I nodded and went to the other side of the bed. “How did you find her? Who saw you there?”
“She was left out in the night like this. I fought off three vampires who saw me approach. They’re all dead.” He never looked up from his sister. “Once we get her to eat and some water in her, she’ll be fine.”
But I could hear the worry in his voice. Her eyes flickered open and landed on me. She tried to scream but it was only a harsh sound. She scrambled around and ended up falling off the bed and into Ayden’s arms.
“It’s okay, I’m here.” Ayden held her and looked at me. “Z, leave.”
I knew what was going on. She knew I was a vampire and not one she was familiar with. I bowed my head. “Of course, I will see if Nuala needs help.”
Ayden tried to nurse her back to health, but in the end the gods claimed her. He buried her and refused to speak to me after. Nuala taught him to channel his grief, use it against the vampires and more than once he tried to kill me. He truly believed that it was my fault, if I had just told him about the camp he could have saved her. He would not allow me near his sister during her final hours, but it was after her death that I decided it was time to move back, closer to the Father.
I walked into the Father’s dwelling and paused when I saw Markus and the Father conversing. I had assumed Markus struck out on his own, but no, he stood there wearing the armor that was supplied to all of the Father’s soldiers.
“Zaaren, you’ve come to visit.” Markus said, a cruel smile on his face.
I inclined my head. “I am always traveling, I thought it was time to come back home and establish a territory near here.” I’d only keep it long enough to take out the Father.
“Couldn’t control yourself enough?” Markus asked and I shrugged.
“Perhaps. Maybe I just wish to be here, closer to the creature who made me.” I looked at the Father.
He smiled. “You’re always welcome here. You can have the territory to the west.” He stood. “Markus, stay here. I need to talk to Zaaren.”
Markus bowed his head. “Of course, I need to go tend to the humans.”
I kept my composure; the human slave trade was something we’d abolish as soon as the Father was out of the picture. I walked with the Father down the hall and I knew where he was leading me: to my sister. “Markus has decided to stay here then?” I asked.
“He has, I assumed he was your pick for the Circle and I’d start grooming him to police our kind.”
It made sense, but it wasn’t going to make things any easier. “Of course, I have yet to change anyone else.”
“And why is that, Zaaren?” He stopped outside a door.
I frowned. I could sense my sister, but there was no feel of panic. “Because I haven’t found anyone else I felt was worthy.” Though the true answer was I couldn’t find anyone else I wanted to condemn to this life. “What is wrong with my sister?”
“Tegan has simply accepted her role now. It took me centuries, but I have finally broken her.” He opened the door. “You may see her, I must deal with Markus and the humans. There is a new vampire I’d like you to take under your care. He was left to die, but found his way here.”
I refused to cringe at the name Tegan. I kept my gaze on the Father. “Who is his maker?”
“I don’t know. Neither does he, but he needs a keeper.”
I laughed. “A territory in exchange for taking him.”
“Yes.” He walked off and left the door open. I had expected my sister to try and run out the door, but nothing in the room stirred. She laid on the pillows, her head on one with her hair pulled to the side, exposing her neck. Several bite marks marred her pale skin there and I had no doubt that there were others.
She moved and I heard a chain rattle. “Zaaren.” She said and sat up.
“Sister of mine.” I went to her and knelt in front of her. She wore no clothes, but it seemed she had grown accustomed to it. She didn’t hide herself or snuggle down in the pillows. She looked towards me with her covered eyes and I began to wonder if she would be capable of seeing after her eyes being covered for so long.
“Have you come to feed?” She asked and pulled her hair to the side. Her motions stopped as if she realized that was not the pulse to offer. Instead she moved to her knees and offered up her wrists.
I shook my head. “No. I came to see you. To see how you’ve fared these past few hundred years.”
“You mean after you refused to kill me?” A strange smile crossed her face. “I have accepted my life now. There’s no need for you to check on me.”
It broke my heart to hear her say it. She thought I had failed her and there was currently no way to tell her otherwise. I had no doubt the Father knew everything that I said to her. If only she knew what was going on outside these walls, that everything I did was for her.
“Sister of mine.”
She laughed a little bit. “I have a name now, did my master not tell you it? It is Tegan, you may call me that.”
“I will not call you by the name he gave you.” I growled. “Clearly you do not welcome me here. I shall come back another day when you are not swallowed by his power.” I stood and started towards the door.
She lay back down on the pillows and sighed. “I am always wrapped in his powers.”
I had a feeling it was true. I closed the door behind me and put my head on it. “I’m sorry, sister of mine.”
“So it is your sister that is behind that door.”
A new voice made me turn around. I studied the man that stood there. His black hair fell to his shoulders and his brown eyes watched me carefully. He was cautious, calculating as he took in my appearance.
“That is none of your concern. Who are you?”
“My name is Lucius, the Father told me I could find you here. I was told to wait in the hall until you were done feeding.”
I looked at my new charge. He was weak, as were most new vampires, but something told me he had potential. “You’re my new charge. Follow me. We’ll be staying in my villa until I can get us a home in the new territory.”
He nodded. “I am only staying with you for as long as it takes you to teach me about what I have become.”
“And then you expect to do what?” I asked him.
“Return to my life.” He said it as if it was the simplest answer ever.
“You are a vampire now, Lucius, there is no returning to your life.”
I could see that he didn’t want to believe me, but he followed me nonetheless to my villa.
The next hundred years were full of teaching him how to use his abilities, how to feed properly and our plans to take down the Father. Lucius agreed to help in exchange for him being able to strike out on his own when it was done. I agreed, as I wanted nothing more than to spend my life in peace. It was a dream and I knew it. The Originals would have to guide and train the Circle to our ways, our plans for the human society and the Hunter Society. There would be no rest for us when the plans were done.
A knock on the door brought both mine and Lucius’ attention away from the plans for our current territory. I stood and went to the door and opened it to find Nuala standing there with Ayden.
The man sneered at me, but Nuala grinned and hugged me. “Zaaren, it’s been too long.”
Ayden stepped to the side to reveal a small female human. I raised a brow. “Who is this?”
“This is the witch that’s going to help us trap the father’s soul. She was up on trial. Her name is Annabelle, we rescued her from being killed in exchange for her help. She’s worked with many souls and knows how to trap the father’s. All we have to do is hold him down.”
“The Circle is in the Father’s village for his annual celebration.” Lucius spoke up.
I guided Nuala, Ayden and Annabelle into the villa. “He is correct and though it is the perfect time for us to attack, the Circle will fight back.”
“We can kill them.” She said easily. “Or we can make them see our ways. Once he is g
one they will have no choice but to follow us and the changes that we want in the laws.” She looked to Lucius. “Your fledgling?” She asked me.
“Not exactly. He was given to me by the Father, he was left for dead by his maker.” I shrugged. “He has been loyal to me and plans on fighting with us.”
“The Father gave him to you and you are trusting him?” Ayden snapped. “Where do your loyalties lay, Zaaren?”
“You still hate me.” I chuckled. “That’s fine with me, but who I trust is my concern.”
Ayden shook his head and led the witch away from me. Nuala sighed. “He still feels that you betrayed him. His sister’s death weighs heavy on his heart.”
I nodded. “He will have to forgive me one day.” I kissed her. “I have missed you.”
“And I you, but you must fill me in on what you have learned of the Father and I will tell you on when we plan on accomplishing our goal.”
She sat down at the table and smiled. “It is finally going to happen Zaaren, we will take him down.”
“The Father has granted the Circle territories within his, each one governs one. They also have territories of their own around the world.” I sat down. “They have fallen into the place that we want them, but I believe it is going to be hard for us to control them.”
“They are our fledglings.” She stated. “They must listen to us.”
“Markus has grown almost as strong as I have. The times that they must listen to us have passed. They answer only to the Father now.” I leaned back in my chair. “They will be a force to be reckoned with.”
“Which is why the others will take care of them and you, Annabell and I will take care of the Father. We’ll trap him, get him down and preform the spell.”
“And where are we to keep his sleeping body?” I asked. “Certainly not in his palace, not where so many know him.”
She sighed. “We have prepared a tomb. Precautions will be taken to make sure the seal stays intact. Three things will be needed in order for anyone to raise him.”
I didn’t like the tone in her voice. “And they are?”
“The jewel that will house his soul, the blood of his lineage, and of course the blood human that can quince his thirst.”
My sister. I tensed. “Are there any sure ways of making sure he doesn’t wake?” I knew the answer, but I didn’t want to admit it.
“There is, and the others will take care of it. The blood human will have to be destroyed.”
No. I kept my face blank. This was why she’d been trying to get me to forget about my sister. “You plan to kill her? What if we—“
“No. The only sure way is to kill her, Zaaren, you should have known that.”
And I did, but I never thought I’d have to go through with it. “Our goal is to make sure that the Father does not wake, if that means killing her, than so be it.” But my heart broke. I did not want to give her death, I wanted to be selfish and keep her with me. Keep her safe and heal the pain she’d been through. I looked at Lucius and knew what I would have to do to protect her. I wouldn’t let her be killed. We’d have to abide by our own laws. I’d have to make plans to bind my sister to Lucius. Bound humans were precious, to kill one was unforgivable.
“Then I have no choice but to let you and the others handle it.” I stated and turned away from her. “I will see you at the ball.”
“You’re going to dismiss me that easily?” She put a hand on my shoulder. “You should have known that would be the outcome. She is too dangerous to live; she is not human and cannot live amongst them. What did you hope for her?”
“I wasn’t going to send her away. I was going to stay with her, protect her and show her the life that she’s missed.” I growled and shrugged her hand off my shoulder. “She may not be human anymore, but she is my sister.”
“She can never have that life. She will always have to hide. If what you say is true and the Circle has turned against us, then she would not be safe if she lives.”
What she said made sense, but that didn’t make sentencing my sister to death any easier. “Then death is the only way for her to truly gain her freedom.” I should have killed her all those years ago when she begged me. I took a deep breath. “I want to see her one last time.”
“I don’t think that is a wise idea.” She wrapped her arms around me and kissed my neck. “You might do something rash.”
And she was right. I shook my head. “Take Ayden and go. We will see you at the ball.”
She unwrapped her arms and walked away without another word. I heard her call to Ayden and the witch and then they left. Lucius stood up. “You aren’t going to let them kill her, are you?”
He didn’t sound outraged. He maintained perfect control over any of his emotions. It was something he had learned before he was turned into a vampire.
“No, I’m not. You’ll be taking her as your bound human.” I said easily, not leaving him a chance to question me.
He was silent and I turned around. Lucius met my gaze. “And if I don’t want one?”
“You don’t understand the power it could bring you, the advantages it gives you. You must trust me on this.” I hadn’t talked much about taking on a human, but he was still young and had yet to encounter a vampire with one.
Lucius crossed his arms. “I must trust you so that you can save your sister.”
“Yes.” I wasn’t going to explain it further. He was to act as my fledgling, which meant that he would do this for me.
“Then tell me what I need to do.”
***
The colors of dresses and doublets were almost sickening as they spun around the ballroom. I stood near the Father, as was my expected place. He trusted me more than the others and that would be his downfall. Nuala came up and made her move, offering Annabelle to the Father.
“I have brought you a gift. The finest of witch blood, descended from the Druids of my homeland. She has come to feed you willingly, wanting to be a gift to the god that has created us.” Nuala’s voice never hesitated.
Annabelle bowed her head and then moved her hair to the side. The crowd around us had drawn silent and still as the Father stood from his throne and grabbed the witch by the throat. To my surprise Annabelle didn’t make a noise. “Didn’t you hear? I am no longer a god, I suffer from a blood lust that cannot be satisfied by a mere mortal.” He laughed. “But I will take your offer and drain you dry in front of my people.” He grabbed her hair with his other hand and pulled her head to the side, releasing her neck.
He pulled his head back to strike, but paused when he heard chanting. Latin. We all felt the power in the room flow around us. He raised his hand to grab her again, but I lunged towards him and grabbed both his arms, pulling him back and holding them behind his back. We just needed enough time for her to finish the spell. She gave me wide eyes as the Father thrashed in my hold. Lucius came to my side and between the two of us we wrestled him to the ground.
He shouted and tossed in our hold. I saw members of the audience move. Many of them ran out, but the members of the Circle started to move forward. The other Originals started to fight them off. I focused on the Witch in front of me as she continued her spell. The Father stilled under us and his eyes glazed over. Annabelle held on to a stone. She held it out to me. “Nuala wanted it kept with you.” It was white with a flickering of color. I touched it and knew what I had instantly. I had the Father’s soul.
I turned to Lucius. “Go to my sister.” I couldn’t leave the others to fight alone. I pocketed the stone in my doublet. “Annabelle, go back to the villa, be safe.” The vampires and humans around were still fleeing.
I went to join the fray, but found that each Original had a Circle member by the throat, except for me. Where was Markus? My gaze search the group, each Original had claimed their own member, they were defeated and would have no choice but to negotiate with us to set the new laws, but without Markus they were incomplete. I looked at Nuala to see what to do.
“Find him.”
/>
He was my fledgling, it would be easy to locate him. I closed my eyes and used my mind to search through all the energies coursing through the area. I found him still in the mansion, he must have run...no. He was towards the back, near my sister’s room. I used my abilities to take me there. He was walking out of the room, his face holding a scowling that granted me relief, as I knew he hadn’t found my sister.
I rushed him and slammed him into the wall. I knew a sinister smile crossed my face. “He is gone now. You obey us. The Originals.”
He spat in my face and I pulled him back and slammed him again.
“There will be new laws, new orders and if you do not work with us, we will see that you walk into the sun.”
Markus laughed. “So naive you are. You all think you are so much more powerful then we are.”
He disappeared from my grasp and appeared a few feet from me and held his arms out. “We are growing in power and you are weakening. There will come a time when you will be forced to sleep and we will rule our kind.”
Lies. He disappeared and I cursed. He wasn’t my concern right now. My sister was. Markus was a wild card, always was. He thought himself the right hand of the Father, but clearly he did not know all the secrets.
I walked in the room to find Lucius sitting in the sea of pillows. My sister’s head was lying in his lap, the blind fold still in place and Lucius’ doublet laying over her. Relief swept through me knowing that he’d managed to keep her from Markus. I closed my eyes to thank any deity that would listen to me. In the silence of the room, I understood how Markus was able to miss her. Her heartbeat was so faint, he’d probably thought there was only a dying human in here.
The father must have fed before he’d gone to the ball. I rushed over to them and took the blindfold off her head. She flinched at my touch and clenched her eyes closed.
“Please, brother, do not be so cruel.” She whispered. “I cannot be without it. He will beat me if I am without it.”
Lucius ran his hand through her hair. “Tegan, he is gone.”
I hated him using that name. It wasn’t hers. It wasn’t the one our mother gave her on her birth. It was dirty. “Sister of mine, he speaks the truth. The Father will be put to rest in a tomb. You are free now.”
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