Blood Guard

by Erickson, Megan

  “When we get there,” Athan said, his voice breaking the stillness of the woods, “I need you to stick with me. Remember Para, the vampire who tried to capture you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “She said some things that have me nervous about what we’ll find when we get home.”

  Oh, fucking great. “What do you mean?”

  A muscle in his jaw ticked. “I’m not sure who I can trust.”

  I squeezed his forearm. “You can trust me, and I’ll have your back, no matter what.”

  He smiled. “I know.”

  The sun was setting when we emerged from the woods and began to walk along a quiet road. Athan pointed ahead. “This leads to the compound. It’ll look like a dead end, but we’ll open a port to get inside the grounds.”

  “And your home is outside? Aboveground?”

  “It is. We do have underground tunnels below the house, too. But during the day, we stay inside and are protected by window covers.”

  Sure enough, after another couple of miles, when the sun was halfway visible over the horizon, the road ended at a rocky surface that rose up easily a hundred yards. “Wow.” I craned my neck back.

  Athan squeezed my hand and held out his wrist. “Ready?”

  No, not at all. We looked like absolute hell. From what I could see, my hair was a tangled mess. I was starving and dirty, my clothes torn in various places and stained with blood and who knew what else. Athan’s chest was bare beneath his long coat. His jeans were filthy, boots caked in mud. His hair hung in greasy strands. Of course, he still looked hot as hell. I straightened my back and tried to call on what dignity I had left. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  Athan opened up the port, and with Brex tucked under my arm, we walked through the rock.

  Once through, I dropped Brex to the ground and took in my surroundings. The grass was soft and green beneath my beat-up sneakers. Brex walked cautiously, head held high as he sniffed the air.

  The Gregorie compound was a sight to behold. Acres and acres of land stretched out in front of me and to either side. We walked down a wide stone path, which led to a house so massive, I swore a whole city could live inside it. Ten floors of brownstone with metal accents stretched to the sky. “That’s…that’s it?”

  Athan nodded, his jaw tight. “That’s home.”

  The sun had set, but the moon was large and bright. As we drew closer to the house, the massive double doors swung open, and a giant of a vampire stepped out. Athan halted, and so I did, too, as the male walked down the steps, flanked by several large vampires in dark uniforms.

  “You’ve returned, son,” the large vampire said in a deep voice. So this was Athan’s father, King Connell. His hair was white, and his beard was shaped into a point below his chin. He wore large, dark boots and black leather pants, and a silver embroidered white robe over a gray buttoned shirt. His knuckles were covered in rings, and a heavy necklace that looked a lot like mine swung on his chest. I placed my hand over my own chest where my necklace rested beneath my shirt, hidden from view.

  The king’s eyes shifted to me. They were dark like Athan’s but at the same time, they weren’t like Athan’s at all. There was something beneath them, something I didn’t like.

  Brex didn’t, either, because he froze with his ears back and slinked behind me. I swallowed as the king stopped in front of us. He was the same height as Athan, but not as broad. I imagined he had been in his prime.

  He reached out to me, and Athan jerked my arm, so I stood slightly behind him. The king froze and slid his eyes to his son. He glanced between the two of us, then smiled, his long fangs grazing his bottom lip.

  My heart beat double-time in my chest at the sight of that slick grin.

  The men in uniform were surrounding us, and I felt vulnerable with them at my back. I was supposed to feel safe here; this was supposed to feel like home, but there was something wrong.

  “I had a feeling you’d become attached. You always did have too soft a heart.” The king, still smiling that eerie smile, said in a deep voice. “You’ve completed your duty, son. Thank you for your service.”

  Athan grunted and his hand went slack in mine. As he crumpled to the ground, I turned to see one of the vampires standing behind him holding a blade glistening with blood. Athan’s blood.

  A scream of rage scraped up my throat, and I whipped out the knife Athan had given me, heading straight for this so-called king, but I didn’t make it close to wipe that sick smile off his face. Hands grabbed me from behind, lifting me in the air. My arm was twisted painfully, forcing me to drop my knife. I continued to scream my lungs out, kicking and spitting and clawing as they dragged me away from Athan’s unconscious body. “Athan!” I roared. “ATHAN!” But he didn’t move, and the moonlight caught on liquid oozing from the back of his head.

  I turned my rage at the king. “What did you do? Did you kill him? He’s your son!”

  “He’s no longer of use to me,” the vampire said in a monotone voice. He flicked his metal-laden fingers. “Take her to her room to wait for Idris.”

  No, no fucking way. Athan had said he’d fight for me, and he hadn’t even had the chance. He’d been stabbed in the back, literally, by the very vampires he’d pledged his life to. What sick shit show was this? With what strength I had left, I managed to rip myself out of the arms holding me. I scrambled on the ground for my knife, intent to pull some Romeo and Juliet shit, because fuck them if they thought they were getting my blood. I’d spill it all, right here on their front lawn, and let it mix with the dirt.

  Just when my hand closed around the blade, a massive foot stomped my wrist. I cried out as pain shot up my arm. I lifted my eyes to see the king standing over me, no longer smiling. “I’m sure Athan treated you well, probably told you we’d do the same.” He crouched down, his foot still on my wrist. I was in agony, but I bit my tongue, because I refused to cry around this fucker. “But I think it’s time you realized that there are no good guys and bad guys. We’re all just looking out for ourselves.” He held my chin and rubbed his thumb along my cheek. I shuddered at his cold touch. “Welcome to my home, Sanguivita. Your stay here will be short, and likely not sweet.”

  He stood up and released my wrist, which I immediately cradled to my chest. As the hands grabbed me again, I continued to fight, but I was weaker now, and the sight of Athan’s motionless body sucked the energy out of me.

  “Toss his body outside. The sun will take care of him,” I heard the king say.

  I had one last hope that Brex had gotten away, when a wrist passed in front of my face, and everything went black.

  Chapter 17

  Tendra

  When I came to, my shoulders were sore and my skin felt raw. I tried to move my arms, but was met with resistance and the sound of chains rattling. My heart pounded in my chest as I gazed around the room I was in. It was nearly empty, just me in the center on a big-ass bed. I wore a long white dress, and I was clean.

  Someone had cleaned me, changed my clothes, and chained me to a bed. I closed my eyes against the wave of panic threatening to drown me. I couldn’t let it paralyze me. Not now. Not while so much was at stake, and certainly not while I maybe had a chance to see Athan again.

  I took a deep breath and opened my eyes to take stock of my situation. I tugged harder on the chains holding me, but the metal cuffs dug into my wrists painfully and the headboard where they were attached was bolted to the wall. I wasn’t going anywhere.

  My skin was crawling knowing that I’d been touched, that someone other than me or Athan had their hands on my body. My stomach rolled, and I was glad it was empty, because I would have thrown up right there on the sheets.

  A figure moved from the corner of the room, and I scrambled into a sitting position on the bed, huddling against the headboard.

  The human—he was definitely human—held his hands up, palms out. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “Great,” I spat at him. “Then unchain me and let me leave
.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t, I don’t have the key and even if I did…” He shrugged. “You wouldn’t make it far.”

  “Then kill me,” I pleaded.

  His eyes widened and he shook his head. “I can’t.”

  I took a deep breath and tried to be smart, not hysterical. “What’s your name?”

  “Kellan.”

  “Okay, Kellan. What’s going on? And why are you in here?”

  “I, uh,”—he gestured to my body—“Was told to prepare you.”

  I glared. “Great, did you cop a feel, too?”

  He shook his head furiously. “What? No! I would never— No.” His face flushed bright red, and for the first time, I noticed how young he was. “I’m sorry.”

  “Kellan,” I said, working to stay calm. Yelling at him would solve nothing. His head went up, and he bit his lip. I smiled at him, my strategy switching to befriending him. “Tell me what’s going on.”

  “I don’t know,” he said, and his eyes filled. “We’ve been on lockdown for days and told to stay in our rooms. I was only allowed out just now and told to take care of you.”

  “What’s your job here?”

  “I supply blood to the soldiers. I clean their weapons and their armor and uniforms.”

  “How long have you been here?”

  He tilted his head, confusion entering his features. “I was born here.”

  “Are your parents here?”

  He shook his head. “They died years ago.”

  “Do you like it here?”

  “I guess so. Athan and Idris are my favorites.”

  He didn’t look upset, so I assumed he didn’t know about Athan. I remembered the king had ordered him to be thrown out into the sun. I wasn’t about to tell anyone here that wouldn’t do a single thing to Athan’s body.

  His body. I couldn’t talk like that. He couldn’t be dead. I wished he’d fed from me again right before we entered the compound.

  There was a knock at the door, and Kellan scurried over to it. When he opened it, he clapped his hand over his mouth, and his body trembled. A deep voice said, “Back to your room.”

  Kellan shot me a look, his eyes brimming with tears, and then fled. His footsteps echoed as he ran away from whatever the fuck was about to enter my room.

  I tried to get off the bed, so at least I could stand on my feet, but the chain didn’t allow it. So I rose onto my knees as the king entered first, followed by two vampires, holding a slumped form between them.

  I surged forward. “Athan!”

  But when the form raised his head, he wasn’t Athan. He was a version of him, but his face was shaped a little differently. He was bearded and while those dark eyes didn’t terrify me, they weren’t Athan’s. But what did strike the fear of God into me was the state of him. He was beaten and bloody, his one eye nearly swollen shut. He wore only jeans, and his bare feet dragged on the floor behind him “You’re Idris,” I said softly.

  The vampire coughed, and the king stepped toward me. “Ah, so she’s not an idiot. It would be easier if she was.” He sighed and cocked his head.

  I reared back and spit at him. He easily dodged the wad and shot me an unimpressed look. “That’s not very queenly.”

  I opened my mouth to tell him to go to hell, but another voice spoke up first. “Fuck you, Father,” Idris said, his words slurred. He pulled his lips back into a sneer, showing off his fangs.

  The king walked over to his son and wrenched his head back with a hand in his hair. Idris sucked in a breath, his chest heaving, but didn’t make a sound. The king spoke inches from his face. “You will obey me and feed from the Sanguivita. If you don’t do it, I’ll hand her over to my soldiers, and you can only imagine how that’ll go.”

  I glanced at the one vampire who held Idris, and the hunger in his eyes sent ice water down my spine.

  “We waited for ten generations for her, and now you’re just going to discard her?” Idris said through clenched teeth.

  “There is no prophecy. It’s all a made-up lie. Once you feed from her and you’re the same vampire you were before, we’ll prove it to the entire clan.”

  “I don’t believe you,” Idris said.

  The king shook his head. “Son, soon you’ll understand that it’s more important to be on the winning side of history than the losing side.” He motioned to the head of the bed, and the soldiers dragged Idris beside me, chaining him to the headboard like I was. The king glanced at his watch. “You have until sunrise to feed. If you don’t do as you’re told, I let you burn, and I drain her.”

  He walked out the door with his soldiers, slamming the door behind him. The lock engaging made me flinch.

  I sat on the edge of the bed, as far away as the chains would allow me, and eyed my fellow captor. He was tugging on his bonds, checking for weak points, completely ignoring me. I wondered how this would go, when he would decide to grab me and feed from me. I lifted my hands to my neck, where Athan had bitten me, but the wound had healed and I felt nothing beneath my fingers. The tears threatened, but I stuffed them down.

  Idris tugged on his chains one last time with a frustrated growl before slumping down with his back against the headboard. He closed his eyes, and a small trickle of blood leaked out of a cut on his lip.

  Up close, he didn’t look as much like Athan as I had thought. They were built the same, but Idris’s face was more square. He was…less beautiful than Athan, although still very handsome, just in a more rugged way. His long legs were thick, and his feet long. His fists clenched and unclenched, so the veins in his forearms bulged.

  He rolled his head toward me and opened his eyes.

  Neither of us spoke for a long time, and I stayed where I was, hands out in front of me in case I needed to defend myself. Not that I thought I’d do much against this hulking vampire, injured or not.

  “So you’re Tendra,” he said. His voice was deeper than Athan’s, a little rougher.

  I nodded.

  “I’m Idris,” he said. “Athan’s brother.”

  I didn’t answer, only waited to see what he’d do next. With a heavy sigh, he faced the ceiling. “I’m not going to feed from you. You can relax.”

  “Why?” I asked quickly.

  He lifted his eyebrows at my question. He sat up straighter with a wince and rested his wrists on his knees. “Because as soon as I feed, my father either has reason to kill us both, or use us as an example of a false prophecy. I’m not really into either, to be honest.”

  My heart hadn’t stopped pounding and I was a little worried about having a damn heart attack. “Can you tell me what’s going on?”

  Idris blew out a breath. “A couple of days ago we got word there was a breach in our walls. We were on lockdown until we determined where the breach was. Once we learned it was Valarians, we sent most of our force—me included—to deal with the enemy. What we found instead was a trap. My father has our entire loyal crew imprisoned, and I was told that the prophecy was a lie, and to bow with him to the Valarians. I refused and was beaten, and am now here.” He snorted drily. “As far as I can tell, our esteemed king”—he spat the word like poison—“has decided to join with the Valarians, and without the abilities we were supposed to gain from the Sanguivita” —he shot me a look—“there isn’t much hope.”

  After everything I’d been through, betrayed not once, but twice by the Gregorie clan I was supposed to trust, I was still wary. “Why should I trust you’re telling me the truth?”

  He shrugged. “You don’t really have reason to. All I know is that my brother believed in the prophecy, and so do I. He died protecting you, and I plan to do the same.” He yanked his chains. “Somehow. Once I have a plan.”

  I crept closer, and he eyed me. All I really wanted to know was if Athan was still alive—because he was the only reason for me to keep my heart beating at this point. Fuck that king if he thought I’d let my blood prove shit. “What happened to Athan?”

  Idris studied me for a l
ong moment, and his gaze drifted to my neck before returning to my face. “My father told me he was dead, and that they’d thrown his body outside for the sun to turn into ash.” His voice was flat.

  The prophecy wasn’t a lie, but what difference would it make if Athan was dead? I couldn’t prove it without him. I crawled even closer, until my knees touched Idris’s hip. This was Athan’s brother, the vampire I’d heard Athan talk to numerous times on the phone. Athan hadn’t ever called his father; he’d called his brother. So I took a chance, my last-ditch effort, and told the truth. “Athan told you he fed from me, right?”

  Idris nodded. “To save him, yes.”

  “Yes, and…” I placed a hand on Idris’s shoulder, hoping like hell those kind eyes wouldn’t turn on me. “The prophecy isn’t a lie, it’s true.”

  Idris’s eyes widened, and he rolled onto his hip to face me. “What are you saying?”

  “Athan…my blood affected him.”

  Idris rose to his knees in front of me and grabbed my hands. “Tendra, I need more details.”

  “He grew wings,” I blurted. “Huge black wings. He could control the air around him, like a mini tornado. He was strong, so strong. And he…can be in the sun. It doesn’t burn him.”

  Idris wasn’t moving, wasn’t blinking, his jaw dropped in shock, his beaten face nearly drained of color. Eventually his mouth moved, but no words were rumbling out. He fell back onto the bed, his hands holding his head.

  I waited to see how he’d react, on alert in case he decided to see if my blood could grow him wings, too.

  “It’s all a lie,” he whispered.

  Shit, he didn’t believe me. “No, I’m telling the tru—”

  “My whole life,” he said louder, lifting his head to stare blankly at the wall over my shoulder. “I was told I’d be king, that the Sanguivita was for me. That I’d save the humans and our clan.” Finally, his gaze shifted to me. “But I didn’t want it. I never felt that was my role. Athan, though…he was kingly. He was just and right and strong.” Idris made a sob-like sound. “I don’t even know how it’s possible, but I think Athan must be…the older brother. But why…?” his voice dropped out. “This makes no sense.”