Crying out in frustration, I throw my book across the room and head back out to my balcony where the dark clouds have cooled off the sweltering heat. It’s only a matter of time before what’s left of the coldness from the air conditioner will turn warm, leaving us no choice but to seek refuge outside.
Instead of sitting, I watch the people down below. I count three traffic accidents already, with more to come. Above me, on the roof, someone is yelling about aliens coming, and the only thing I can think is that their arrival would be welcomed right now. Maybe they could give the evil triplets a run for their money.
There’s a loud screech; the noise reverberates through my head. I close my eyes and press my temples to push it away, but it only becomes louder, harder. Almost as if something is in my brain, trying to escape. I scream out and fall to my knees, my hands cradling my head while my fingers dig into my skin. Then suddenly, it stops, and I’m floating. My feet dangle below me as I hover over the Strip, suspended in the air by nothing. I run in place, trying to get back to my terrace, but nothing happens. I reach for the railing, hoping to grab, to give me something to hold onto, but I can’t. I’m frozen, mid-air, hundreds of feet above the ground.
“What the fuck is happening?” I yell up to the sky, hoping some god will take pity on me and set me down safely onto solid ground.
There’s childish laughter coming from my apartment, but I can’t see who is making the noise. Not that I can do much from where I am, but I call out, “Who’s there?” Big mistake as three of the most beautiful women I have ever seen appears in my doorway. There isn’t a single doubt in my mind who these women are. My only question is, why are they here? Actually, I take that back. I have another question, why are they doing this to me?
“Hello Sisters,” I say, to be pleasant. The last thing I want is to piss them off. They already have me by the proverbial balls.
“You know us?” the one with jet black hair down to her waist says as she angles her head slightly.
“It seems the consort knows more than she should,” the redhead surmises.
Fuck my life and my nosey ways.
“Can we play with her?” the last one asks, clapping her hands.
“NO!” the darker-haired one screams, making it sound like thunder. My entire life, I’ve been told thunder is the angels bowling and lightning is a strike. Guess I was wrong. Before I know, I’m in front of the Sisters, being inspected. They circle me, poking and prodding. One traces Roman’s faded teeth marks on my neck.
“She feeds your son well, Clotho. You should be proud.”
Is there a wrong way to feed a vampire? Surely, he dictates everything.
“We should take her with us. Make her our servant.”
Um, no. This human is perfectly happy to stay right here.
“We have no use for a human. Stop playing with her so we can break the bond and move on. I’m bored.” The sister with the black hair, I deduce is in charge, but I don’t like what she says about breaking the bond I have with Roman.
Swiftly, I’m brought into my house and sat in a chair, yet I still cannot move. It feels like there are a million tons of weight holding me down, yet I don’t feel any pressure, just paralyzed. “Can someone please tell me what’s going on?”
“My Roman has been a naughty boy tonight, and now you must die,” the blonde says. The way she says die, it sounds like she's happy she’s about to murder me.
“I have to die because Roman's bad?” I ask, hedging my bets. “Doesn’t Roman have free will?” The redhead points her finger at me, I watch as it turns into a blade. “Holy mother of…” If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I would have never believed any of this was true. “I don’t understand, what did I do to deserve death?”
“Humans live to serve the needs of a vampire. When a vampire chooses to take a consort, said consort must follow our Covenant. Roman broke the gravest of rules this evening and must pay the price. The only consequence he cares for is you, and therefore, we must end your existence. Roman will walk the earth in solitary pain until he meets his doom.”
My eyes go wide as the black-haired sister tells me why I must die. Roman’s decision to be a dick has backfired in more ways than one. If he would’ve just listened to me earlier and accepted what I had done for him, instead of pitching a fit, I wouldn’t be here right now.
The Sisters approach and start to circle around me. One has her hands waving around while the others chant in a language I’ve never heard. The energy I usually feel from Roman increases, making me feel like it’s about to burst out of me. “What are you doing?” I grit out.
No one answers.
They stop suddenly, and I burst into tears. There’s something wrong. I can feel it. “I don’t want to die,” I mutter. “Please.”
“Stop!”
My head jerks up at the sound of Roman’s voice. He’s not alone though, there’s another man with him. Did he bring back-up?
“Nicolai, you’re looking much better,” the blonde says as she goes to him. She touches his face, caressing him as if he were a lover.
“Clotho, please. I beg of you, don’t hurt Fiona. My faults are my own, not hers. I brought her into our world. I chased her, followed her and bedded her. She’s innocent. If you must seek revenge, use me.”
“But who will take care of my son, Nicolai?” Roman doesn’t answer. Instead, he looks down at the ground, submitting to his creator.
“Please, not her.”
“She’s a human,” the red-headed one says. “A servant to you, and yet you ask for her protection?”
“I do. I beg of it. Fiona does not yet know of our Covenant nor does she understand, but I will help her see our ways, to prepare her to become one of us if you so choose.”
“Roman!” How dare he decide my fate without consulting with me first. If I’m to become a vampire that means… oh God, no. I would walk this earth for an eternity, never to be able to bond with him, to be with him because we would both have to choose a human consort. “No, Roman,” I plead.
The raven-haired psycho beauty drags her bladed finger across my neck. My warmblood seeps down my throat. Both Roman and this other guy lick their lips, and I fear my doom is about to be met by gluttonous vampires.
“Nicolai, you should feast,” the one with auburn hair says.
“NO!” Roman screams, but is held in place by the same force keeping me stable. Nicolai is in front of me in a flash and his fangs puncture my skin immediately. My eyes close, and what little life force I have in me starts to dissipate.
When Nicolai is done, he stands before me with a grin. “I want to fuck her,” he says.
“And you should, my son.” The blonde strokes his cheek, wiping away the remnants of my blood. I look to Roman, whose eyes are wide. He’s thrashing against the confines that keep him grounded. “But you have to ask her nicely. As Roman will teach you, you can not take, what is not yours.”
“But she is mine,” he says. “I can feel her heart beating inside of me.”
His words send a shockwave through me. The only way he can feel me, sense me, is if we are bonded. I look at Roman again, but his eyes are downcast. Our bond is no longer.
31
Roman
“Yeah, I’m not yours,” Fiona hisses at Nicolai.
“You are too, I can feel you. And my mother says that means you’re mine.”
“Oh this is simply divine,” Lachesis says, practically beaming.
I cannot feel the bond between Fiona and me any longer, but I still love her. I can feel that with everything I am, and I’d die to save her right now if I had to. As I watch the Sisters, they’re enraptured by Nicolai and his newfound bond with my Fiona.
“Now Nicolai, you are bonded to her, but you do not have her permission so until she gives it to you, you may not fuck her. Do you understand?” Clothos coddles him.
“But why? If she’s mine why can’t I take her?” he whines.
“Because those are our rules!” Atropos
yells at him.
“These rules are stupid. I’m hungry. And I want to fuck.” Nicolai is behaving like a petulant child, and I want to strangle him.
Atropos grabs him by the neck and pulls his face to hers. “You will obey. Or you will die. You have been given a new life full of great promise. The gift of immortality, Nicolai, which has been bestowed upon you by us, and it can be taken away by us. You will experience pain like you’ve never imagined if you disobey. Now shut up!” She tosses him to the ground as if he were nothing but a pebble in her hand.
This is the most fucked up scene I’ve encountered since I was turned. I have my creators standing before me, explaining to my new prodigy who I almost drained and killed, why he can’t just fuck and eat what he wants, in reference to my human girlfriend who is now bonded to him, and not me. What the fuck is next?
Lachesis turns to her sisters. “I think we should leave things exactly as they are.”
“What? You can’t leave him bonded to me. I’m never going to let him lay a hand on me willingly!” Fiona yells.
“Shut up, human!” Atropos swings her finger blade at Fiona menacingly.
“Leave her alone!” I yell, still unable to move.
“All this whining! Everyone shut up, or you all die!” Atropos yells again, her voice becoming even more shrill. “Sister, what do you mean to leave things exactly as they are?”
Lachesis explains, “I cannot think of a more glorious punishment that what you see before us. Look around, Sister. They’re miserable. How on earth will they find any peace or happiness? They can’t. It’s absolutely delightful.” She laughs and points around the room as she speaks. “Roman here lost his bond to his human lover, and now his new son is bonded to her, and quite amorous as it seems. And over here, you have the human at the center of it all. In love with one, but the subject of lust for the other. They’re all stuck together, with no way out. It’s positively delicious.”
“It would be more fun for me to kill someone.” Atropos shrugs as if she’s bored with what’s happening around her.
“Oh, Sister,” Clotho says softly. “I agree with Lachesis. I don’t like it when my children die. Even if they deserve it. It makes me so sad. And I don’t get to make near enough new children anymore. Let’s leave them to their lives here. They stand no chance of eternal happiness. Even once the human ages and dies, Roman will still be responsible for the well being of Nicolai. I care not what happens to the human if you must kill someone, but my Nicolai likes her. Let him keep her.”
“He’s not keeping me. I’m not to be kept!” Fiona interjects, causing the calm and collected Clothos to hiss in her face.
“Shut. Your. Mouth, human! Before I cut your tongue out. I’ve had enough of you! Nicolai will remain bonded to you with or without it, so I suggest you shut up while you can still tell him no.”
Fiona’s face turns pale as she’s told that the only thing keeping Nicolai from having his way with her at his leisure, are the rules of the Covenant, which the Sisters govern. They have given her the right to say no, and they can take it away if they wish.
“Now Nicolai, are you ready to listen and obey?” Clothos returns to her previous calm and collected demeanor.
“Yes,” he replies diligently.
“That’s very good, my love.” She pats his head like a puppy and then turns her attention to me.
“You are to teach him the rules, as we’ve already told you. It is your responsibility to ensure he does not take advantage of or ruin our ability to walk the earth. He will calm with time. You may not remember everything, but you were once just like him. You wanted to eat, fuck and kill everyone in sight.” She laughs and turns to Fiona, who has tears in her beautiful eyes before she continues reminding me of my responsibility. “And you did for a little while. Times were different then. But now, we must follow protocols. Agreements have been made and must be abided by. Eventually, he will find his way, but until then, you are to keep him safe. You are both my children, and I love you.”
Am I supposed to say I love her back because that’s not at all how I’m feeling? I want to kill her. In fact, all three of them. Not wanting to leave Fiona alone with Nicolai, I simply nod my head in agreement and understanding.
Clothos walks to Fiona and kneels in front of her. “Fiona Weston, you get to live another day it seems. I suggest you watch that mouth of yours in the future. It almost got you killed, and you haven’t seen the last of me, or my Sisters, who are far less understanding that I am. We will be back to check on you. Your bond to Nicolai cannot be broken without my permission, and I do not intend to grant that permission to you in your minuscule lifetime. So, it might behoove you to give him what he desires. After all, you certainly enjoyed your time with Roman. A young, viral new vampire can give you such pleasure, Fiona. He can take you places you’ve only dreamed about. I suggest you consider it.”
Fiona doesn’t reply, and I’m so grateful for that. Her stubborn attitude could have gotten her killed today, in a way that would not have been quick and painless.
“Sisters, I think we are done here.” Lachesis waves her hands around the room, which in turn frees both Fiona and me from our invisible entrapment.
“I think so too. I will be looking forward to seeing how this unexpected turn of events develops. Very well played, Sister,” Atropos grins.
“Take care, my children. And Fiona, consider what I’ve said to you.” Clothos waves, as the Sisters disappear out the sliding glass doors dramatically.
As soon as they are gone, I run to Fiona. “Are you okay?” I examine the bite marks Nicolai has left, and attempt to lick them clean for her.
“Stop!” She pushes me away.
“What?” I ask, confused.
“You’re serious? Do you see what kind of fucking mess this is?”
“What do you want me to say, Fiona? A mistake was made, and now I must suffer the punishment for it. Our bond may be broken, but I love you.”
Nicolai watches us, looking bored. “When can I feed on you again?”
“How about never, fucker?” Fiona snaps at him, making me laugh. She hates him, and I cannot help but be amused.
“We’re bonded, you have to let me.”
“You need to learn the fucking rules, pal. No means no. In human and in your crazy fucked up vampire world. So back off. We’ll find you a consort later; you’re not gonna starve, and the grown-ups need to sort some shit out here.” Fiona schools him, and I fear I’m next.
She looks at me, narrowing her eyes. “You know what, Roman? You got me into a big pile of shit here, and it’s not okay.”
“I know it seems bad Fiona, but we can still have the life we want, together.”
“With your college-age son on the loose, fucking everything in sight, trying to feed on me? How’s this supposed to work exactly? Where do we live? Do all three of us shack up together?” Her arms are crossed, and her questions are serious. I’ve not considered any of them.
“I don’t know, Fiona, but we can make this work. That is if you want to.” I meet her eyes, searching for answers in them. “If you want us to leave you alone, I will keep him away from you, and you can lead your life as vampire free as you choose it to be.”
“You’re not getting off that easy, Roman.”
“This is not easy for me Fiona, I promise you. Please tell me how to make this right,” I beg of her.
“There is no making this right. But there is moving forward. And that’s what we’re going to do. I love you, Roman. That hasn’t changed. Fuck them. One thing is for damn sure. I’m going to decide how things go now.”
32
Fiona
Six Months Later…
When I first met Roman, I wanted nothing to do with him. Sure, he’s hot, sexy, has that come fuck me smoldering look down pat, coupled with the bad boy image … of a vampire. Did I forget to mention the added pleasure of permanent stubble that drives me absolutely wild? Sill, the fact remained, he’s a walking, talking, breathin
g zombie without the rotten corpse. And yet, I love him, despite everything that’s happened.
Today, we’re cutting the ribbon on Roman’s new casino. Well, actually, it’s mine, but to keep the civility in our relationship, I let Roman pretend it’s all his. Besides, his business sense far surpasses mine, which I suppose is a testament to his five hundred and thirty-three years of traipsing around the world, watching countries flourish, going through a depression, rising from the ashes and battling numerous wars.
To celebrate Roman’s birthday, I took him to the traveling history museum where we stayed for hours, thanks to Selene, who offered to babysit Nic for us. Roman covered each era in great detail, telling me stories about the people he’s met, what he did and how he served multiple countries as a soldier. I never knew my vampire was so well rounded. Mostly, I thought he sat around drinking blood and staring at the wall. It was refreshing to learn he played such an instrumental part in defining the world. I could listen to him every day, talk about the things he’s experienced, how the world has changed and how some of the transformations aren’t for the best.
After what Roman refers to as a “little” misunderstanding, I took a step back from our relationship, which is very hard to do when Roman and I are in love, and Nicolai and I are bonded. It’s awkward, hard to explain and I’ve been tempted many times to change my relationship status on Facebook to “It’s complicated.” When I’m out and about, I’m often flanked by two vampires. The stares I receive are uncomfortable, and my relationship with Leslie no longer exists. One vampire was hard enough for her to take, throw in Nic who has no filter and no sense of personal space and Leslie bailed. Can’t say I blame her. Lana, on the other hand, likes Nicolai and he loves me.
Roman and Nicolai fight, constantly. Daily, in fact. Nicolai wants to feed on me, and I refuse. I don’t care if I’m breaking some Covenant or not. The law I follow says I don’t have to do it, and I won’t. Mostly out of vindictiveness. Although, I’m not sure who I’m spiting because to see Nicolai in pain does hurt my feelings. It’s not his fault, my-couldn’t-check-his-temper vampire went off the rails and tried to kill him. All of this could’ve been avoided if Roman wasn’t so damn stubborn and refusing to accept my help. I remind him of this all the time.
Roman (The Clutch Series Book 1) Page 19