Bliss (The Custos)

by Melanie Walker

  "That doesn’t explain why they want me as a Nex, hell if anything it ruins the whole plan."

  He laughed then, a real evil deep resonating sound that made my skin shrivel and screech against my bones. "Actually it does. See our blood is different because we have what the Cado call Bliss. The serotonin in our bodies is ridiculously higher from the average human not jacked up on Ex. Take what we produce naturally as freaks of nature and make us Immortal, increase all of our strengths.... What they created was Bliss the drug, our blood mixed with the power of Infatuation.... Jesus it was brilliant."

  It was, I wouldn’t deny it but the fact remained that what the drug did was wrong and dark and vile, originally the drug could have helped women move on from the darkness they had been put through. The fact they intended to make it stronger.....I shudder to think of the outcome. "I will find a way to kill myself before I let you or the fucking Cado near me."

  Wrong thing to say. I felt the darkness; I could smell the stinking wrenching sulfur as it wafted through the room. Like a mist had come and gone it left in its place three large men, frighteningly beautiful and deathly terrifying.

  The Cado, I don’t know how I knew because they had cloaked themselves in something that kept me from seeing them clearly, but with them they brought my meal in a black dress.

  *

  London

  There was nothing that Conlin or the Cado could do to make me feed. I was strong and a fighter, everything I knew I taught myself or learned from my mistakes. I had a love so deep and so all consuming for Cash that nothing would force me to sacrifice my soul.

  I looked at my meal sitting in the corner. She was young with messy tangled long blonde hair and big blue eyes that were smeared by black makeup and tears. She looked at me with fascination and I knew it was Infatuation. Anything I wanted she would give me. I could smell her blood and I finally understood it wasn’t like smelling really as just sensing it, associating it to a scent. If I were to force air into my lungs I would be in too much pain, her blood and Conlin’s cologne would do me in.

  "Hey Lady." The young girl slurred and tried to stand flashing me her crotch and I had to cringe. So many Hollywood starlets had done this same thing for attention, but this girl didn’t even know how many times she had been raped today. "They say I taste so good, want to try?"

  I know longer felt the familiar lurch in my stomach as I did as a human, now it was more of an angry pit of disgust and hate that I would use to my advantage. Looking at her I shook my head no. "Sit please, you look weak." I could see numerous bite marks on her neck and wrist; I knew there were more, the idea chilling me. She would die quickly if I fed from her, she had nothing to give and in Bloodlust I wouldn’t be able to sneak a taste and stop. The knowledge of how evil, truly evil made me want to kill them all.

  The girl stumbled back and Conlin threw his hands in the air in frustration. One of the Cado laughed and I felt that familiar retching sting of fear. One of them on a dark sable coat came back in the room and went to Conlin. I could hear the Cado's jaw clicking and teeth snapping but no words, even my Vampire hearing had no match to the tone he was setting.

  It dawned on me then that what they were talking about had made them both nervous and twitchy and I knew it. "He's here isn’t he?" They knew I meant Cash and both spun and rushed me making me flinch again.

  Damit.

  "He is, I sense your fear and it smells divine to me." I laughed and sat still as Conlin hit me.

  "Well enjoy it little girl because it will be over in a few seconds." He gripped me by my hair and yanked my head back, snapped his fingers and the human girl stood and came over.

  "No." I said through gritted teeth not wanting her any closer. The human paused to look at me as if it were difficult to ignore my demand. Going with it I continued. "Sit down I said."

  Conlin took the human by the arm dragging her to me. "Darcallion make her listen."

  The one he called Darcallion looked at the girl and spoke like a whisper and I wished like hell I knew what I was looking at. "Look at me child and do as I say." He lifted her wrist by my mouth.

  "I said No." I was getting pissed, I hated being ignored. The human paused again. I laughed.

  Conlin gripped the girls chin and hissed in her face. "What is wrong with you?"

  The girl said nothing and I had an idea, it was a total duh moment. "Well my guess is that you are nasty, tacky and ugly where as I am beautiful, charming and nice."

  Wow he made me eat my words because everything went to a dull ringing in my ears when he spun and rushed the door, and I wasn’t prepared for who he brought in.

  Preacher stood with a smile on his face as the three Cado finally dropped the guard that kept me from seeing them fully.

  One had white hair, cut short and was decked out in leather and chains channeling Billy Idol but the menace around him was smothering. The Next wore a coat like my Mothers, long dark sable and his hair was black like Cash's but long and his eyes were a deep black, completely void of any emotion but hate. The third dressed classy in an Oscar de Larenta suit, double breasted with thing grey pinstripes against the black. His hair was thick and golden brown and he was beautiful and so terrifying with power unlike anything I had ever been in contact with before, my skin crawled and curled at his beauty and made me want to cry out in pain.

  His name was Darcallion and he was one of the three Cado, the other two Leuccetta and Viccini beside him. Darcallion was the leader, his bravado said it but so did the way everyone in the room stilled waiting for his command. I looked at Preacher who seemed content if he died here. I hated that.

  "Preacher...." I said but other words failed me when Darcallion looked at me and smiled.

  "London Chase, what a stir you've caused." His voice was deep and laced thick with a very old accent I had never heard before. "Tell me will you feed or shall I make you."

  I couldn’t look at him, something inside said not to so I looked at Preacher who was shaking his head no. "No and don’t bother trying because nothing will make me feed from an innocent human."

  "Nothing?" He asked. "Innocent?"

  I shook my head no and figured fuck it and stared him in the eye.

  "Why do you think she is innocent?" He moved closer to stand beside the girl. "Have you any idea what she is capable of?"

  I continued my silence, not breaking. "Let me tell you." He took her hand and pulled her by the back of the neck and crouched her down in front of me. "She fell for a man, a human, who sold drugs to children. This man, he killed thousands and she protected him from authorities, even when she knew he was lacing the drugs with powdered chemicals humans use to clean their home." His accent drew me in, the way he spoke, rolling his R's and clicked his tongue on every word, I was hypnotized by him.

  "She watched thousands die and didn't care. Conlin brought her here on her own accord." He looked at the girl. "You like it here don’t you?"

  She smiled and panted letting her body become Jell-o and nodded in agreement. "See." He said with a smile and turned to walk back to Preacher. "Viccini get the dose please."

  Viccini was the one who looked like Vidol Idol leaving Leuccetta with the black hair and sable coat. Viccini came back with needles filled with a clear liquid and I wanted to sigh in relief knowing it wasn’t silver. "Tell me London, do you know what happens to a male of our species when we are dosed with Bliss?" He slammed a syringe into Preachers neck and his body bowed in agony.

  "Stop!" I screamed and fought against my restraints.

  "Right now his insides are burning from one single dose." He slammed another one in his arm and Preacher dropped to his knees as his captors let him fall. "This one will make him blind; impossible to see what is going on." He slammed a third one in his leg and Preacher started to spasm out of control, flopping on the floor as blood dripped from his nose, mouth eyes and ears. I realized I was screaming and fighting harder and begging for them to stop.

  "I have so much more to give him though." H
e reached for another vile and I screamed again.

  "Please don’t, I'll do it but you have to stop."

  Darcallion sat perched on his heals mere inches from Preachers body when he looked at me. "That’s a good girl."

  I squeezed my eyes waiting for tears to fall but none would, I was no longer living and this would be the choice to keep me from the brink, from the edge I was hanging onto for all that mattered.

  Preacher, he was more important than my soon damned soul. I looked at the girl before me, eager to let me feed from her, to kill her and I could see Cash, in my mind and his beauty and love for me and did the only thing I could.

  I left my soul in the possession of God and sank my teeth into the humans’ neck and drank.

  *

  Chapter Thirty Two

  Cash

  Preacher went in willingly; let them take him as a ploy. They knew we were here, we couldn’t hide it but they had no idea how many. Now another fifty Custos had shown for the fight, hearing through the grapevine what was happening and all willing to show some respect.

  Very. Cool.

  Accept now Preacher was screaming and so was London but we couldn’t move yet, Leushus was holding us off until the right time. "I know where to find her Cash." He kept saying but so did I and she was screaming behind that fucking red door.

  When Preacher went quiet and London followed I felt panic set in and looked to Leushus. "We need to go now damit."

  Leushus looked at me with a certainty I couldn’t ignore. "Cash, London needs to make a choice, one that neither of us can choose for her." He stood closer and looked at me, telling me without telling me to trust him. "Let her make it."

  She must have because seconds later Leushus began to inch towards that fucking door. "What is it?" I asked at the end of my severely freighted rope. Suddenly before me the red door disintegrated into millions of pieces, turning into sawdust. Leushus swept through the door like he had rockets in his shoes, his movements fluid and too fast to follow. "C'mon." I said to Bastian and the rest of the Custos who were here to fight but as the three of us entered the room Leushus spun and raised his palm, molecule by molecule the air shifted and every piece of the shattered door placed itself back together.

  "What the fuck?" I asked and looked to see that London lay on a bed, fully dressed thank Christ but she was out cold. I moved fast and efficiently and ripped the blankets from her body. I seen the metal shackles at her feet and popped the steel locks with a quick flick of my thumb.

  Then I seen the three figures in the center of the room, looking at Leushus like they would rip him to shreds and at their feet lay Preacher.

  The Cado.

  Oh. Fucking. Shit.

  Bastian upon seeing the Cado fazed into a giant beast of silver and white. Snarling and vicious he snapped his jaw at the Cado as they inched closer to Leushus. Viccini seemed to know what he was thinking because he rushed to the opposite side of the bed from me and tried to use London as a shield. Bastian roared and charged but Leushus commanded him calmly. "Down Bas." And Bastian sat back on his haunches, even sitting he was huge and growling with every breath he took.

  "Darcallion, what you are creating here, this situation is going against the rules" Leushus stepped into Darcallion’s face harboring no fear. "Rules we created to protect one another. You break them, we will kill you to defend our own." He whispered so low and faint it was hard to hear. "We will win."

  Darcallion bent to lift Preacher in the air and tossed him to me like a sack of shit. "The Bliss won’t kill him, not in the dose I gave him. He was in no danger, she fed on her own." He smiled then laughed completely distorted. "Free will right, that’s what you Arch's ramble on about."

  "Arch?" I asked Leushus knowing damn well what an Arch was. "As in Arch Angel?" Made total sense though so I went with it.

  Leushus nodded but continued to look at Darcallion and Leuccetta who now stood beside him. "Yes, free will. We love free will." He walked over to London and lifted her now sleeping body from my arms. When she woke she would most likely be Nex, if she woke at all.

  "See she gave me her soul willingly just seconds ago."

  "What?" I asked confused and beyond furious. Everything inside of me screamed to get her and Preacher out of here, but the evil that lurked inside of me wanted vengeance.

  Darcallion lifted a hand and waved me off, pissing me off more. I stood to charge when Bastian stood and leveled a stare at me, growling. "Cash relax, she's fine." Leushus said and looked at the Cado. "You and your brothers are here with no cause. Should you choose to leave quietly and not touch another one of my souls then we won’t kill you." He looked at him pointedly "Don’t and face my wrath."

  Darcallion laughed as did Viccini and Leuccetta. What came Next terrified even me. The Cado let out a merciless roar and black wings exploded from their backs, the whip and snap of the wings sounded like hissing beetles and the energy in the room went from friendly little chat to satins at your door.

  That’s when Leushus got pissed.

  Mother Fucker.

  Bastian fazed back and took a sheet from the bed, before taking London from Leushus's arms. It all lasted less than a second, even I couldn’t move that fast. Bastian had her out of the room and was off to somewhere safe, in the process he had managed to take Preacher with him. At the door I caught a whisper of his thoughts and knew where to find them.

  Now I could focus.

  Leushus made the same menacing roar as the Cado and in a flash pale white wings of the most pristine beauty extended from his back, his chest covered in a series of tattoo's I presumed were protections. Wow, Leushus was really one bad ass Arch.

  "You will create a war from this." Darcallion hissed.

  "You created the war by forcing her hand!" Leushus roared and walked right up into Darcallion’s face. I watched as each step he took, white feathers falling one by one on the floor. His wing span impressive stretching to at least six feet on each side. I had never seen white like I did in Leushus’s wings. They were in my opinion white as a cloud from heaven.

  I stepped slowly closer inching my way not wanting to cause any more havoc of the unknown. From the corner of my eye I saw Conlin smiling in the corner, behind the Cado like the pussy he was, to scared to come out and fight I see.

  "If you take the girl and willingly let the war come to pass you know what you risk." Darcallion stepped aside as Leuccetta spoke. "Are you willing to let that happen to you for one measly human?"

  "She is mine, the mate of a Custos and there for not for sale." Leushus hissed between dropped fangs, his giant form shaking in rage, his wings now dropping as he tucked them behind him, protecting them maybe?

  Darcallion motioned with his hands that he had grown bored of the argument between heaven and hells finest. "Pawns, all of them Leushus but you staked your claim it will damage you in the process and that made it worth it."

  “She is worth every feather, every repercussion. My men are worth it. Either way I’m coming for you. You mess with mine then I came sooner and a lot harder.” His wings tucked in, disappearing as his skin knitted back together as if the pristine beauty had been a figment of my imagination.

  The Cado evaporated and left the smell of sulfur behind, and Conlin. I paused for only a moment as I watched my Dominus, an Arch fall to his knees and gather the feathers that had fallen from his wings, the only proof in the room that I indeed seen what I saw.

  “Fuck.” He cursed and counted the seven black feathers that had just moments before been white.

  I would get answers later from Leush for now I had a stake in my hand aching to kill this little prick.

  "You dare call on the Cado?" I said and slowly stalked him, evil in my eye as I chased the fear of my prey.

  I looked at Conlin, he was a coward, terrified as I towered before him revenge thick in my energy he knew he was going to his final death. Leushus watched, his wings now gone and another shirt buttoned to the collar and not a wrinkle in sight. Oh yeah, I had
questions.

  "You start a war by killing me; I have followers you can't begin to dream of." Conlin said but feared moving.

  "Pussy."

  "I don’t care. I'll fight your war and kill you and your men." I took out my stake and palmed the dagger end, finding comfort in the blunt handle. "You should have let it go, your Dad didn’t want you anymore than he wanted a thorn in his side." I chose those words for a reason. Walter Chase had hurt London with those words so help me they would eat at Conlin too. "Now he's dead and you’re going to him."

  Conlin lunged and I had to give it to him, he was fast and strong for as young as he was. I was faster.

  I grasped the back of his shirt and hauled him back and against the brick of the fireplace and watched it shatter from the force. "Don’t do that again." I said and rushed him. I reached for him and almost had him when he fucking disappeared. "Damit."