Dark Temptations

by Eric Alan Williams

  "I told my daughter two nights ago, I have started remembering more, from my abduction. While I was sedated, I overheard things, things that didn't I didn't remember until now." He looked down the table along both sides. "I know why they took Lilith and I. It wasn't just to have the leverage to use against this Council, or to force a new succession for the throne. They also wanted her blood. I overheard in my sedated state, that Lucifer brought on a scientist to discover why Lilith is immune to silver, and why I, for whatever reason, am stronger than I should be for only being a Grand Alpha as young as I am.".

  Everyone started looking at one another. Xairin kept looking at the table. He didn't want any attention drawn to him at the moment.

  Asmodeus looked at Damien. "If what you are saying is true, then we should investigate this silver immunity. If they managed to recreate her immunity in their own immortals, it would give them an edge that we would lack."

  The dark-haired minotaur looked at Sara. "You and your children." He looked at Xairin, "And the grandchild that was purified, each of you has this immunity, correct?"

  Sara nodded. "I will be happy to donate some of my blood for study."

  Amanda Heart looked at Sara. "Do each of you truly have it?"

  Cecilia and Vaughn both nodded. Vaughn called out. "Yes, we each have it."

  Nathan Wonders sat there, smirking at Xairin. Xairin noticed the handsome man with perfectly tanned skin and dark hair glaring at him in such a way that made him feel uncomfortable. Nathan was an older Aeonian, but younger in comparison to others. Once, he was known as Marqod, worshiped by the ancient Canaanites as a healing god that loved to dance and sing. There was no denying his exceptional healing abilities, but given his age, he had become uppity and thought little of those who were of lesser blood and purposely butchered Xairin's name. "What about you, Xaracules?" He spoke down to Xairin. "Are you immune?"

  Xairin looked up and then eyed the man directly. "Are you talking to me?"

  "Yes, Xaracules, I am? Or is it Sirenus? I can't remember your name, sorry." He said sarcastically.

  Damien was about to put his hand out in case Xairin did something rash. It was obvious the man was trying to provoke him. Xairin fired back while gritting his teeth. "Yes... I am.."

  Nathan smiled as he looked along both sides of the diamond-shaped table. "You see, Xaracules, I am having difficulty believing that. After all, not a single Grand Alpha could survive a bite from a creature that spawned their specific breeds, so why should we think that lesser blood could do better? And for that matter, being more human, I would assume the Aeon Strain to make you susceptible to silver in the first place."

  Damien fired back. "He is immune!"

  Nathan smiled. "Then he won't have any problems proving it, now will he?"

  Damien looked over at Xairin. "Are you okay with this?"

  Xairin looked around at his surroundings. The facial expressions mostly read, curiosity, while Nathan's face read sarcasm and contempt. Xairin nodded. "Yeah, I'll prove it."

  "Does anyone have any silver?" Xairin asked.

  Nathan laughed. "I do." He reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out a dagger, taking care to avoid touching the blade, only the hilt, and slid it across the table. "A simple cut will do, that way we can see for ourselves if your blood reacts to the blade."

  Xairin's emotions were still running high. He hated this. He hated all of this so much that his blood was listening. "Cut yourself." His blood said. Xairin looked up. He could feel his blood being just as angry as he was. He heard it. He grabbed the dagger, and put the blade in his left hand, and slid it across his palm as his fingers clenched around it. He pulled the blade out, everyone could see his blood on the silver blade, having no reaction. But his blood wasn't done. "Throw it at him." His blood said. "Do it!" It said.

  Xairin's blood prepared his muscles as the memories of throwing knives in Aywren's class came to mind. It was as if Xairin became possessed for a second. He took the hilt with his right, and expertly threw it across the table. It was but five inches away from penetrating Nathan's left eye when the Aeonian caught it. Needless to say, he got an up-close view that he wasn't expecting. Nathan was actually surprised. "Fine... I get the point." He said as he eyed Xairin.

  Sterva was sitting beside Nathan. She leaned over. "Don't be such an ass. You deserved that."

  Sterva looked up and then proceeded to stand. "Now that it has been established that all of Lilith's heirs share her immunity, can we get on with this meeting?"

  Nathan sat there like a spoiled brat. He literally looked like a young college student that was blaming his instructors for bad grades and not accepting his own actions being the cause. His face was a clear hint of it. Xairin was watching him.

  Xairin was stewing like a pot filled with water, sat on a stove, set on high, and left unattended. He had reached the boiling point.

  Before anyone could say anything, Xairin spoke up. "You know, I have had my name butchered all my life, but never in my life have I ever been called Xaracules. I mean, where the hell did you even get a, C. U. L. E . S… In Xairin?"

  Nathan looked at him. "Well, I just figured since you were a half breed, I would pay homage to Hercules, you know since he was a half breed to."

  Xairin's flame got out as his hands spoke while his voice hinted some effeminate tones. "Oh, really? A homage? Like, really?" His head bobbed a little from side to side, with attitude. "You honestly just wanted to provoke me by merging my name with some Greek demi-god? Oh, hell, no. And here I thought you were just mispronouncing my name…"

  Nathan smirked. "Oh, that's right, you're, like, gay too."

  Xairin snapped. His blood lit up like an atomic bomb inside his veins. His seat was left with nothing but red sparks, and his hand was around Nathan's neck, holding him against the stone wall on the other side of the table.

  Everyone in the room stood up as they saw Xairin pinning Nathan against the wall. Many were jaw dropped since Xairin's blood clearly smelled of a Delta.

  Xairin's blood, to increase his strength, was raging with telekinetic energy infusing his muscles to make him appear many times stronger than he physically was. It was working. Combined with his physical strength, and his telekinetic strength, he overpowered the Aeonian Grand Alpha and held him up with one hand, and with the other, pinned his arm that was trying to fight Xairin against the wall.

  Nathan's right hand was trying to grasp Xairin's left hand was clenched tightly around his neck. Nathan's left hand was pinned against the wall by a Delta that shouldn't be this strong. He physically couldn't free himself. He was choking. "Let me go."

  Sara walked over to stop Xairin. Xairin's eyes turned red. Every vein inside his face, the artery in his neck, and the veins in his hands were lighting up with red energy. He tossed Nathan across the room. Before his grandmother could reach him, then hissed at Sara. "I'm not done yet."

  Xairin went into a cartwheel, then a backflip, and landed on the other side of the table. He went into another cartwheel, landing with both hands-on Nathan, grasping at his clothing and came up, throwing Nathan against the farthest wall.

  He stood there, growling. Every tooth in his mouth was sharp as razors. Xairin didn't sound like a lion-like most vampires did. His voice was darker, sounding like something else, something far more monstrous. His breathing sounded lion-like, however.

  Nathan slowly got up and prepared to run at Xairin. If this dumb vampire thought he was going to make him look bad, he had another thing coming.

  Xairin's blood was listening to Nathan's. It was allowing Xairin an upper hand that others didn't have. Something inside Xairin was stirring, it was something the others didn't have like he did. The Aeon Strain counted on half breeds coming into existence so that it could better adapt to the world it arrived on. It knew that it could bolster and make a stronger version of itself. It was part of the plan, of whoever it was that created it. The Aeon Strain craved, making something greater, and Xairin's unique DNA gave it just that. It r
eacted.

  Nathan slipped, attempting to come up behind Xairin and knock the young prince out. Xairin's blood anticipated it and knew exactly where he would emerge. Xairin's hand flew out, his palm facing Nathan's face. The room lit up with a bolt of blood-lightning, striking Nathan in the face directly and sent him flying. Everyone watched as Nathan was pinned against the wall again, this time by a current of red electricity. His face was burning, boiling, and then his body was set on fire.

  Xairin stood there growling as his hand continued to emit a powerful red lightning bolt. He growled as it continued to deform the man that had enraged him. Nathan was powerless. The direct hit to his head left the Grand Alpha unable to focus on his own energy field to fend off the attack. He was at the utter mercy of the angry Delta.

  Xairin felt a power he never knew he had in this attack. This wasn't like before when he attacked Vladislav with it. That time, it was an accident, a discovery. This time, it was something else entirely. It was raw power, primal in every way, and it was tempting him to let it out completely.

  The look on Xairin's face wasn't human. Not that his face had become more like a Nosferatu, but more in the way of him not thinking like a human at all. He was in the throes of letting his blood take over. But he had to stop himself, he could feel the Grand Alpha dying. He tried to fight his blood, will his control over it, until it relented. Xairin managed to get a hold of himself and stopped the attack. His hand came down to his side. He called out. "Anyone else?!"

  Xairin looked around the room. Everyone was speechless, including Damien. Xairin yelled. "ANYONE ELSE WANT TO TEST ME?!"

  Nathan was slowly healing and stood up, breathing heavily as he felt his burnt face. Xairin turned to look at him. "And you…" Xairin saw him trying to stand. "STAY DOWN, BITCH!" Nathan sat back down quickly and looked at the man that had attacked him in horrified shock, the fact that a delta could do this to him, had him mortified. Xairin wasn't finished speaking. "If you ever so much as look at me wrong, I won't stop next time. Now grow a fucking new face, because your last one was ugly and I don't ever want to lay eyes on the face that decided to get a rise out of me by gutting my name ever again. Do you understand?"

  Xairin watched as Nathan nodded his head. He was terrified as he looked into the glowing eyes of the redheaded vampire. Then Xairin turned around and yelled again. "MY NAME IS XAIRIN, IT'S PRONOUNCED Z-AIR-IN. UNDERSTAND?! CAUSE IF YOU DON" T I HAVE DRACULA AND LILITH GENES IN ME AND THANKS TO THAT FUCKING BAT!" He spat a little as he yelled. "THERE'S PLENTY MORE OF WHERE THAT CAME FROM!"

  Xairin pointed at the Thrall, Ambrose, "You, Thrall, I'm hungry, get me some blood, and make sure it's that epinephrine infused stuff, got it?"

  Ambrose nodded and stepped out.

  Xairin returned to his seat and sat down. He rested his arms on the table. He looked at Damien. "Well?"

  Damien chuckled. "I think, you made your point."

  The others left Nathan on the floor to regenerate and resumed their seats. Cecilia was in shock, seeing what her son had just done. She looked at him, not with fear, but with longing and trying to understand where all his rage had come from. She blamed herself for some of that, but there had to be more than just a funeral and her leaving him the way she did.

  Xairin spoke up, right as everyone sat down. His hands were still helping in getting his point across. "Since I'm a prince and all, Can I propose some law to go into effect?"

  Sara looked surprised. "It is your right, that and anyone at this table to do so."

  Xairin smiled sarcastically as he rested his chin on his left fist. "Good, because, see, I think it's pretty fucked up that I was called to be here on a day I was at a funeral. The funeral of one of my best friends." He looked around. "I get it. You value mortal life, but not the dead. Well, I think we need a law, that if someone on this Council is observing a loss, they should be excused. How does that sound? Huh?"

  Xairin followed that up with a threat he was willing to back. "Or do we need to have a discussion like I just had with Nathan? You know, since that's the way some immortals like to get their point across."

  Sara interrupted. "I think you made your point." She looked at the faces staring at Xairin. "It is this Council that requested him to be here.” She looked over her shoulder. “And Nathan, it was you that suggested it in the first place."

  "All in favor of excusing a council member that is in observance of a loss, please raise your hand."

  The only hand that didn't raise belonged to the man lying on the floor trying to heal. Sara smiled. "Then let it be law."

  Sara's green eyes met Xairin's red eyes right as they reverted back to their vibrant green. Meanwhile, Damien whispered into Xairin's ear. "See, you got council-ship thing down, no problem. Right?"

  Xairin smirked at his great grandfather. "Piece of cake, I guess."

  They went over a few critical issues. Mainly the financial aspects, which blew Xairin away when he found out how many immortals there actually were registered with the Society that had bought their immortality.

  "Next order of business?" Sara asked.

  An Arabic woman sitting not quite across from Xairin, but close enough, stood up. "Yes, Afreeti?" Sara asked.

  Afreeti was beautiful. She had radiant black hair that glistened. She had a friendly face, one that was welcoming for a Gargoyle. She looked at Cecilia, Vaughn, then Xairin, and lastly, resting her eyes on Sara. Her accent was strong. "We have the matter of replacing Council positions., we need other council members if we are to maintain our power."

  The dashing bald man sitting beside Damien nodded. Greggor Vontelello stood up. "I second the proposal."

  Everyone else nodded, most of them verbally stating it. Sara had to address it. "The motion has been made and carried, so I am open to suggestions. The first one I would like to make is appointing Alphas to this table that have proven themselves since we are running low on Grand Alphas emerging. Are there any opposed to this?"

  Given Sara's display of power, and now Xairin, no one objected. "Good, Then I would like to propose contacting and offering a council seat to a werefox that I personally… Know…" She looked around. "His name is Maksim Sokolov. He helped me escape The Hand when Jaxalon took me as an infant. I owe him for his help. I know he would be loyal to this Council, plus he is a good man, and good men are hard to find. Any opposed?"

  No one objected.

  Afreeti stood back up. "We have vetted Erissa's nest. None of her nestmates, nor her children knew of her actions, my Queen. It would only be right and fair of us, to allow one of her sons, to take her place. It would help maintain relations with her nest and allow us to keep an eye on them."

  Sara looked at Afreeti, then looked at Lulia sitting beside Vaughn, waited for a nod, then looked at Afreeti. "I have no objection, but given she was a traitor, I want whoever takes the seat, to know they will have to submit to having their mind vetted more than once, to assure they were in it for the right reasons and not siding with Lucifer."

  Afreeti nodded, which prompted Sara to ask. "Those who are in agreement to offering one of Erissa's son's a seat at this table, a show of hands, please."

  Fifty hands went up; Xairin's was one of the four that abstained. "Majority rules, it shall be offered." She looked at Afreeti, and then Hanna Tarker, "You both are our Gargoyle Queens. I would hope that both of you reach out to Erissa's nest and begin the selection of which son is the fittest."

  "What about the houses of the others that I, uprooted?" Sara asked.

  Lord Demeskinos stood up. "Clavicus Valencia has a daughter that underwent Grand Alpha evolution when her father died by your hand. I would propose Genevive Valencia to represent her tribe. She was vetted and was genuinely displeased with her father's actions."

  Sterva rose her hand up. "I can vouch for that."

  "Fine. Any opposed?" No one raised a hand. "Contact her then."

  Sara looked around. "I am assuming we need to contact Helga and Gorganish's nests for replacements?"

&
nbsp; Vet Khan nodded. "It would be the proper approach to maintain power and relationships with their nests. That and I am certain a Grand Alpha has likely emerged. They both did have children by way of birth, after all."

  Sara sighed. "Fine, executive decision, vet their families, and pick who is the most suited."

  Ambrose returned with a sizeable forty-ounce bottle of cloned human blood, with synthetic adrenaline, epinephrine, added. Xairin graciously accepted it, twisted the top off, and chugged.

  Sara looked around the room. "Once they have been vetted, that will put us back up to sixty-eight, sixty-nine once my werefox accepts." Sara got up and paced. "According to Lulia, there are one hundred seats in this room for a reason. My mother wanted to reach one hundred council members to increase control. So… I would expect each member of this Council to begin looking into other houses and nests that haven't been approached in the past. We have two Gargoyle Queens, and soon a Gargoyle King to join our Council, but so far, not a single Gorgon to represent. It would only be right to show we are not… Prejudice. Begin looking into the fittest to serve among the Gorgons."