“The compound. The compound, Sire, please!” She wailed, unable to put more than a few meaningful words together.
I dropped her and darted off into the forest. It didn’t take me long. I raced off to the compound, leaving my prized fae back there with the wailing mess of a woman. Halfway there, I got a euphoric rush. It was strong. A mile later, it surged through me. Someone was mourning. Hard! I couldn’t even think straight, so much sadness and pain. I was picking it up like a sponge.
“Talon . . .!”I called, flying across the parking lot. I ran into people, knocking some of the crying progeny astray as I hurried toward the big double doors. They were opened in anticipation of me by a set of primaries. Likely vampire. They’d remain guards until their primary period, or first year was over.
Julie met me just inside. Her ceremonial red makeup was already in place.
“Talon . . .,” I whispered, much quieter.
She nodded her head, affirming my worst fears.
I had failed him.
My King was dead.
I turned around and shot back outside, barely clearing the primary before I got sick.
“Talon. Danika. Two primaries. Five familiars.” She rattled off the death count, until I turned on her and wrapped my hand around her throat.
“Why? How?” I raged. “How could you not have seen it coming?”
She gagged and wildly slapped and scratched at my wrist until I dropped her.
“What the fuck?” Angel yelled, he shot down the steps and almost made it to me, before Julie threw herself into his path.
“Knock it off. That’s no way to start a union!” Terrik called.
He was Talon’s older brother. Blood brother. They were sired by the same elder. Terrik now held their sire’s seat while Talon had worn his crown.
“Don’t you have a throne to worry about?” I shot back at him.
He snorted and shook his head.
“I might have, if this . . . oracle hadn’t spread her lies.” He chuckled. “Prophet, my ass. If you’re such a prophet, tell me . . . who did this?”
“You blaspheme.” Angel growled. “How dare you suggest that she is a false prophet?”
“Oh, trust me. I’m not saying anything. I’m dying to see how this plays out.” Terrik laughed, and his dark humor brought a sulfur smell. He carried with him a book that looked older than time. I almost expected it to have pictures rather than words inside, but nope, there it was sprawled in perfect English.
Primary Visions
Oracle # 7
Someone had taken the time to journal all of her visions, starting with her primary year.
“Why would anyone write the ramblings of a rookie reader? I was fucking six years old when my visions started.”
“You’ve been a Dark One since you were six?” It was almost unheard of. The age of harvest was universal. Regardless of breed or line. They were allowed an education and a chance to mature before we harvested.
Terrik licked his thumb, a quirk I never could stomach, and started to flip the pages until he stopped on one dated December 25th, 1989.
“The one who makes the shadows quake. The one who brings to end,” Terrik began to read. “He who holds the crown up. He who defends. He holds the hand of future, and a new reign begins.”
“It sounds like the word play of a child, desperate to hold a few more moments of her governess’s attention.” I scoffed, when he continued to look at me like his nursery rhyme had some deeper meaning.
“It means you are to lead us,” Terrik cried. “You and her. Together.”
He waved between Julie and I until I was squinting at him.
“Are you blood drunk? Did you feed off one of these emotionally-soured mortals? Is that what the fuck this is?” I’d had enough. I was still reeling. My best friend was dead, and this bastard had riddles.
“Step aside!” I barked, only to be met with a hand on my chest.
“It isn’t anything you need to see. The people need to think of you as strong.”
I snapped my fangs, let my pupils blow, and roared in his face.
The overdosing of fear was nauseating. I shoved him aside and stumbled into the compound. Every eye was on me. Apparently, this dumb fucker had already shared his drivel with everyone inside.
“Fuck me,” I whispered, only to freeze and forget them all when I finally saw Talon’s dangling, still-smoldering body.
He’d been hung with chains about his neck and wrists. Dangling in the shape of a cross. He was fae. There was no reason to burn him. The hanging alone would have killed him.
Anger boiled hot through my veins and I tore in a rugged breath. Someone dared to wage psychological warfare with our people. With me! Surely, they knew I would avenge it.
“They knew.” Julie whispered.
“Knew what?” Terrik groaned, like someone was trying his patience.
“They knew that he was the last full-blood fae king.” She broke out in tears before she finished her sentence.
Chapter Fourteen
Jules
Talon was my sire. He was a beautiful man. Capable and courageous. He’d mastered his darkness. A skill most Dark Ones never considered. It gave him power over them. He could predict the behavior of those around him so well, that he could run interference before they even realized the game had begun.
There was no one to fill his shoes and now, Terrik wanted to carry on about some prophesy I didn’t even remember uttering. Dom was right, the ramblings of a scared little girl. A girl who was forced to stare at her own reflection until it melted into the hideous images of Dark Ones who had come and gone before her. Some with messages, others with threats. They latched onto me in the most excruciating ways.
I stopped dreaming around the age of nine. I had to teach myself how to enter that void of nothingness. To keep them out if only for a few hours of rest. My people needed me. They needed my visions, but I wasn’t in a great rush to recover them. It was nice being normal for a change.
Guilt wracked through me, stealing my breath and bringing another round of tears. Maybe Dom was right. If I hadn’t been having a vision dry spell, I might have seen this coming.
“Julie.” He reached for me.
The minute his hand touched my arm, it was like I was stabbed. The pain went deep into my muscles and veins. His darkness and its message raced to the forefront of my mind, causing me to scream with the sudden migraine of it.
“You need me,” I panicked against his chest.
How had I gotten there? I tried to shift away from him, but he held on firmly to my waist.
“Then I claim you,” he said, like it was the simplest thing in the world. “I claim you, and you help me avenge this.”
His finger shot toward Talon and shook with murderous rage. It reflected in his eyes. I wanted to deny him, to hurry off before someone besides Terrik could confirm having heard his claim to me, but there was already a growing crowd of people. They were eager to get a glimpse of their next king.
I turned and stumbled straight into Angel who was staring at me like I’d betrayed him.
Fuck!
He’d been standing there the whole time. I was certain of it. No way would he have left me in there with his homicidal brother, so how could this be my fault?
He stormed through the crowd, before I could say anything. I followed the direction he had went and ended up in the parking lot. He was standing beneath the large oak tree, smoking a cigarette, and staring off toward the tree line.
“I should go check on Jaysen,” he mumbled when he spotted me.
“Angel . . .” I reached for his arm and he flinched.
“Sorry.” He immediately corrected, stepping back toward my touch. “Forgive me, my Oracle?”
“I’m just your oracle now?”
He made a noise that was probably supposed to sound like a laugh, but I heard the poorly checked emotion.
I put my hand on his back and felt the muscles ripple beneath my palm. I closed my e
yes and blessed him with a small jolt of warmth and healing.
“I didn’t choose that . . .”
“No, but it happened all the same,” he quietly acknowledged, before flicking his cigarette. “. . . And we both know what it means.”
“What exactly is it you think it means?” I pressed.
“He’s claimed you, that means he claimed all of what’s yours. My brother’s not going to co-sire me Julie, that’s just weird.”
Wind rushed by me, and Angel screamed. Before I had time to gasp, Dom had him by the hair and was wrenching him back, so we could both see his pained expression.
“Stop being a disrespectful little shit and address her properly,” Dom demanded.
“My Oracle,” Angel corrected, with a strained tone.
He cried out again, as Dom impatiently bent him forward, forcing him to bow to me until his head was lower than my knee.
“Address her properly, do not start with me like this,” Dom warned in a tone that almost made me want to plead with Angel to comply.
“My Mistress,” he whispered, in defeat.
“Good.” Dom immediately let loose of his hair and soothed the area he had gripped. He did not, however, move his hand to allow his brother to raise. “Give me your wrist.”
“You’re not sucking on my—”
Dom laughed and thumped him on the back of his head.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” he said around his amusement.
His knife gave a vicious click when it was flicked open. He reached for Angel’s forearm, but Angel twisted and landed on his ass at my feet.
“You’re not going to slit my wrist!” he exclaimed with a wild gaze.
“I am. You’re going to sacrifice blood to me, so I don’t have to put my mouth on you. Do it now.” He thrust the cup toward Angel, expectantly.
I squatted down behind him and kissed his shoulder.
“I’ll help him. It’ll be over fast,” I promised.
“I don’t want to . . . I already did this. I don’t want to do it again,” Angel protested.
“I know.” I hugged him, to prevent his twisting, before repeating in firmer tone. “I know.”
He stopped twisting about and shivered against me. He was so brave and ambitious, but even the brave cowered at death . . . and he was fixing to meet it a second time.
“You can do this,” I murmured against his ear and kissed his neck.
His chest rose and fell, and he closed and clenched his eyes.
“You’re damn right he can,” Dom added, before quickly sliding the blade across his brother’s arm.
Angel pulled his legs toward his body and turned his head away, exposing his throat to me. He grabbed my hand and gave a smothered whimper when I kissed my favorite vein.
He flinched hard when I sank my fangs in, and squirmed against me for a moment, then he started to go limp. I grabbed his wrist in a vice and licked the wound shut while Dom downed the cup in one haul.
The moment it was emptied, he slit his own wrist and filled the cup halfway. When he looked up, I held my arm out and watched as I was cut, and the cup was filled. Angel had just started to stir. Barely enough blood to sustain consciousness.
“Bottoms up.” Dom murmured before pressing the cup against his brother’s mouth.
“Huh . . . no!” Angel started to protest. He’d been drained and barely saved, but he’d not been turned. I felt sorry for him. Fuck, the tears stung my eyes, and I knew the ceremonial make up would be ruined if I didn’t hold it together.
It’d be over soon.
I placed my hand behind his head and put a hand over Dom’s symbolically helping him harvest Angel.
It was rough being brought back, but he wasn’t just being brought back . . . he would be dragged through hell and emerge with a few fleas. My magik mixed with Dom’s darkness. A powerful primary, no doubt.
He struggled, until the first few drops splashed to his tongue. Then he began to scream and gargle. I’d heard Dom’s venom was like acid, but I’d really thought it part of his hype, until now.
It was a violent, horrible death.
Chapter Fifteen
Angel
It was in a cup, and yet, his blood was boiling when it rolled and scorched its way across my tongue. I tried to spit, but they just poured faster. Drowning me in misery, until the fight stopped, and it all went dark.
If only it had stayed that way.
My brother was the executioner. Talon’s executioner. A title he hadn’t taken lightly. He’d entered his primary circle an ambitious assassin and left it the Commander of Demons. The circles are comprised of six primary Dark Ones. Only those of the darkest lines are permitted entrance.
Six enter. One leaves.
It is a test. A game to see who can come up with the most creative forms of betrayal. Forced to work together for survival at first, it was meant to strengthen them. There were no greater lessons on survival and self-reliance.
In order to be our Coven’s executioner and Dark Prince, one had to shred every ounce of decency and human compassion. Then they had to be damn near willing to kill themselves to prove their commitment.
I was dragged through every scarring moment. Fuck, I even tasted the spurt of the first one’s blood when he drained them. I shared the sheer terror of a near miss, and felt the last stab of sorrow, when he was forced to slaughter one of his friends.
A half hour later, I tore in air until I thought my lungs would burst. They were right, that first breath was a mother fucker! It was followed by a conscious awareness of all that I had seen
I couldn’t even look at him. All I could do was cling to Julie and try my hardest to find a normal breathing pattern. Of course, the more I focused, the more certain I became that I was dying all over again.
“Relax. It’s not even necessary,” Dom chirped.
“Huh?” I managed.
“You’re fucking dead . . .,” he reminded me, with a big brotherly thump to the forehead.
I sucked in air when his hand came close and shrank before him.
“How—?” I started, only to go silent when his gaze hardened on me.
The question burned, unspoken within me. How had he found his way back to us? The blood-frenzied beast I had seen had no compassion. No humanity. He didn’t have brothers. He had nothing save the rage to keep on killing and the obsessive desire to keep his king safe at all cost.
“If you’re done being dramatic?” Dom said, before offering me a hand.
The cocky bastard acted like I’d just skinned my knee or something. He’d fucking killed me! Fed me the poison of his dark essence and left me in his own private purgatory.
I glared at him, but still followed along when they started through the forest.
Jay! Fuck.
“He’s fine,” Dom assured.
I sighed with relief only to trip over my own damn feet with the next breath.
“Damn it,” Julie hissed.
Dom’s menacing laughter chased the birds from the trees. “Oh, that’s rich. All this time and you never shared with him . . .”
“Shared what?” My stomach slowly flipped, and I knew I wasn’t going to like his answer.
“That once we have a bond with you, we can read your thoughts.”
“A bond . . .,” I repeated in a bored tone.
“Yes. Blood. Psychic. Contracted,” he rattled off.
I stared, incredulous at our Oracle.
“All this time, you’ve known my every thought?” I didn’t know whether to be angry or ashamed.
“Why bother being either?” My brother asked, “She’s our fucking Oracle. She can see almost everything.”
I supposed he was right, but I still didn’t like the fact that she’d kept it from me.
“Is it not her right to do so?” Dom asked, turning abruptly on me just as we broke the tree line.
He’d never looked at me like that. With the doors open and the beast inside staring out at me through those crazy eyes of his.
I swore I saw his lip twitch with the release of fangs. It made my shoulders jump for my ears.
With that one little twitch, I felt his acidic venom running through my veins. His head tipped back, and he relaxed a bit.
“Even more so now, I guess.” I whispered, just as Jaysen opened the cabin door.
“Blessed Nyx . . .,” Julie began, with tears in her eyes.
She made her way toward Jaysen. He watched her with an odd smile, until his eyes shifted toward me. Then he took a big step back and his lips parted like he was debating on screaming.
“Stop,” he bid.
His hand came up in a pitiful effort to enforce his request, but even with the several yards between us, I could see how badly he was shaking. Dom looked back at me and cocked his head, giving me permission to assist her.
I almost wished he’d do what he’d done for me. Change him. Shut that switch off. Sure, the emotions were still there, but they were a watered-down version of what I’d been suffering before.
He wasn’t ready, though. We all knew it. He’d only fed once. Just enough to heal. A sip.
I opened my arms, but he kept on backing up.
“You promised!” he spat at Dom.
“Hey. Hey! No,” Julie shot forward and snatched him into a hug. I knew good and well she’d done it to be a meat shield if necessary. I could feel his presence, a hot tingle that danced around my shoulder like an unseen hand.
The grip viced and burned until I shot forward and gently wrestled him from Julie.
“You fucking promised . . .,” he whispered, with no less hatred in his eyes. This time it was turned on Julie.
“Enough,” Dom growled. “Neither of us did this. Talon and your mother were martyred.”
His body rocked with unspent emotion. He stopped shouting and fighting. His body merely collapsed against mine.
Dom’s hand snaked between my chest and Jaysen’s cheek, forcing him to look him in the eye.
“Your mother was our Queen. It doesn’t matter if it was for a century or a minute . . . she was ours, just as you are, and she will be avenged!” he vowed.
His hug-like grip on my waist tightened until his arms were around me and his tears were openly pouring over Dom’s wrist. He rolled his head just so and placed a kiss to the area on Dom’s wrist that he usually reserved for feeding his familiars.
The Hunger Saga Page 6
