“I don’t know what to say.”
Eric seemed irritated by his indecision, but he masked it well. “There’s no need. I have matters to attend to tonight, so I’ll give you until tomorrow night to consider it.”
“If I don’t want to become a vampire again?” Arden asked. In a way, he felt even more afraid of losing his new self than he was of facing actual death.
Eric paused to think for a moment. “Then I suppose you can always return to Lavien.”
“What if I want to stay myself?” he finally ventured. It felt too dangerous to admit the desire that he didn’t fully understand himself, but he had to know. “As a chimera?”
Eric had been irritated by his last question, but this one only seemed to confuse him. “What good would that do? In this state, you might as well be human.”
“Yes,” Arden murmured. He couldn’t argue with it. After all, learning he’d been reverted to his original state had once seemed like the cruelest possible fate. There was still part of him that missed it. The thrill of shedding blood so easily. Of being feared and fearless. And yet, there was something inexplicably appealing about weakness. About vulnerability in the right hands...
“As I said, you have a day to think it over,” Eric said, grabbing his cloak once more. “I suggest you consider it well.”
He closed the door and left Arden with his thoughts. None of them made any sense, and his body barely felt like it was holding itself together, so he laid down and closed his eyes. With any luck, he’d dream of home.
Of the Vale.
Chapter 33
Elan
Elan groaned at the sharp pain in his skull. It felt like someone had wedged a screwdriver in and pried the two halves open. His vision was blurry when he finally opened his eyes only to find himself back in the same dank, dark dungeon he’d escaped so recently.
“Shit,” he muttered, dragging himself to his feet. He gripped the bars and reached for the sliver of bone he’d stored back in the wall.
It was gone.
“What the—?”
“Back to your old habits, I see.” Eric’s smug voice echoed throughout the dungeon. He appeared in the lone shaft of light coming through the ceiling, wearing a long robe that brushed the ground. He was sneering, but he looked tired. He pulled something out of his pocket and Elan realized it was the bone between his thumb and forefinger. “Looking for this?”
“You have to admit, it’s inventive.”
“Yes, your ingenuity always was a cause of consternation for our father.”
“And your mother,” added Elan.
Eric’s eyes narrowed. “You always did enjoy blaming others for your failure to perform to expectations.”
“Perform,” Elan laughed. “Is that what it’s called when a child is sent to murder his father’s enemies and fails to shed blood efficiently enough? Then again, you always did prefer to justify rather than intervene.”
“They’re gone now,” Eric said coldly. “It’s just you and me. And Arabella, of course.”
Elan’s grip on the bars tightened, trying to contain his rage at the mention of their sister. He hoped Eric was above using her as a pawn to manipulate her, but putting any faith in his blood relations had never led to anything other than grave disappointment.
“Where is she?”
“I knew that was at least part of the reason you came back,” he mused. “Your guilty conscience needs to be satisfied?”
A growl rumbled in Elan’s chest.
“You needn’t worry,” Eric continued. “She is under my care, as always. Unlike you, I never abandon my family. Not even you.”
“Sure felt like it when I was a kid.”
Eric shook his head solemnly. “You’re a fool if you think the fae will honor your ‘service.’”
“Guess it’s a good thing I don’t work for the fae, then.”
The other vampire scoffed. “Still pretending like Aeon isn’t just an extension of the Vale’s glittery totalitarianism?”
“You and me were both brainwashed to think that,” Elan muttered. “You’re just the only one who never had the balls to question it.”
“Or you are far more naive than you believe.”
“What do you want?” Elan demanded. He knew there was a reason Eric was down there, even if it was only to rub something in his face. He wanted to get it over with, and hopefully glean some information about the others in the process.
“I came to give you another chance,” said Eric. “But don’t make the mistake of thinking that my patience is limitless, even with you.”
“No chance of that,” he snorted.
His brother frowned.
“So, what’s my choice?” Elan asked, slipping his arms through the bars. “Be a good boy and turn on Aeon?”
“You know the empire is shifting. The ceasefire will last only as long as the pasty old cowards who agreed to it out of fear and complacence,” Eric said, studying his nails. “When that day comes, do you really want to be on the losing side?”
“That’s the difference between you and me. I’ve never chosen my ‘side’ based on what was easy.”
Eric stared impatiently. He finally turned away, opening the door at the end of the hall. “As I said, don’t make any rash decisions you’ll come to regret. I’ll return tomorrow night, and you can let me know then.”
Elan relaxed once the door was shut, but only for a moment. He looked around the room until he saw a chunk of stone that looked close to breaking off the wall. He brought his fist down hard enough to shatter it into pieces and selected the sharpest one from the pile. It was too brittle to use in the lock, but it should serve the purpose for which he needed it, just as a similar shard had years ago.
Kneeling down and taking a deep breath, he raised the shard above his hand and braced for the pain. Some things weren’t any easier the second time around.
Chapter 34
ARDEN
Arden had never chosen to become a vampire in any true sense of the word. He knew that now. His time with the Brotherhood had taught him what freedom was, if only by the absence of it. And yet, if he had been given the choice back then, he knew he would have taken it without hesitation.
He remembered little about his human life. Just whispers of familiarity that came to him on the edges of a dream. Still, he knew that a life spent in Eric’s service was what he’d longed for.
Now that he actually had the choice to make, it felt like the worst kind of betrayal to even wonder.
He’d made his decision all the same.
Sleep didn’t come easily that night. Not when Arden knew the game of life and death that was waiting on the other side. Nonetheless, he knew when he opened his eyes to a field of purple blooms, he was home.
“Welcome back, little one,” the familiar voice said fondly. Arden looked around, but he didn’t see any sign of the Chrysalus.
“Where are you?”
“I’m everywhere I want to be. And you are in a very unusual predicament.”
“So you’re watching me now?”
“I’ve always been watching you. Or should I say, watching the world through you?”
Arden wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he wasn’t going to bother to try. “I need a favor.”
He heard rustling in the tall grass and turned around to find himself face to face with a small blue rabbit with glowing red eyes. The creature’s fur was a brilliant cobalt flecked with grey and he’d never seen anything like it, on Teros or in the Vale.
“Yes?” The disembodied voice asked expectantly.
Arden stared in disbelief. “Is that you?”
“You seem surprised. And yet last time, you seemed unsettled looking into a mirrored reflection. I thought this form would be less disturbing.”
“Why blue, though?”
“Why not blue?”
It was a fair point. Arden sighed. “If you know what’s going on, then you probably already know what I’m going to ask.”
“Perhaps I do,” the rabbit conceded. “But ask it anyway.”
The request hung on the tip of Arden’s tongue. Once he spoke the words out loud, even in this dream world, they would be real. There would be no taking them back.
“I need you to help me kill my maker.”
Chapter 35
Dusk
Dusk didn’t know how long he’d been alone in the dark room, only that it was warded against Chrysalus and there was no way out. He’d given up trying hours ago, which left him plenty of time to contemplate his mistakes and to allow the weight of Harding’s death to settle fully on his shoulders.
Get him out of my sight.
God, how he regretted those words. Still, even now, he wasn’t sure how he could ever face Arden again knowing what he’d done. Seeing it with his own eyes.
Killing Vendros was different. Arden had been merely a Puppet then. A weapon in Eric’s hand with no will or utility of his own.
Now, things were different. He was different. He was making his own choices, and because of that, Harding was gone and Dusk was still alive.
He would have given anything to trade places with the man. Anything to have the chance to sacrifice his life for the others, but there was no going back.
And now, Arden was back under Eric’s control. Even if Dusk found a way to escape, he knew the damage he’d done was irreparable. They’d both made choices that night that could never be undone.
The sounds of footsteps coming from the dark hall made Dusk freeze. He listened closely, trying to sense who it was. If it was Lavien, surely he would have sensed the magic from much further away, borrowed though it was.
Perhaps Eric was coming to finish him off. He had no doubt he would be tortured first. He had been a thorn in Ark’s side for long enough, and now, they finally had him.
But then, what would become of Leo? And Arden, for that matter? He was sure Elan would find a way out of the estate, even if it required returning to his brother’s side, and Dusk would hold no ill will against him for it.
He was the one who’d failed them. Some leader.
The door opened and Dusk braced himself for whomever happened to be on the other side. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light, but when he saw the vampire standing there, his heart leaped.
There were so many similarities between Elan and Eric, but their eyes were the difference that mattered. Elan’s were wide as they found the fae in the darkness, adjusting quickly to the lack of light. “There you are,” he muttered, as if he’d been searching all along.
“What are you doing here?” Dusk whispered as the vampire came over to help him up from the bed.
“I came to get you out.” He paused, glancing around the room. “I see you got the royal treatment.”
“I don’t understand. How did you escape again? And why are you still here?”
Elan gave him an irritated look. “I’m not sure which to be more offended by: your lack of faith, or your lack of belief in my loyalty.”
Dusk gave the vampire an apologetic smile and pulled him into a tight hug. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I just didn’t think I’d see any of you again.”
“And they say you’re an optimist,” he scoffed. “Where’s Leo?”
“He’s not with you?” Dusk’s heart plummeted.
“No, but I checked the cell they were holding him in and he’s not there, either.”
“Did Eric—?”
Before Dusk could finish voicing the fearful question, Elan shook his head. “No. I was just with Eric, and trust me, if he’d done anything to Leo, he would have taken the opportunity to rub it in. Lavien is gone, too, far as I can tell.”
“Where’s Arden?” Dusk asked, unable to hide the guilt in his voice.
“I don’t know. I found you first,” he admitted.
“We have to find him,” Dusk said, walking out into the hallway. There was no one around and the sheer number of hallways in the dark estate was dizzying. “Where are Eric’s chambers?”
“What makes you think he’ll be there?”
“Just a hunch,” Dusk muttered. He knew he’d probably pushed the chimera right back into his former master’s arms, but he would hate himself for that later. Right now, all that mattered was finding Arden. Wherever Leopold was, he would want that.
“What happened after I blacked out?” Elan asked. “Where’s Harding?”
Dusk stopped walking and the silence in the corridor seemed to echo inside of him. “He’s... gone,” he said stiffly.
For a few long moments, Elan didn’t say a word. Dusk didn’t have the courage to face him, and he knew Elan had been closer to the human than anyone.
“I’m sorry,” Dusk finally said.
“How did it happen?” Elan’s voice was devoid of tone, but Dusk knew better than to think he didn’t care. Like most vampires, he was skilled at hiding what he felt, even around those who knew him best.
“Eric forced Arden to choose,” Dusk answered hoarsely. “Him or me.”
“And he chose you,” Elan murmured.
“I’m so sorry. I wish I could go back and change things.”
“There was nothing you could do,” Elan answered. Dusk finally dared to look up at him, surprised at the softness and pain he found in the other man’s gaze. “Harding wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”
“Still,” Dusk whispered, hugging himself. “When it happened, I didn’t know what to do. I was so angry that I couldn’t change it, I… I blamed him.”
“Arden?” the vampire asked in confusion.
All Dusk could do was nod.
Understanding passed over Elan’s face, and he frowned ever so slightly. “We need to find him. Hopefully Eric hasn’t already turned him back.”
Dusk kept walking, but he would have been shocked if that wasn’t already the case. He’d spent months trying to convince Arden that life as a chimera was worth leading, and now, he had pulled the rug out from underneath him for making an impossible choice. Why wouldn’t he retreat to the only life—the only true master—he had ever known?
Chapter 36
Arden
When Arden opened his eyes and found himself back in the bedroom Eric had left him in, he didn’t feel any different. He could still feel the whisper of Chrysalus energy settling within him, but maybe it was just the dream.
He didn’t have long to wonder. As soon as the door opened and Eric came in, he knew the only way to find out was to go through with the plan that once would have been unconscionable to him.
“Hello,” Eric said, looking him over as he shut the door. He was as handsome as ever, and the collar of his thick black coat was popped up to shield his neck. Arden wasn’t sure if he wore it that way as an intentional shield or just because of the same subconscious vulnerability all vampires felt, but it suited him either way.
“Hello, Master,” Arden said, his hands folded demurely in his lap.
“I take it you’ve had time to come to a decision?” Eric took off his coat and hung it by the door.
“Yes, sir. I have.”
“And what will it be?” the vampire asked impatiently.
Arden rarely dared to meet his eyes, but this night felt like an exception. “I’m yours, Master. Whatever you wish to make of me.”
The answer seemed to please Eric. His eyes darkened and for the first time, Arden realized there was lust in them. He approached the bed and sank down on one knee, sweeping his hand into Arden’s bone white hair.
“That’s what I like to hear.” The vampire’s gaze softened as he cupped the other man’s face in his hand. “You really are beautiful. Especially like this. It’s almost a shame, really. I’d forgotten just how lovely you are when you’re mortal and fragile.”
Arden managed a stiff smile, leaning into the touch he still craved in spite of himself. “Have you changed your mind about turning me, then?”
Eric’s silken chuckle seemed to dance along his spine. “Not in the least.”
&nb
sp; All at once, he had Arden on his back and the chimera stopped short of gasping when the vampire’s lips met his. The kiss was all he’d dreamed of for so long, but it, too, left him feeling hollow.
He closed his eyes, determined not to waste the moment. It seemed like the least he owed his old self, even if it confirmed that version of him was no longer in existence.
Eric’s hand felt cool against his skin as it slipped down to his collarbone and between the folds of his robe. His heart beat a little faster and he returned the kiss, allowing Eric’s tongue to enter his mouth. The vampire tasted as seductive as he looked and sounded, and his every touch was a form of dark magic Arden was still tempted to give himself over to.
With the weight of Eric’s lithe body on top of his own, it would be so easy to believe the lie that the vampire loved him. That he was capable of loving anyone. He certainly kissed like he was capable of love, or at least lust great enough to mimic it.
Arden shivered as Eric swept the hair away from his neck and pinned his hands to the bed. He turned his head willingly, offering his jugular to the man who had held his fate in his hands for as long as he could remember.
The gesture seemed to take Eric by surprise. “I only need to feed you.”
“Please, Master,” Arden whispered, gazing up at him as he squirmed beneath the other man’s body. The first time he’d undergone transformation, it had been a clinical affair. A needle fed him Eric’s preserved blood and there had been no mutual exchange. Even though a mutual bite wasn’t necessary, it was the act that cemented the bond between most vampires and their sires, and Arden had felt the sting of rejection every day since due to its absence.
Eric’s eyes darkened with understanding. “Alright,” he murmured, bending his head. His tongue flicked against the chimera’s prone neck and Arden held his breath until the fangs went in. It was difficult to distinguish the pleasure from the pain, and both were in such great measure. He squirmed, naturally aroused by the erotic sensation as Eric growled and began to drink his fill.
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