He intertwined his fingers on the table and shifted closer to her. “You do not like fish?”
“I do but that’s not the point.”
Arthemis ignored her and said to the hounds, “Bring the fish and some wine to wash it down.”
Helena cursed inwardly, and Cenric snorted. She looked up to find him grinning at her. His ability to read her mind was invasive.
“I cannot tune the thoughts out.” Cenric drank some blood from the wineglass, his expression turning sad. “It is like a radio that is always left on. Ma mère sold me to service rich men because I couldn’t work in a populated market.”
“That’s horrible,” Helena muttered. He had survived a terrible ordeal.
“Back then it was common. My brothers and sisters were mouths to feed. No work meant no food.” Cenric wrapped his arm around Bion. “Now I have a very protective partner who never leaves my side.”
Bion didn’t say anything and kept his eyes on Helena’s reaction.
“Does everyone here have such a past?” she asked.
Arthemis reclined in his seat, watching the conversation unfold.
“Most of us came from damaged backgrounds,” Cenric explained and pointed at Laclia. “She was the daughter of a travelling merchant who forced her to use her ability to foresee the future. When she exhausted her ability and couldn’t do it, he would beat her to near death.”
Laclia glowered at her blood-brother. “I did not ask you to share that.”
“She is going to be here pour longtemps. We should all get along,” Cenric told his sister.
“You stick your nose where it does not belong, brother,” Laclia hissed. “Be careful so it does not bite you in the ass.”
Cenric laughed and looked to Kallias next. “Will you tell her or shall I?”
“Go ahead. I have nothing to hide from the lovely Helena,” the Royal replied.
“Kallias, before he became a vampire, was a prince and second in line to the throne of a city-state Zabaia in Babylonian dynasty until his brother grew too paranoid and tried to poison him. I always forget, how many times was it?”
“Seven,” Kallias replied with a chuckle. “The first time, my servant died. I passed my brother in the hallways and saw a vision of him trying to kill me, so I planted spies in his circle to know when the next strike would come.” In an excited voice, Kallias went on, “After the seventh try, he gave up the games and had his guards stab me in the streets, claiming I was a demon. Arthemis saved my life and took me under his guidance before I bled to death.”
Helena did think that Kallias was too full of himself to be a servant or a slave. He spent too much time doing whatever he liked and insulting people to their faces.
Cenric nodded to her unspoken words. “I see where you are coming from.”
Helena let out a nervous laugh. “Sorry, I—it’s hard to not think. Can’t you concentrate on someone else’s thoughts?”
“I could, but I enjoy yours very much.”
Her cheeks turned red, and Cenric nudged Bion. “Would you like to tell her of your past?”
Bion got up from the table. The white shirt he wore contrasted against his ebony skin. Lowering his head in what seemed to be an apology, he mumbled, “I should return to work.”
“I guess Bion does not wish to share,” Cenric said with a sheepish smile.
Laclia pouted and crossed her arms. “You let him off the hook but reveal my past without any consideration.”
“Perks of being my lover.” Cenric gave Laclia a cheeky wink.
“May I excuse myself?” Bion asked Arthemis.
“I wanted this to be a happy family reunion. Why are you leaving so early?” Arthemis inquired.
“Much work needs to be done to convert humans.”
Cenric nodded. “It would be a pity to not turn one thousand men before the end of the month, as per Father’s request.”
Helena gasped. “You’re making one thousand humans into vampires?”
“We need an army to fight a war,” Arthemis said proudly. “Without strong numbers, we will be at a disadvantage.”
“How many have you turned already?” Helena demanded.
Arthemis looked to Bion for information. The Royal inclined his head and responded, “Seventy-two based on the last report.”
Helena erupted from her seat. “This is outrageous. Why would you do something like this! They are people with families, children, brothers and sisters. Who gave you the right to tear them away from it all?”
The good mood in the room dispelled, leaving a sour expression on the original vampire’s face. His jaw moved back and forth as he ground his teeth together.
“I think you should sit down,” Laclia whispered, grabbing Helena’s hand.
Arthemis’ red eyes landed on Helena. There was murder in them mixed in with admiration. Her heart beat so fast, she hoped that it would stay in her chest instead of jumping out of her throat and doing a dance on the table.
“Do you not agree with my actions?” Arthemis said each word with care. His British accent was long gone, leaving behind deep and uneven pronunciations.
“Sit down,” Laclia hissed next to her, tugging on Helena’s arm.
“No, I don’t agree,” Helena told him.
Arthemis’ hands balled into fists on the table. He rose to his full height and took her hand.
Helena tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong. As he increased the pressure on it, the bones in her fingers rubbed together. “Come with me.”
“Father, she doesn’t know what she is saying. You took her blood, and she must be starving.” Laclia’s pleading eyes bore into Arthemis. “Please, let us continue this lovely meal.”
“I agree with my sister,” Kallias said with a grin. “It would be a pity if the fate died this early.”
Arthemis let go of her hand and frowned. “I was not going to hurt her.”
The Royals let out nervous laughs.
Helena massaged her aching palm. Without their help, she was sure she would need a hospital. They didn’t fear him for no reason. The original vampire was a terrifying man who went from hot to cold in a matter of seconds. Regardless of her opinions, she needed to keep quiet and find a way to get Hans and Perri out of here.
Cenric raised a brow at her train of thought, and Helena pressed her lips into a tight line, praying that he would keep it to himself. His smiling eyes told her that he wasn’t going to share her plan with the others. At least, for now.
“Did I hurt you?” Arthemis asked, breaking her out of her trance.
Helena hid her hand behind her back when he reached for it. “I’m fine.”
“Good.” He clapped his hands, getting the attention of the hounds in the room. “Where is the food? She has waited long enough!”
“I will find out,” the hound at the door to the kitchen replied immediately and disappeared.
Helena blew out a breath and settled back into her seat. Bion left to continue with his work—whatever that was. After five more minutes, her food arrived on a square plate. The sauce was sprinkled on top of the fish and around it with artistically placed salad pieces on the side. It was a crime to eat something so beautiful.
“Is it not to your liking?” Arthemis asked.
Helena shook her head and picked up the knife and fork. She wasn’t about to make the same mistake and aggravate him further. Cutting into the fish fillet, she waited for the others to resume their conversation about the vampire conversion. She couldn’t believe that they had turned over seventy humans into vampires. In a way, she was missing Eliza and the other Council members who wouldn’t stand for something like this. But what worried her most was that Lucious’ conscience was nowhere in sight. Even when Arthemis was hurting her, he didn’t appear.
Is he gone for good?
Helena’s stomach twisted into a knot, threatening to bring back everything she had swallowed. She took a sip of the red wine, wrinkling her nose at it. She preferred white wine.
At the end of dinner, Arthemis offered her his hand. “Come with me. We are going to see the newborn vampires.”
Helena’s eyes widened. “Why?”
“So you can understand why it must be done.” He urged her to take his hand, and she complied.
The other Royals stood from the table. Kallias was the first to speak. “I will go with you.”
Arthemis sighed. “I am so weak that I cannot protect myself?”
“What about her?” Kallias pointed to Helena.
“I will keep her safe just fine.”
Helena didn’t know if she preferred Kallias or Arthemis. Both of them seemed like the worst case scenario when it came to people she would rather spend the evening with.
“As you wish,” Kallias retorted.
Being alone with Arthemis was out of the question. She would be uncomfortable around Cenric who could read her mind, and Kallias was a jerk. That left only one person. Helena pulled on Arthemis’ sleeve and said, “Can Laclia come along?”
“Why?” Arthemis demanded.
Cenric interjected before Helena could come up with a valid excuse. “They are both women. It may be a good idea to let them bond.”
“You are right,” Arthemis agreed. “It is decided then. Laclia, come along.”
“Yes, Father,” the woman replied in a solemn voice.
Arthemis beamed at Helena with another one of his odd smiles that twisted her gut and made her want to run away. She had to find a way to talk to Lilia and get her advice on what she should do. She stopped her thoughts to avoid giving away everything to Cenric. He might not have voiced her worries to Arthemis today but nothing was stopping him from doing so in the future.
As they were preparing to leave, Cenric waved to her. She couldn’t figure out if he was someone she could trust or not. Then again, trusting a Royal was bound to be a mistake.
20
THE FORGOTTEN
ARTHEMIS
L ike Mother, Helena could not see beyond the obvious. She felt pity for mortals who were going to be sacrificed for his army. He refused to accept her logic. Once she saw for herself the vampires he was creating, she would change her mind. Unlike the normal vampires who fed on humans, his army would feed on weaker vampires, like he did. They would be stronger, faster, and develop abilities over time as more energy coursed through their veins. His men would become unstoppable, and the gods would learn to fear him once more.
In the limousine with tinted windows, he observed Helena who sat next to Laclia. They were silent and internally discontent. He knew that Laclia had a strong bond with Ealdraed. They had been close ever since Arthemis made her into his childe. No matter what bond they shared, she was his daughter and wouldn’t dare to betray him. She feared being hated by her family—a fear she carried from her mortal life into the next.
His attention reverted to Helena. She was gazing out the window at the streets of the city. Her expression told him that she was perplexed, sad even.
What could she be unhappy with?
“Are you enjoying the view?” he asked Helena.
She blinked rapidly and looked at him. “I am used to seeing the world from a place like this.”
“And what place would that be?”
Casting her eyes to her knotted hands in her lap, she said, “That of a trapped bird.”
“You are not a prisoner,” he told her with a smile. “You are merely well protected.”
“Oh, there’s a difference? I didn’t notice.”
Her sarcasm annoyed him, but Arthemis contained his response. There remained a part of him that wanted her approval and love. The memories of her beneath him as he made love to her… He rubbed his eyes. That wasn’t his memories. Lucious had claimed her body before, and the vivid daydreams of those nights were driving him mad. Losing control with her would push her further away, and he would never be able to taste the sweetness of love or taste her sweet lips.
“We have arrived,” the driver announced and stopped the car.
Arthemis got out first and offered his hand to Helena. She ignored it, sliding off her seat in those illogical shoes. He ordered Laclia to find something beautiful that women enjoyed wearing in the modern world. What he did not expect was that his daughter would choose some kind of torture device that made Helena cringe when she put pressure on her feet.
“Take those off,” Arthemis ordered her.
Helena raised a brow. “You want me to walk barefoot?”
“Would that not make you more comfortable?”
“I guess it will…” After she took off her heels, she handed them to him. “Happy now?”
He tilted his head to one side, not understanding her question. Women were frustrating creatures. When he paid her attention, she dismissed his good will. When he gave her presents, she did not even say her thanks.
Are modern women this conceited?
Yet, she was so happy when Lucious bought clothes for her and took her to dinner. Why had she not worn that same smile today? He had done the exact same thing as Lucious had. Was there a key ingredient he was missing?
Reiterating the memory in his mind, he grinned. They had to be alone for it to work. “Laclia, stay in the car.”
“As you wish,” Laclia said, settling back into her seat.
“Why isn’t she coming?” Helena asked, gripping the material of her puffy skirt.
“I want to show you this place alone,” he replied with a playful wink.
Helena’s expression betrayed her disappointment. She managed to hide it with a weak smile that did not reach her hazel eyes. “Okay.”
Arthemis took her by the hand and marched them to the entrance of the large warehouse on the outskirts of London. He had the hounds use the storehouses and facilities the Council owned to turn humans.
At the entrance, the two hounds lowered their heads, and one of them opened the door for them. Arthemis eyed the vampire, noting that he wore similar size shoes to Helena. He said to the dark-haired youngling, “Take your shoes off and give them to her.”
The vampire stumbled over his words as he undid the shoelaces. He handed the sneakers to her and bowed his head again.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Helena reproached him.
He pushed her inside the vast space filled with lamps, IV stands, and blood bags. Cages lined the walls in which unconscious newborn vampires rested. Those who were awake looked at them and snarled, smelling Helena’s mortal blood. The passing by hounds hit the silver bars with batons to keep the trapped in check.
Arthemis folded his arms in front of his chest and faced her. “Put them on or your feet will get cold.”
“How considerate of you…” She slipped her feet into the sneakers and tied the laces twice. Standing upright, she added, “What is this place?”
“This is where the mortals become vampires.”
She didn’t smile or seem happy when her eyes raked over the sight ahead. Tears came to her eyes, and she wiped at them with the back of her hands. “This is monstrous. What about their families, their loved ones…”
“They have none of those. My children assured me that these street people would not be missed. Where they were abandoned and forgotten by society, I will give them a new home and a new life.”
“Just because they’re homeless, it doesn’t mean they deserve to be treated this way!”
Arthemis pulled her by the arm to stand in front of one of the cages. The vampire inside snarled and reached for her, making her stumble into Arthemis’ chest.
“She smells good,” the vampire hissed in a hoarse voice. His blood-red eyes were focused solely on Helena’s neck.
“This is terrible…” Helena whispered, covering her mouth with her hands.
“Is it?” Arthemis whipped her around. “These men and women will become stronger. Their health problems will no longer plague them, and they will have a purpose. What more does a human need?”
“They need love and respect,” Helena countered.
&
nbsp; Arthemis burst out laughing. Her willingness to believe that the world was a good, happy place was foolish to the point where it was funny. His fingers gripped her arms tighter, drawing her closer to him. “They will feed on the weak vampires and rise to the top of the food chain. The forgotten will become feared and respected. There is no room for love in the equation.”
“You mean they would be forced to drink the blood of their own kind? That’s disgusting!” She grimaced and attempted to fight out of his hold.
Arthemis picked her up and fleeted to the other side of the warehouse where there were no witnesses. He pressed her back against the metal container and lowered his head. He knew his irises were glowing bright red, and her eyes bulged with terror.
Lifting her arms above her head, he kept them there. With the lower half of his body, he trapped her legs, so she wouldn’t try to fight him. “I have been kind to you, given you presents, and showed restraint, yet you are determined to fight me. Why?” he growled the last word.
“Because what you are doing is wrong. Lilia told me of your past and said you were evil. I didn’t believe her at first.”
“Do you believe her now?”
“You’re making it hard to think otherwise!”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “I am doing this to protect my mother and you, her vessel. Can you not see that?”
“I see someone who is desperate to make their mummy love him!”
Arthemis punched the metal container next to her head, creating a massive dent in it. “You are nothing more than a shell for a fate, Helena. My mother will tell you many lies to be rid of your conscience. Do you believe she will let you live out your life when she is done? Has she promised you a peaceful existence after I am gone?” He let out a condescending laugh. “Nothing I did pleased her. I kept her safe, protected her friends if she asked it of me, and worshipped the ground she walked on. What did I get in return?” His eyes flared with anger to the point where the whites were swallowed by darkness. “Her aversion and resentment.”
Helena’s expression softened. She touched his cheek and looked into his eyes. Such a simple gesture had his mind racing and forgetting the fury that was eager to be unleashed on the world.
Fated Origins: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 4) Page 25