself to meet her eyes. The wooden door shuts behind her and I watch as she studies the room. She is completely different today, as if the care free Ali was gone again to be replaced by the Ali that was always on guard.
It isn’t a large room by any means, my desk sits in the middle covered in paperwork. The walls are a dark red; the glow of one light is dim and leaves room for many shadows. The wall behind me has a self-portrait of me with a crown on my head. I have a bookcase that runs along one wall, opposite that I have a glass bench that holds a fridge with blood. It was enough to do business.
“We need to talk,” I say and her eyes sharpen on me. We’d barely spoken after last night. I gesture towards the black leather chair across from me; she takes it reluctantly, folding her hands in her lap. I have trouble understanding how we’ve managed to take a step backwards.
“What?” she asks.
“We’ve got… visitors coming. Very important visitors. To see you.” I pass her the letter they’d sent me; I had two weeks to prepare her for them. She reads it quickly, nibbling her bottom lip.
“So this is what you’ve been hiding from me?” she says matter of fact as she puts the papers back on the desk
.
“As well as other things that don’t concern you. But this does, they want to meet you.” I choose my words carefully; I don’t want her to feel cornered or trapped. Not after what she shared with me.
“They think I’m a vampire, don’t they?” her ruby eyes blaze. I take a long sip of my drink; I wasn’t sure what they thought she was.
“They’ve heard the rumours about you and have come to make their own conclusion of the whole thing. Nonetheless, they will be coming. I need you to be prepared.” she straightens in her chair.
“What if I say no?”
“Is there any way I can persuade you?” I ask. I knew she wouldn’t make this easy. I hadn’t expected her too. She debates my offer.
“I want to live in the city,” she says, eyeing me evenly. My hand tightens on the glass.
“You’re not ready, you’ve shown me that.” I sit back and try to calm myself; the vampires in the city respected me, but a human girl walking around unclaimed? Chaos.
“That’s my offer. Give me an apartment in the city and I’ll be whoever you want me to be for the night.” She taps her fingers gently on the chair, my jaw tightens. My shadows grow restless around me and I have to restrain them. They don’t like defiance. She knows exactly how to push my buttons.
“The city is a dangerous place.” She looks away and studies the room, her jaw set in place. Stubborn, absolutely stubborn.
“So? You’re training me. I’ll learn to protect myself.”
“That will help, yes. But you’re unclaimed. It’d be an open invitation to a buffet. Humans can’t enter unless they’re claimed and or, chipped. They know of your circumstances and I’m sure there’s a few prowling around wanting to taste it for themselves.” The thought of anyone tasting her blood makes my own blood boil. There was so much more to it than she could imagine. She looks back at me and narrows those gorgeous ruby eyes on me.
“I’m part vampire, remember? So technically I’m not a walking appetiser,” she hisses, hating she’s had to admit it out loud. I rub my forehead.
“I’ll give you a week to prove you’re serious about training and learning to control and harness your power. If you show me anything less the answer is no and I’ll find a way around the meeting.” I straighten and clasp my hands together on the desk, she watches me suspiciously. Reluctantly she gives in.
“Okay, fine. You’ve got a deal. Who do you need me to be when they come?” She asks, leaning in slightly. I take a deep breath, I didn’t need to breath but I liked the novelty of it. I figured it would help Ali feel more comfortable around me. I knew she wasn’t going to like the answer, I’m not sure I did myself.
“My Queen.”
Chapter 7
Allison
My Queen.
“You want me to be your queen?” I ask, baffled. How would I even begin to act like a queen? I was a girl from the slums; I didn’t know the first thing about being royalty.
“I know it’s not ideal. This is what they’re expecting and I have to give it to them, I need to deflect their suspicions on you.” Kal leans back, his eyes never leaving mine. I flinch under the intensity of his gaze.
“I don’t know one thing about acting like a queen.” I cross my arm over my chest and fiddle with the silk material of my shirt.
“I’m sure you’re capable of having manners and respecting others. You won’t have to do much, just polite conversation. I will try to do most of the talking.” he finishes off the contents in his glass, licking a stray drop from his lip. I watch as his tongue trails over it, frowning slightly with how soft his lips look.
“I guess I can do that. Is that all you wanted? May I leave now?” I ask, standing up. I keep a firm grip on the chair as I wait for his answer. His eyes do a quick sweep of my body before settling on my face.
“Yes you may. Training starts tomorrow, early. I will come and get you when it’s time.” he looks away and begins to shuffle through the pages on his desk. Like that, I’m dismissed. I turn and leave the room as gracefully as I can, feeling his eyes burning into my back.
Kalius nods once as I walk past him, then takes up his position of standing directly in the door way.
Well, what was I to do now?
I aimlessly walk around the castle, exploring rooms I hadn’t dared enter when I first arrived. If I was meant to be a queen for a night I suppose it was fair that I knew the layout of the castle. Especially if things were to go wrong.
My feet carry me to the metal door that leads down to Dominic. I open it without thinking and begin the descent downwards. The torch light flickers on the wall as I go deeper, the air growing thicker.
I hold my shirt over my mouth and nose and try to filter out the horrible stench that was growing the closer I was getting to Dominic.
The stairs open to the small hallway, everything still looks the same. Nothing out of place. I walk up to the locked door and lean my head against the wood.
A scuffling sound can just be heard through the thick wood. I frown.
“Dominic? You okay in there little buddy?” I ask, tapping my hand against the door. My shirt falls from my face and I gag as the stench of decay and death fill my lungs.
I splutter and cough as I step away, covering the lower half of my face again. Tears sting my eyes as I take another step away from the door.
Something was wrong.
A low screech comes through the door, along with more scuffling. A sharp yelp and snapping.
“Dominic I’m coming!” I turn and flee up the stairs; pushing myself to the very limit of my vampire powers. The stairs blur beneath me as my heart races wildly in my chest. My legs strain against the speed, my body not use to using my full potential.
I don’t care at this point what I am, Dominic needs my help.
I explode from the door and flee to Kal’s study. Everything blurs around me as I pinpoint him within the castle, I let my feet and instincts guide me to him through the invisible tug I feel.
My view sharpens as I get closer, time almost seems to slow down as I enter the hall and spot Kalius.
“MOVE!” I screech, not slowing down. Kalius looks at me with wide eyes as he steps out of the way, I fly through the study doors and pull myself to a stop.
Papers fly around as I stop. Kal looks up at me, surprised. He’d spilt his fresh drink over his shirt. He looks from the spill to me and frowns. I gasp as I try to catch my breath.
“What on—”
“No time, give me key to dungeon. Dominic in trouble.” I manage to form a coherent sentence. Deep within the dungeon I feel Dominic shudder, his life force weakens. Without thinking I jump over the table and snatch the key from Kal’s side. I’m out the door as quick as I had entered.
Vaguely I can hear Kal’s footsteps behind me, nearly keeping pace. My only focus is on Dominic.
We fly down the stairs; I don’t bother covering my face as we reach the dungeon door. Kal gags and coughs at the smell. My hands shake wildly as I try to unlock the door.
More mangled noises come from behind the door; I shove the key into the lock and tear it open.
Kal and I freeze as we enter. Surrounding Dominic is eight of these creatures I had seen the other night. Dominic is covered in cuts and bites; dark blood is creating a puddle beneath him. Three of their kind lay unmoving around him.
Up this close I can make out more of their features. Their milky eyes are blind to us; two large oval splits between their eyes act as their nose, opening and closing as they sense us.
It’s like they are vampires gone wrong, their naked bodies had no hair; only shiny white skin.
The smell in the room has intensified a hundred times, my eyes water as I cover my mouth to stop myself from spilling up the contents of my stomach.
He bellows once he sees us. All the creatures turn to us, the one closest to us opens its black mouth and shrieks; revealing yellow sharp teeth. Its shriek is high enough to pierce our eardrums; luckily Kal doesn’t give the creature a chance.
In a blur he’s behind the creature, his hands gripping its jaw as he rips it open. Black blood sprays from its mouth as he rips its lower jaw off and throws it to the ground. The other creatures are on him in an instant.
My legs kick into gear as I dive into the fight.
I make contact with the one that’s clinging to his back; I grab it by the shoulders and throw it back. It quickly regains its posture before hurtling back towards me.
I have no weapons.
You are a weapon.
I’m ready for the creature; I duck and kick it hard in the stomach. Before it can get back up I’m on top of it. I straddle its chest and grip both of its wrists; black claws try and find their way into the soft skin of my arms.
I do the only thing I really know how to do. Destroy.
I lift the creature up and smash it back into the stone floor, it shrieks as its head cracks back. I repeat the move, smashing it with vampire force. I try not to listen to the crunch as the back of its skulls caves in. I tune into my other sense.
Dominic is whimpering.
I let go of the creature’s arms, grab its head and smash it four times back in a blur, black blood splattering onto my skirt. Its arms fall to its side; it doesn’t stir again.
Three of the creatures are on Kal, while the other remaining two are attacking Dominic. Kal would be okay, I had to help Dominic.
I rush over and rip the one from his back; if I could just get his shackles off he would be able to defend himself. They focus on me as they circle to the front of Dominic. I crouch down and snarl at them, Dominic’s breath is warm against my back as he watches me.
They all come at me, full force. Without thinking I dive deep inside of myself; to that power I said I wouldn’t touch again.
I dive deeper, screaming out to it. It comes willingly, happy to have contact with me again. I can’t deny it, I am happy as well.
I scream and rip my arms open and let the power explode from me in a blur of blue vines and light. My body gives way as I fall to my knees. In an instant the two creatures are wrapped in my blue shackles. They screech in defiance.
Immortal Suffering Page 5