Darkest Risings

by S. K. Yule

  “Son of a bitch! What the fuck are you playing at?”

  Wilhemina yanked her skirt down and turned to find Aldin pacing back and forth from one side of the room to the other like a caged animal.

  “I know I should have told you, but—”

  He spun around and loomed over her. She gripped the edge of the table and leaned away from him, but those damned turquoise eyes were beautiful even while burning with anger.

  “I don’t sleep with virgins. Do you have any idea what kind of danger you could have put yourself in tonight? For Christ’s sake, Wilhemina. You haven’t a clue as to what kind of man I am. I’m not the type of lover suited for a virgin. I’m not gentle. I could have hurt you. Hell. I did hurt you.”

  She jumped when he spun around, punched the wall, and cursed.

  “I didn’t do anything wrong,” she whispered.

  “You didn’t do anything wrong? Seriously? Why in the hell would you come to a club and agree to sleep with a complete stranger? Don’t get me wrong. I believe in equality between men and women. You are as welcome to sleep with whomever you choose as am I, but you’re a virgin.”

  “Was a virgin.” She let out a small squeak of nervous laughter.

  By the way his lips thinned into straight lines, she could tell he was not amused. He rubbed at his stubbled jaw, and a tic started under his eye.

  “I don’t find wise-ass cracks appropriate at this moment in time.”

  “Sorry. I’m just nervous as hell right now. You are just a tad bit intimidating.” She held her thumb and index finger close together in the air as if to put emphasis on tad bit and to make sure he understood it was laced with a fair bit of sarcasm on her end.

  “I’m sorry.” He blew out a long breath and scrubbed his hand over his face.

  “I didn’t mean to mislead you.” She sighed in resignation. “I saw you. I thought you were gorgeous. When you came over and talked to me, I liked you. And when we danced, well, to be completely truthful, I was turned on more than I have been by any man in my entire life. I wanted you, and I was flattered that you paid attention to someone like me. I let my hormones talk me out of telling you I was a virgin.”

  “What do you mean someone like you?” His brows drew down and he frowned.

  “Look at you.” She laughed. “You are the sexiest man I’ve ever laid eyes on, and I’m not exactly a model. I was flattered, and I wasn’t in the least bit upset about the prospect of sleeping with you.”

  “You have to know that you are beautiful, Wilhemina. Don’t cut yourself short. Any man out there would have been happy to take your virginity.”

  “Any man but you,” she said quietly.

  “Any man but me.” He groaned. “Don’t misunderstand me. I’m flattered, but I’m not the kind of man to waste your innocence on.”

  “I’m sorry. Please think no more of this.” She hopped off the table and smoothed her skirt back over her legs. When she started for the door, he gently circled her arm with his fingers.

  “Thank you. I’m honored for your gift. I wish I hadn’t hurt you.” He kissed her cheek.

  She hurried out of the door, through the club, and across the parking lot to her car. She climbed in behind the wheel before finally allowing herself to cry. No matter what he said, no matter that things didn’t quite end how she’d envisioned, she would never regret her encounter with Aldin. She wiped her cheeks, started the engine, put the car in drive, and headed for Plainview.

  Chapter Five

  Uriah clenched and unclenched his fists.

  “What do you want, Mother?” He sneered.

  The hatred that burned in her son’s eyes when they gazed upon her made her want to drop to her knees and beg for his forgiveness. She’d slowly watched any love he’d ever held for her die, and now that she’d finally come to set things right, she feared it was too late. How could he forgive her for what she’d done to him?

  Marilena walked to him and laid her hand gently on his broad back. He was perfect in every way, just as all her sons were. Her daughter had been as well, but she had to squash all memories of Estril from her mind in order to handle the pain of her death. If she allowed herself to think about Estril for too long, the agony would pull her into a dark place that had the ability to suck the will to live right out of her.

  Uriah tensed at her touch as he always did. He was her youngest baby. She barely hid a snort. A baby he was not. He was an impressive man with the trademark Aleksandrov turquoise eyes, strong jaw, and perfectly sculpted frame.

  However, Uriah was the only brother who resembled his father. His coppery-brown hair, even his smile, which she hadn’t seen for years, mirrored his father’s. . Maybe that was the reason it caused her much grief to look upon Uriah, other than the fact she’d kept him prisoner and had wronged him in countless ways. Aldin, Ashe, Aiston, even Estril, had all taken on more of Marilena’s features with the exception of Aiston’s blonde hair. She’d never understood where that had come from.

  She cleared her throat and fought back tears as the memories of everything she’d lost, everything she would most likely still lose, threatened to overwhelm her.

  “I need to speak to you, son.” She took a step back and linked her hands behind her back to conceal the nervous fidgeting of her fingers.

  “I have nothing to say to you.” His words were clipped and hinted at anger.

  She sighed. She couldn’t fault him for his ire. She’d done this to him. She’d made him hate her. Now she had to do what was right, had no further choice in the matter.

  “I know you are angry with me, Uriah, but if you will—”

  He spun on her so fast she gasped.

  “Angry?” His teeth snapped together. “Anger does not begin to cover the riotous swirling of vehement emotions I have where you are concerned. Fury, rage, indignation are better terms for what I feel when I’m around you.”

  “I get it, but I have to talk to you.”

  “No. You don’t get it. That’s the problem. You do not get what it is like to be kept prisoner by the one person who is supposed to love you most in the world.”

  “I do love you.”

  He snorted loudly in disgust before cracking his knuckles as he so often did when annoyed. She’d grown accustomed to that sound for it never ceased when she was in his presence.

  “I have come to set things right, or as right as I can at this point in time.” She watched as his turquoise eyes sized her up, trying to calculate what she was up to.

  “The only way you can set things right is by freeing me. Somehow, I doubt that’s going to happen. I wonder why?” He cracked his knuckles again. “Oh, yes. I remember. It’s because you’ve held me prisoner for more years than I can count. Your own son!”

  “I am going to set you free.”

  His cheeks flushed bright red and his eyes glistened coal black. She hated that the anger he held for her was strong enough to invite the onyx to bleed over the lovely turquoise color.

  “Don’t fuck with me, Mother. I’ve grown tired of being chivalrous and have seriously begun to entertain the idea of breaking your damned neck.”

  Pain tore through her chest. Did her own son truly hate her enough that he could kill her? The thought that he might actually be capable of trying made her shiver with despair of the situation she’d caused.

  “I’m going to set you free.”

  He threw his hands up in the air and let them fall with a smack at his sides. “Goody. I’ll go pack and you can let me out of my magically imprisoned kingdom.”

  “Wait!”

  “Yeah. I knew there would be a catch. Always is with you, isn’t there, Mother?” He sneered at her again.

  She had had enough. He was her son. Yes, she’d made mistakes, but everything she’d done was in an effort to protect him and the rest of her children. He could at least give her the courtesy of listening to her explanation before storming out of her life forever. She squeezed her eyes shut and placed her hand over her heart. “I wil
l set you free, Uriah. All that I ask in return is for you to listen to what I have to say first.”

  “I don’t have any desire to listen to—”

  “Silence!” she said loudly. Miraculously, he obeyed. “I know you hate me. I understand why. But you are still my son whether you like it or not, and you will listen to me. I have not kept you in a dungeon, Uriah. I have given you everything you could desire. A mansion, women, technology. Everything!”

  “Yes, you have. Everything except freedom.”

  She took in a calming breath. “Yes. Except that. Now I will remedy that, but you must agree to hear me out first. And when I say hear me out, I mean hear everything I tell you, and give my explanation some honest thought.”

  “You are serious?”

  She nodded.

  “Fine. I give you my word that I will listen to what you have to say with an open mind. But only if I am allowed to make my own decisions afterward for the rest of my life without interference from you.”

  She nodded again, and he sat down on a large leather sofa. If there was one thing about Uriah that was exceptional, it was his determination to always keep his word. She’d raised him the best she could under the circumstances. He’d had exceptional schooling, and had been exposed to everything he’d missed throughout the years in the real world. He’d been trained to fight by the best, and he’d learned about hunters and shadowdrifters. He knew all of the history of vampires and the legend of Ragnor. Now she was about to give him a dose of reality to go along with that legend, and he was going to despise her for it.

  She sat down in a matching chair across from him and prayed that she could find the right words to make him understand, to give him a reason, however small, to eventually forgive her.

  “I don’t expect you to forgive me for what I’ve done even after what I am getting ready to tell you. In fact, some of it will probably make you hate me more. The only thing I ask is that you try to understand that I love you, and everything I’ve done was to protect you. I know now that that in itself is no excuse. I took your freedom from you, but I did it with the best intentions. Please bear that in mind.”

  Uriah nodded again.

  “The legend of the Vampyre King Ragnor, is no legend. He is your father. He’s also the father of your brothers.”

  Uriah sucked in a sharp breath, and Marilena shook her head.

  “Let me finish and I will answer any questions you have.”

  “I have a feeling my list will be long.” He cracked his knuckles.

  “Your brothers know nothing of your existence or of anything I am about to tell you. You are not the only one I have deceived. I must make amends with them as well.” She frowned then hardened her resolve before continuing. “You are the youngest, and when I became pregnant with you, Ragnor had a profound vision. He said once you all found your viata amants, he could perform a ritual that would bring you into your true blood powers. This could not happen until you were all anchored to your life mates, as the power can become overwhelming. Your life mates will keep you grounded, keep the power from making you crazy.

  “Once this happened, there would be an uprising in the drifters. This uprising has already begun. The drifters have a new leader. We thought we killed him, but he is more powerful than we imagined. It is rumored that he is a true blood, however, Ragnor has not been able to establish who he is as of yet. We have a name, but no other true bloods are known to be left in existence other than Ragnor, our children, and technically, me. He can personally account for everyone in his bloodline and their deaths. This drifter leader named Trinidad is a complete mystery.

  “I thought I could stop the prophecy from coming to pass by leaving Ragnor, wiping your brothers’ minds of my pregnancy, and keeping you locked up.”

  “If I’m locked up, I can’t find my viata amant, therefore the prophecy can’t happen,” Uriah said.

  “Yes. But I was wrong. Ashe and Aiston both have found their viata amants within the past couple years, and Ragnor says Aldin will soon find his. But even more wrong was I that I fear I’ve caused the death of your sister, Estril.”

  “I have a sister too? Damn it, Mother. You’ve deprived me of everything important in a man’s life. Family and freedom.”

  “I am sorry. I know you don’t believe that, but I am truly sorry.” She sighed in resignation and continued. “Estril was slain by Trinidad. I believe this was Fate’s way of removing an obstacle.”

  “You’re fucking with Fate by not allowing me the opportunity to find my life mate and fulfill the prophecy. Fate fights back by removing one of the pawns from the game. Estril.” The pain dancing in his eyes was evident.

  Marilena sobbed. “All I ever tried to do was keep you all safe, and I’ve accomplished nothing but terrible things by doing so. My daughter is dead. You hate me, and my other sons will soon hate me as well. I’ve lost everything, but I guess I deserve it. At least I had my freedom, and got to choose my path in life. I robbed you of that. I only hope that one day, you can understand my reasoning. I honestly did it because I love you so much. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing any of my children. And now I’ve lost one anyway, and will probably soon lose the rest.”

  * * * *

  Uriah wanted to strangle his mother. But the truth was, he didn’t hate her. Disliked her immensely, but didn’t hate her. Oh he’d tried to over the years, convinced himself he did, but she was still his mother. He doubted his ability to forgive what she’d done, but hoped one day he could. His anger toward her would not die anytime soon. Right now, he was in shock from the overload of information she’d given him.

  He had brothers. His sister—the one he’d never been given the opportunity to meet—was dead. His father was a damned legend come to life, and he was about ready to gain his freedom and be thrust into a war. He’d longed for his freedom, salivated for it like a starving dog after a bone that lay just out of reach, but to gain it only to possibly die and lose the family he’d never known? It was beyond comprehension.

  He stood and stared down at his mother’s pale, beautiful face. How he’d longed to love her like a son should. In his own way, he did love her, but not in a way born from nurturing and caring. He loved her out of loyalty and because he felt he should. After all, what did it say about a man that didn’t love his own mother? He was beyond pissed. Beyond feeling betrayed. He’d been robbed of everything by the one woman who he should have been able to trust above all others.

  “Take me to my brothers,” he said through clenched teeth after standing.

  She nodded. “Will you give me a chance to explain to them first?”

  “You have two days, Mother. After that, you better take me to them or there is nowhere on this earth you will be able to hide from me.”

  She stood and laid her palm against his chest just over his heart. “You are free, my son. I will come for you in two days and take you to your brothers. I’m sorry.”

  Just like that, she was gone. Uriah knew he should leave immediately. He’d never been outside the mansion’s wall. But where the hell was he supposed to go? No. He’d endure two more days in captivity, and when those two days were up, he’d leave and never look back. Besides, what the hell were two more days in the grand scheme of shit that had just rained down on him?

  Chapter Six

  Wilhemina stretched then winced as sore muscles in unfamiliar places reminded her of last night’s activities. A smile curved her lips. Aldin. Her one night stand—well, sort of anyway. Even in the stark light of day, she couldn’t find it in herself to be a smidgeon of appalled over what she’d done with him. She’d had sex with a gorgeous man—again, sort of—and she refused to be one of those women who regretted everything about how and when she’d lost her virginity.

  She sat up and struggled with sheets that had become entangled around her legs. Was there something wrong with her that she was happy to have gotten rid of her virginity?

  “Hell with it. It was mine to do with what I wanted, and I wanted Ald
in. Case closed.” She shuffled around the tiny B & B room, picking up her scattered clothes from the floor.

  Guilt gnawed at her for deceiving Aldin. She hadn’t set out to make him angry, but what did it matter? She’d never see him again. She ignored the small pang of regret tickling her chest. He was magnificent. No one could deny that fact, but he’d been rough around the edges. He’d been quite a handful, and she got the distinct feeling he’d been holding back to some degree. He’d been right. She was not experienced enough to take on a man of his caliber.

  She shrugged. What happened last night was in the past and would remain a spine-tingling memory to be unleashed on lonely nights. She needed to look to the future, make a fresh start. She dug some clean clothes out of her suitcase and headed for the shower. First thing on her agenda was to find a place to rent. Plainview hadn’t changed much since the last time she was here, but that wasn’t surprising. From her experience, small towns didn’t change much.

  A quick shower, a quicker breakfast, which consisted of a pastry and coffee from Mrs. Chatterfield’s bakery, and two hours later, she crossed the last of the three rentals off her list. She didn’t mind a fixer-upper, but a faller-down-around-the-ears was a completely different story.

  She sat on a bench in the town’s center. The old brick road of the square had remained as a reminder of the history of the town along with the huge oak tree in the middle. The tree had been there since before she was born, probably since before her grandmother or this town was born, for that matter. It was a majestic tree, its branches swaying gently in the warm August breeze. She sipped at the fresh cup of coffee she’d gotten—again, from Mrs. Chatterfield’s—and wondered what she was going to do about living arrangements.

  She could continue to stay at the Bed and Breakfast, but she’d wanted to get set up in someplace more private. She frowned, thinking that she wasn’t going to have a choice in the matter unless she left Plainview.

  “Wilhemina? Wilhemina Jenkins? Is that you?”