Helena followed his directions and blew out a breath before knocking on Xiomar’s door. She heard something collapsing on the other side and a man’s grunt. Panicked, she opened the door to find Xiomar buried under a stack of books.
“You surprised me!” he complained in his thick German accent.
“I’m so sorry.” Helena ran to his side and started gathering the books he was struggling with. Her eyes skimmed over the titles, and she paused. They were all books on witch hunts and methods of killing witches.
“You’re putting them back together wrong,” he complained, getting up.
Helena stopped stacking the books next to his desk. “Okay. I won’t touch them.”
Xiomar pointed for her to take a seat on his bed which looked no better than his desk that was covered in old dusty books and journals. She carefully pushed some tomes aside, creating enough room for her to sit on.
“My genius is underestimated by many, but I keep an open mind when it comes to the supernatural world around us.” He sluggishly sat into his wooden chair and rubbed his side. “Did you know that sirens and warlocks were the first to be granted powers by their goddess in the Human Realm? They were the building blocks upon which our world was created, and they may hold the key to solving our little problem with Arthemis’ return.”
“I didn’t know that because I don’t practice magic.” She crossed her legs and placed her hands on her knee. “Do you know much about the original vampire like his goals or what he did while he was awake?”
The researcher’s observant grey eyes crinkled around the corners as he thought about an answer. Helena guessed he was in his late fifties by the accumulated wrinkles on his face and the thinning grey hair on his head. His green cardigan and charcoal trousers made him appear older than he probably was. But she wasn’t about to ask him for his real age. She might get an hour-long answer.
“There are almost no scriptures mentioning Arthemis. He remains a mystery to the scholars in my field of expertise. And I thought you would be the one to tell me about him. Ben said you are a fate. What can you do?” He picked up a journal and flipped to an empty page. With his pen ready, he waited for her answer expectantly.
Helena grimaced. Suddenly, she felt like a lab rat in an experiment. “I think I’d better go.” She mumbled and rose to her full height.
“You didn’t answer my questions whereas I have answered yours,” he countered, sounding displeased.
“I can’t do anything, Xiomar. I’m an ordinary girl with no superpowers or desire to have them. What I want is to put this mess behind me, so I can be with the people I love.”
He jotted something down in his journal. “We can get back to this when you feel like you want to talk. For future reference, if you have nothing informative to say, don’t interrupt me and my work.”
“Noted.” She left the researcher’s room deflated and returned to her room.
Why am I here?
Lilia promptly answered her, “Because you’ve brought my son back into this realm, and you will be the one to clean this up.”
“You don’t give great pep talks.”
“What I give is knowledge and guidance. Listen to me from now on if you wish to save your family and your friends.”
Helena stopped in front of the window and looked out at the busy street below. She thought back to the Angel Realm when Lilia forced her to join strings with Lucious. Because of the fate, she met him and eventually fell in love. Because of Lilia, pain, suffering, and death followed Helena everywhere. Did she have any real choices in her life or was every action, every breath destined to happen? Could she fight the current that was pulling her further into the dark?
“The path you take is your own, Helena. I have interfered only at times to guide you in the direction of my goals. But, from now on, I wish for us to unite and work together. We can still erase my son’s existence. We can right this wrong.”
“What will happen to the vampires if Arthemis dies?” Helena asked, not swayed by the fate’s velvet voice in her mind.
“They will perish.”
“All of them?”
“Yes. And in doing so, it will bring us closer to closing the Demon Gates for good.”
Helena was stumped by the news. She swallowed hard and pressed her back against the nearby wall. “Why would it help close the gates?”
“You know of how I conceived Arthemis with Michael. The Demon Queen’s involvement had turned my child into a monster. And when my sister and I were banished to the Human Realm, those gates began to open throughout the land.” Lilia’s voice cracked a little. “Blood of a demon also runs through the veins of vampires, staining this world with their darkness and tying the two realms together.”
“But there are succubi and incubi who are half-demon…” Helena countered.
“Diya will deal with her own offspring when she comes of age.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Is my sister going to have to suffer the same terrible fate as me? Will she also have her body hijacked by a crazed woman who thinks she’s right?”
Lilia heaved a sigh. “Insulting me will not help you, and no, she will not have two souls like you. After my experience with you, I have made certain that she will possess her vessel without hindrance.”
Helena’s hands started to tremble at her sides. “Did you do something to my sister’s soul when you met with my parents?”
“I would never harm a human.”
The fate’s words brought Helena no comfort. “Look, I don’t think I can be responsible for the genocide of an entire species. They are no different to us.”
“During their human lives, they were mortal, yes. Now, they are going against nature. They are abominations that should not exist.”
Helena’s chest hurt at the thought of never seeing Lucious, Hans, Andrew, Alexander, or Maya again. They would disappear from her life, and she would be left alone. After surviving and fighting by their sides for such a long time, how could she kill or strand them? And if she didn’t, would that lead to the destruction of the human race?
ARTHEMIS
For thousands of years, Arthemis had been locked in a box his mother had forced him into. Stuck he was between the two realms, bound to a gate much like the archdemons are. His mind was the sole entertainment he had as time crawled by. Such punishment was undeserved. He did nothing other than work hard to create a world where his mother would be safe and respected by the mortals. Somewhere, sometime, she began to fear him. She grew closer to the mortals who aged and died than to her own son. It pained him greatly, knowing that his mother loved him so little.
As he awoke on linen sheets in an unknown to him location, he took in his surroundings. The chamber was lavished with fancy décor he did not care for. He got up, testing his new body. Runa’s childe, Lucious, was young and weak. He had the potential to become a powerful vampire in years to come, but he fought against his desire to feed. And, like Arthemis, they both desired the same kind of blood.
The door to the room opened, and his son, Kallias, walked in. “Father?”
Arthemis knew he had to thank Kallias for his relentless devotion and need to please him, but he had no room among his pillars for a man so emotionally attached. His pillars were created to give him power and protect him from threats. Why was this son of his so keen on getting Arthemis’ approval? The others had understood his need for space or feared what he would do if they were summoned by him.
“Why aren’t the others here?” Arthemis asked.
“They are in the dining room. Come, I will show you the way.” Kallias waved for him to follow.
Arthemis did not move. “I can sense every one of my children. They are a part of me as much as you, yet you would bring me to them?” His stony face showed no emotion.
Kallias went down on one knee and bowed his head low. “I apologise, Father. I have misspoken.”
Arthemis strode past his son and headed for the stairs. He focused on Ealdraed’s energy, tugg
ing on the chain that connected them to announce to his firstborn that he was due to arrive.
Descending the stairs, he noticed other younglings stealing glances at him. Pausing on the last step, he raised his head and voice. “Children of my blood, I have returned.”
The vampires did not react with the awe or joy he had expected. In this new world and century, was he not revered as a god? Were his grand accomplishments buried by petty historians? Or was the reason for their lack of respect the vessel he was using? He had to get his body back. His mother knew blood magic, and he did, too.
“Ealdraed!” Arthemis shouted in a booming voice.
His first son appeared from around the corner with his head lowered. “What is your wish, Father?”
“Gather as many of your descendants as you can and bring them to me.”
Ealdraed raised his head with wide eyes. “May I ask why?”
Arthemis descended the final step and touched Ealdraed’s beautiful face with the back of his hand. His eyes flared red with annoyance. His children never used to question his commands. Had they changed so much in the time he was gone? “You have my command, childe.”
“Understood.”
Following the bond he shared with the rest of his pillars, Arthemis followed their links down a long corridor on his left and into a spacious room with a long dining table and glistening lights coming from the ceiling. He was mesmerised for a moment by the tiny bulbs that irradiated the room like witchlight. But, from the memories he had scraped from the heads of his children, he knew that it was science that made it possible for mortals to create such an incredible discovery.
“You’re awake,” Laclia said, getting up from the table.
Arthemis saw Bion, Cenric, and Hartwin rising as well. Ealdraed and Kallias walked into the room and joined the others. They were his army. No one would dare stand in his way now that he was reunited with them and their abilities.
His gaze met Hartwin’s who immediately looked down at the lacquered table. “Is there something you wish to say to me, Hartwin?”
Circling the table, his son stopped in front of Arthemis. He went down on his knees, his head hanging low. Dark curls on his head were the only things Arthemis could see from where he stood.
“Please grant me one final wish. End my life and my servitude to you,” Hartwin pleaded.
Arthemis could not believe the words he was hearing. His most talented son was eager to perish from this world. He could not permit for his clairvoyant gift to disappear.
Placing his hand on Hartwin’s head, Arthemis said, “For your misdeeds, I cannot grant you your freedom, childe. You must be punished for betraying my trust and destroying the affection I have held for you.”
Hartwin’s head lifted, and fear rounded his amethyst eyes. “What are you planning to do?”
Laclia walked up to them and touched Arthemis’ arm. “Father, please forgive him. He was an idiot.”
Arthemis shook her hand off and pointed to Kallias and Bion. “Cut his right hand off for stabbing me with a silver dagger in the past. Then lock him in the dungeon with cursed objects tied to his body.”
Hartwin tried to get away, but Kallias and Bion were faster. They restrained him and dragged him to the table where Kallias stretched Hartwin’s arm out on the table.
“Find me a cleaver or an axe,” Kallias said to Cenric.
Ealdraed stepped beside Arthemis, saying, “This isn’t right. He must be punished, of course, but this is too much. You will drive him mad if you tie him to the cursed objects. Their tainted energy will destroy his mind.”
“You never used to question me.” Arthemis assessed his eldest son with a tight jaw. “Do not push me to use my power. You know how much I dislike hurting my children.”
“But Hartwin—” Ealdraed began.
Arthemis’ expression darkened, and his son went quiet.
Cenric returned with a bone cleaver suitable for cattle and handed it to Kallias who looked over his shoulder at his father for approval.
“Do it,” Arthemis said.
Kallias smirked and drove the blade downwards, cutting through Hartwin’s skin, muscle, and bone with ease.
The vampire cried out in agony that followed. His blood flowed freely onto the table’s surface until Cenric handed them a rag that was wrapped around Hartwin’s stump.
The pain and suffering on Hartwin’s face did nothing to satisfy the emptiness inside of Arthemis. He did not enjoy hurting his children, but a lesson had to be taught. They had accepted him in their time of need. They chose him to be their saviour and were granted the gift of immortality. Without him, they were nothing.
Laclia helped Bion and Cenric lead Hartwin out of the room, leaving Ealdraed and Kallias behind.
Arthemis made his way to the head of the bloodied table and sat down. He folded his hands in front of him and waited for his children to do the same.
After taking a seat, Kallias spoke first. “What do you want us to do next?”
“Tell me more about this cycle and those in control of it.”
Kallias eagerly shifted closer in his seat. “The vampire population is barely above five thousand in a world where humans are breeding faster than rats. Many species have become extinct because of the relentless work of the hunters and their god, Orion. The werewolves have treaties with us for space and territory—”
Arthemis raised his hand to stop him. “The dogs are on the same level as us and humans are more powerful?” He let out a deep laugh. Once he settled down, he said, “Your sense of humour has improved, Kallias.”
“He wasn’t joking,” Ealdraed interjected. “Two of the Human Realm’s gods are working together to destroy any threats to them. We need your help to take them out.”
“The so-called gods of this realm are nothing compared to me. They are not a threat.”
Ealdraed shook his head. “You are forgetting that it has been thousands of years without your presence in this realm. They no longer fear you.”
“Then we must reclaim what was once ours. We will build an army and restore order.”
13
CONTROL
ARTHEMIS
T wo days went by and there was no sign of Lilia. She had hidden herself well enough that his vampire children could not find her in this city. Had she decided to abandon her quest to vanquish him and his offspring? That was not like her. In her past life, she was relentless. She would not give up on her task no matter what. At the back of his mind, he knew that she was close by, waiting for the right time to strike and take him down. Knowing that Lilia wanted nothing to do with him, or love him for what he was, kept tearing his heart in two. Why was she able to break every rule for his father and accept the wrath of the gods but refused to suffer the same with her son by her side? All Arthemis wanted was to protect her. He wanted to see a smile on her face. And no matter what he did, she never spared him a kind gesture. She never told him she loved him more than anything like other mothers had done to their children. And, above all, he felt unwanted by her. The demon blood in his veins had turned his mother against him and there was nothing he could do to make her see him in a different light.
What is the point in pretending to be something I am not? If she desired a monster for a son, he would gladly give her what she had wished for ever since his birth.
Arthemis sat in a high-backed chair in the main room that was redesigned at his request. He needed to meet with the delegates from Europe and get them to listen to him. According to his children, they held a lot of power, and they must be overjoyed that he had returned from his entrapment.
Reclining in his seat, he watched a large group of vampires shuffling into the room. They looked around, nervous and uncertain as to what they should be doing or saying. He heard a few confused remarks about Lucious sitting on the throne like a king. They couldn’t understand why he was belittling them when he was much younger than them.
“Gather round, children,” Arthemis said, waving for them to come clo
ser.
The delegates looked at one another, and two vampires in the front took a step forward.
The dark-haired man on the left crossed his arms over his chest and asked, “What are you doing, Lucious? We were told we would be meeting Arthemis, not a youngling pretending to be a Councilman.”
Arthemis’ right eye twitched. They could not tell the difference between him and Lucious. He locked gazes with Kallias who was standing at the back of the room with his back resting against the wall. His childe moved to stand before the two delegates.
“Don’t get any closer,” Kallias warned.
The two vampires looked from him to Arthemis. Their eyes widened a little as they stepped back.
“We need proof that he is the original,” the dark-haired vampire countered.
Arthemis rose from his seat with grace. He adjusted the cuffs of the white shirt he wore. The attire in this century was different to the clothes he was used to wearing. Everything seemed much tighter with a snug fit. His sons had assured him that he was dressed in the modern equivalent of an important man, so he pushed his discomfort to the back of his mind and spread his arms out in a warm welcome. “Come closer to me.”
The dark-haired man looked to Kallias for approval before he marched up to Arthemis and assessed him nervously.
Arthemis smirked and opened his shields to wind his energy around the vampire. Once he was certain that he had him under his control, he used his ability with his words. “Kneel.”
The vampire went down on both knees and used his hands to balance his body. He struggled, trying to get up. No matter what he did or how hard he pushed, he remained in place.
“Having Vincent’s ability doesn’t mean anything,” the brunette who stood beside Kallias said.
Arthemis closed his eyes and channelled Ealdraed’s ability, pulling it through the bond they shared between them. He felt his childe’s pain when he conjured that ability, and Arthemis’ hands erupted with fire.
The delegates backed away, murmuring to each other.
Stepping around the vampire on the floor, Arthemis replied, “I share a bond with all of my direct children and, therefore, their powers are mine. In the meantime, I am using this vessel to restore my original form in this realm.” He got closer to the vampire woman standing next to Kallias and muttered under his breath, “Kneel.”
Fated Origins: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 4) Page 17