Love by Night

by Stina

  As she sat next to the lifeless body she had just fed from, Kesh approached his queen. “You okay?” he asked.

  “This . . . this blood thirst . . . does it ever go away?” Adirah asked. She looked down at her hands, which were covered in blood, and wondered if she’d ever get used to the superhuman power she possessed now. It was greater than when she’d been saved by Kesh’s blood after the fire.

  Adirah snapped out of the memory of her first feed. “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “I will find a safe place for us, Dira,” Kesh huffed, slight frustration lacing his words. “We just have to go now. I have to make sure you’re safe.” He checked the lock on his vampire chest, which again held the elixir, hoisted it under his arm, and pulled the door open to let Adirah go out before him. He paused, a strangled look on his face. His body went stiff, and he raised his head, as if he were sniffing the air, sensing something.

  “Kesh, what is it?” Adirah asked, but her words were short lived.

  Kesh was snatched through the doorway before Adirah could react.

  “Kesh!” Adirah screamed, but she did not get a chance to say anything else. Suddenly everything around her went black. She opened her mouth to scream, but the black hood that had been thrown over her head muffled the sound.

  “You will not bring a pure vampire life into the world,” a familiar voice said. “You will not have a legacy that doesn’t belong to you. I will destroy all of you. I will have my revenge.”

  Adirah recognized the voice. She struggled to break free but couldn’t overpower her captor. She realized that she needed to stay as calm as possible if she was going to escape. She tried to get her thoughts together and muster the strength she needed to save herself, Kesh, and their baby.

  Adirah was slammed on the back of her head with what felt like a baseball bat, but it was probably just a vampire punching her. The wind was knocked out of her when her body landed with a thud. Adirah could smell that she was in the presence of other vampires.

  “Let’s go! We have to get her out of here,” Adirah heard the familiar voice say. Before she could react, she was kicked in the head and her world went black.

  * * *

  Kesh’s head was covered, and the strong scent of incense obscured his usual sharp sense of smell. He tried to move but realized his wrists were chained. The pure silver chains were attached to the wall that Kesh was leaning against. He winced with every movement, the silver burning into his flesh.

  Kesh listened, and even in his weakened state, he felt his insides churning with rage. He recognized the voices around him, and if he could have gotten free, he would’ve killed them all with his bare hands. Some of his own clan had turned on him. Kesh listened to them, and with each passing moment, his heart broke and his anger grew deeper and deeper.

  “But it is against the vampire laws to kill one of our own,” a familiar male voice said. “The rest of the clan won’t agree to this. They are loyal to our king.”

  “They will all have a change of heart once they realize the key to reproduction lies in his blood,” a familiar female voice replied. “A fact that our so-called king hid from us. He wanted to be the only one who could procreate.”

  Kesh felt like his heart would burst through his chest. He couldn’t believe this betrayal.

  Vila! How could you? After all I’ve done for you. How could you?

  “The key to our future is in his blood. He has to have known the whole time, but he didn’t think enough of us to reveal it. Instead, he reproduced with a mortal. That is dangerous! She is dangerous! She will become so strong and so deadly that she will turn on us,” Vila continued, trying to convince some of the other clan members to stay on her side. “That is why he has been searching for a mate for so long. We will have no choice but to drink from him. We could all gain the ability to reproduce without turning mortals. We won’t need a king. He’s shown us time and time again that he values power more than our lives. He let the Malum keep us on the run, and when the battle happened, where was he? Weak and unable to fight.”

  Hushed murmurs and grumbles of agreement resounded around Kesh. He listened as the others agreed with Vila, and he was enraged. Kesh bucked against the restraints, and pain rippled through his arms. He winced, and his entire body trembled.

  “Ah, I think our king wants us to talk to him,” Vila taunted. She finally snatched the hood from Kesh’s head. She laughed in his face at the sight of the once powerful king unable to break free from his shackles. “Look at you . . . the almighty Kesh, king of the Sefu Clan,” Vila spat. “You don’t look so mighty now, do you?”

  “You . . . you’re making a big mistake,” Kesh growled. “Vila, I . . . I am your maker. You can’t do this to me.”

  “Shut up!” Vila boomed, throwing holy water on Kesh’s bare chest. “Shut your mouth!”

  “Aghh!” Kesh shrieked. His flesh burned where the holy water had made contact. Kesh could hear it sizzling like a strip steak on a hot plate at a steak house.

  “All these years of being loyal to you, loving you, letting you fuck me whenever you wanted, you never looked at me like I was more than your worker . . . a little loyal slave. I’ve killed for you, and at one point I would’ve even died for you. But that never meant a thing to you. She is the only thing that you care about. A disgusting mortal girl who didn’t even want you. Now she will be the thing that destroys you,” Vila hissed, her words loaded like a cannon ready to destroy its target.

  “W-where is Dira?” Kesh managed to ask. “Have you hurt her?”

  Kesh screamed in agony when Vila tossed more holy water on his body. He could feel his skin melting away. He clenched his jaw and absorbed the pain. He looked Vila in her eyes, daring her to throw more holy water on him. Pure hatred beamed from Vila’s eyes. She flung more holy water across his chest. Kesh tried unsuccessfullly to mute his scream. As he flung his head to the side, his eyes darted over to a table covered with wooden stakes.

  “Even now, in pain and about to die, the only thing you care about is her,” Vila said, hurt evident behind her words. “That’s the only way to hurt you, isn’t it? After all this time, you finally have a weakness. Well, prepare to be in a world of hurt forever.” Vila walked over to the table and picked up the longest of the wooden stakes.

  “You will not get away with this once the rest of the clan finds me. Tiev will—”

  Vila laughed hysterically. “Tiev? Oh yeah, about him . . .”

  Just then, two defectors dragged Tiev’s limp body into Kesh’s line of sight.

  “No! Tiev!” Kesh growled so loud the room almost shook.

  Vila let out a loud, evil cackle. “Oh, wait. But what about her?”

  Adirah was dragged out, a knife to her throat and silver chains around her wrists and feet. The men holding her roughly pushed her down to the floor. Her lifeless body was splayed out at their feet. Kesh couldn’t tell if she was dead or alive.

  “Dira!” Kesh hollered. He turned his blazing gaze to Vila. “What do you want? I’ll give you what you want. Just let them go.”

  “Well, King Kesh, you have something that the rest of us need. We have all looked to you as our leader for so long, thinking you were this great being. But in all actuality, we all could be great beings. All we have to do is drink your blood to be stronger. Isn’t that right, Dira?” Vila spat. With that, she turned and kicked Dira in the ribs. “It was your best friend, Tiev, who told me about your ability to make pure vampires. He said that once the clan drinks from you, we’ll all be just as powerful,” Vila added.

  “It’s not true,” Kesh rasped. “That’s just a myth.”

  “Liar!” she snarled, and this time she took the wooden stake in her hand and put the pointy tip at the center of Kesh’s chest. She pushed it just enough for Kesh to feel the pressure. Any harder and it would have penetrated his flesh. Kesh looked her in the eyes again. The betrayal he was experiencing was worse than any physical pain he would endure.

  “Once I am done dri
nking from you, I will kill you with this stake, after it has been soaked in your own blood.” Vila walked over to Dira and pointed the same wooden stake at her growing belly. “And then I will destroy your offspring,” Vila said.

  Through all Vila’s taunting of Kesh, Adirah desperately tried to move. Something was keeping her paralyzed. Was it the silver handcuffs or some unknown force? She didn’t have enough experience or knowledge as a vampire to understand any of it. As Vila pressed the wooden stake into her belly, Adirah looked at Kesh. Their eyes met for a second. No words needed to be said; their love was evident.

  Vila raised the stake above her head.

  “No!” Kesh screamed out.

  Adirah closed her eyes. It was the only way her body could protect itself. Voices immediately filled her head. Tears danced down her face, and her mind raced. Suddenly she was back at Adolphis’s funeral. She could smell the embalming fluid and the scent of dead roses. The funeral home was packed, and most of the people there had come from the media and the neighborhood to see the little boy who’d been murdered by his father. Adirah sat in the front row, huddled between her mother and her baby brother, Addis. Tears streamed down her face. A voice told her to stand up and walk to Adol’s casket. Within seconds, Adirah felt like someone was standing next to her. She heard her brother’s voice loud and clear.

  I never wanted to leave you. I just wanted him to stop hurting her. But all that did was hurt her more. You have to promise to protect them all. You’re the hope for our future, Dira. Dira, you’re our queen.

  With that, her brother was gone. At that moment, way back then, Adirah realized that the worst thing that could ever happen to a mother was to lose her child.

  “But the king will die first, and then we will publicly torture your queen for all the clan to see.” Vila’s voice was like a foghorn wailing in Adirah’s ears. She snapped back to the present. Her eyes shot wide open in time to see Vila, with the stake over her head, spin around and rush toward Kesh. Adirah instantly kicked the legs out from under the clan member standing next to her. The commotion didn’t slow Vila. Adirah was able to launch herself at Vila. She slammed into her back, knocking the stake out of Vila’s hand.

  Vila skidded to the floor and landed right in front of Kesh. Kesh swung his legs out and caught Vila around the chest. He locked his ankles and squeezed his thighs.

  “You bastard!” Vila screamed. “Get him off of me!” She called for the other clan members. They started to advance on Kesh.

  “If you save us, I will spare your lives,” Kesh promised them. “You cannot live a good life if you turn on your own king,” he said.

  The clan members stopped advancing. They contemplated his words and weighed their options. In an instant, they pounced on Vila like a lion pride on helpless prey.

  Finally free, Adirah stumbled to Kesh. They became locked in an embrace but were barely strong enough to hold it.

  “We have to go. We have to save the baby,” Adirah told him.

  “I can’t leave Tiev,” Kesh said.

  “Your own clan has turned on you. You have no choice. You don’t know whom to trust,” Adirah said. “Think about us.” She touched her belly.

  Kesh took her hand. “We have to fight to survive.”

  Kesh ran over to Tiev, who was still splayed on the floor. The first thing Kesh did was check for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there. Kesh hoisted Tiev over his shoulder. Clan members were rushing about. “Gather what you can. Take care of the wounded.” Kesh bellowed the command. A war was coming, the Malum Clan was regrouping, and now Kesh didn’t know whom in his clan he could trust. His priority now was his queen and the baby she was carrying.

  Kesh grabbed Adirah’s hand and led her through the maze of hallways and doors in the underground lair. There was a flurry of activity all around. The signal had been given that it was time to move on to the next location. Kesh knew it was the right thing to do, but he also knew that eventually they would have to stand and fight the Malum. It would be the final battle between the two clans, and the winner would take all.

  Just before they reached the exit, Kesh stopped one of the younger clan members, Edon. “Tell the others to meet in the forest. At the crest of the tallest mountain to the north. The elders will know the place.”

  “Yes, my king.” Edon ran off to deliver the message.

  Kesh and Adirah raced out of the lair and into the cover of the thick forest. Tiev was slumped over Kesh’s shoulder. Adirah followed her king, trusting that he would lead her to safety. With each step, she was getting farther away from her old life, the life she had dreamed of and worked so hard for.

  The deeper they got in the forest, the thicker the cover got and the stiller the air became. There was an eerie quietness to their surroundings, which made Adirah uncomfortable. Her senses were tingling on high alert. She was preparing for a sneak attack by the Malum at any moment. She heard a few branches snap off to her right.

  “Kesh. Did you hear that? I’m afraid we’re being followed.”

  “Don’t worry, my queen. The Malum are too weak right now to mount an attack.”

  “But what if it’s one of our clan who’ve turned on you?”

  “They already know where we are headed.”

  Tiev made a quiet moaning noise.

  “He doesn’t look good, Kesh.”

  Kesh took Tiev off his shoulder and rested him against a tree trunk. His eyes were closed, and his head was slumped forward. The Malum had tortured him within an inch of his life.

  “He needs to feed,” Kesh said.

  “Where will we find anyone all the way out here?”

  “We won’t. It’s not the same or as potent, but we need to find him some animal blood.”

  “Like a squirrel? Gross.” Adirah scrunched her nose.

  “Not enough blood. Something bigger. Stay with Tiev. I’ll go hunting.”

  “Okay.” Adirah nodded.

  Kesh kissed her forehead, then went running in the direction that Adirah had heard the branches breaking. She hoped he wasn’t running into a group of waiting Malum. Once he was out of sight, Adirah sat beside Tiev and leaned her back against the same tree. The sun was emitting its last rays of light before tucking behind the horizon. The faint light was trying to shine through the trees. A few rays made it through and illuminated the forest floor.

  Adirah looked around the lush forest. Not one sign of life—no insects, no birds, no critters. She wondered if Kesh would find anything to help feed Tiev. She looked at the failing man beside her.

  “Tiev?” She waited for a response.

  No sign of acknowledgment from Tiev.

  “Tiev. Can you hear me?”

  This time a faint sound came from Tiev.

  “Tiev. Tiev.” She gently took his head in her hands. “It’s me. It’s Dira.” In an attempt to hear him, she raised his head. She was shocked at how gaunt he looked. “Can you hear me?” she asked.

  His eyelids fluttered. He was trying to open his eyes. Again, he mumbled something inaudible.

  “I don’t understand. Just hold on. Kesh will be back with blood. Just hold on.”

  His eyes were unable to stay open, but he was still mumbling something.

  Adirah put her ear close to his mouth. “Are you saying Vila? What about Vila?” she asked. “Can you open your eyes? Look at me, Tiev.” She wanted to try to read his thoughts, but she needed to look into his eyes to do so.

  As she was trying to get him to open his eyes, Kesh came dashing through the trees, dragging a deer by its antlers. The deer was badly wounded. The low guttural moan coming from the deer was painful for Adirah to hear.

  “I think this is what you heard earlier,” Kesh said. “Here. Let me put this deer next to Tiev.” He motioned for Adirah to move from her spot. She gently let go of Tiev and then jumped up. Kesh laid the deer down, then positioned himself behind Tiev. He wrapped his arms around Tiev’s chest. He then did some awkward movement. This was the same movement that Vila had done
when she got Kesh to turn so he could feed on Adirah. The same result happened with Tiev. His eyes burst open, his fangs came out, and he went right for the throat of the deer. He hungrily sucked on the deer’s neck. The blood covered his mouth and cheeks, and he looked like a baby messily eating ice cream.

  When he was done feeding, Tiev leaned his head back against the tree. A content, satisfied look appeared on his face. The lifeless deer lay next to him, its dark eyes wide open, staring into the abyss. Its neck fur was stained with its own blood.

  “Thank you,” Tiev said.

  “How do you feel?” Kesh asked.

  “Weak.”

  “The deer blood won’t be enough to sustain you. We need to get you to the clan,” Kesh said.

  “I know.”

  “Do you think you have the strength to walk? I can still carry you, if you need.”

  “No, my king. I will walk. Help me up.” Tiev reached out his hand.

  Kesh grabbed his hand and helped him to stand. Tiev was unsteady on his feet. It took him a second to get his legs under him.

  Tiev inhaled a deep breath, then said, “Lead the way, my king.”

  All three continued the trek north to meet the rest of the clan. It was slow going. Tiev needed to take numerous breaks during the hike. Adirah was growing impatient with each break. She would feel much better once they were surrounded by their own clan. Being in the forest with Kesh and a weakened Tiev made her felt vulnerable. She knew Kesh would put up a fight, but they’d just been through so much that everyone needed some time to recover.

  “Tiev, is there any way you can go a little faster?” she asked during one of their breaks.

  “Dira,” Kesh scolded, “he is moving as fast as he can. The deer blood does not have the same effect as mortal blood.”

  “No, my king. She’s right. I will pick up the pace for my queen.” Tiev got to his feet from his sitting position. “No more breaks.”

  “This way,” said Kesh as he stared straight at Adirah.

  They made it to their destination sometime in the middle of the night. When they broke through the trees surrounding the camp, all the clan gathered around them. There were some members who were still too wounded to move, so they remained where they were.