The Chalice (Luna Vampire Series)

by Christine Asher

  Nonetheless, I quickly grew more interested in his standoffishness. I mean, he'd been dodging eye contact from the moment he entered my room, which was definitely out of character for him.

  "Lucien, what's wrong?" I finally squeaked, the tiny hairs prickling at the back of my neck. I knew he was hiding something from me when we spoke yesterday. Crap. "Why won't you look at me?"

  Sadly, the instant he turned in my direction, I understood. His poor face. Every inch of it contained red, bubbly burns. It was absolutely gruesome, nowhere close to resembling the gorgeous man I'd grown to love. His eyebrows were gone and his nose misshapen. Accordingly, his condition awakened memories within me of a woman I'd seen on the Maury Povich show. She'd gotten acid poured on her face.

  Attempting to project fortitude, he flourished a crooked half-smile. Clearly, it was the best he could do with his injuries. "No worries, girlie. It appears worse than it really is. The healer says she knows a plastic surgeon in Los Angeles that'll make me good as new. They'll fly him in once the burns improve."

  "I'm so sorry, Lucien," I sputtered, my insides twisting into shame filled knots. "It's all my fault. You never would've been burned if it weren't for Tsedaka's need to control me."

  "I'll heal," he replied, adopting an authoritative tone. "And, if I don't, well, I'll wear it as a badge of honor. My duty is to protect you. Injuries or not, I was successful."

  My heart sank. He was wounded because of me. "Yeah, but..."

  "Listen," he cut in, restlessly holding out a ball of white velvet. "My mother's sewing circle made these cloaks for us last night, after they heard of our arrival. We must wear them today or it'll hurt their feelings."

  I realized he was changing the subject, nevertheless, I sorta welcomed the diversion. I mean, my conscience had already taken a beating and, frankly, there were more pressing concerns. I wasn't too convinced clothing was one of 'em, but whatever. Sigh.

  "It's beautiful," I beamed, plastering on a grin as he handed me the bundle. Then, hastily, I fastened the cloak around me and tied it in the front. Almost involuntarily, my fingers began to trail along the embroidered lettering.

  "It's the mother tongue," he explained. "Essentially, the language of the vampires before they came here to Earth. Humans aren't taught to speak it, although, my mother says these particular symbols are a safety incantation."

  "I hope it doesn't get ruined, um, with all the blood and stuff."

  "No worries. We're staying here, we won't see any fighting."

  "Actually, I thought we'd go to the main hall," I admitted. And, when he started to object, I raised my hands in protest. "Look, I get it. We'd be acting against Adrian's wishes, but I refuse to sit here and let everyone die for me. And last I heard, I was in charge so I'm gonna pitch in."

  "Some of Tsedaka's men might penetrate our first line of defenses and access the main hall. You can't risk yourself. You're too important, especially now that we know you're the great queen."

  Oh god! More great queen nonsense. I rolled my eyes in exasperation. "Well, since how we proceed is ultimately my decision, I don't see the point in arguing. It's a waste of time. Therefore, I command you to accompany me and that's final." I hated giving him orders. Yet, I knew he wouldn't give in otherwise. And we were literally racing the clock with Tsedaka's goons already on the property.

  Emanating a robotic butler, Lucien bowed at the waist and drawled a disgustingly reverent, "As you wish."

  "Jesus!" I huffed, throwing my hands on my hips. "Everyone else kisses my ass enough. Not you too."

  "Sorry," he chuckled lightly, giving me another one of his crooked half-smiles. "And, girlie, you might wanna put your hood up. It'll help conceal the bite mark."

  Promptly, my cheeks flushed, turning a beet red. Talk about awkward. "Um, I..."

  "No explanation's necessary," he chimed in, focusing his brown eyes on mine. "I guess, I assumed you'd prefer to keep your exploits private."

  "Thanks, you're right," I mumbled sheepishly, arranging the hood in such a way that it thoroughly hid the indentations left behind by Adrian's teeth.

  I felt as if I should apologize, or explain, or say something. Although, in the end, I kept my mouth shut. Seriously, it's not like Lucien and I were dating. Plus, a battle with Tsedaka definitely trumped boyfriend drama.

  And so, we headed off to the main hall in silence, making it across the foyer unhindered. However, as soon as we entered the tunnels, four guards poofed into protective positions flanking us. Two in the front and two in the rear.

  I surveyed each of them as we walked, taking in the layers of weapons covering their bodies. They carried guns, knives, and short swords in sheathes on their backs. Moreover, I considered their powers, how they'd inherited them from Adrian. And I wondered if Lucien would eventually attain my ability to manipulate time.

  "It's certainly a possibility," Lucien answered mind to mind, listening in on my inner dialogue as usual. "My powers probably won't emerge for awhile longer, though. We'll have to wait and see." As he walked, I observed several bulges beneath his cloak. Apparently, he was packing too.

  "So, um, where are my weapons?"

  He laughed audibly. "You won't be needing any, girlie. No way is Lord Adrian gonna allow you to fight."

  Chapter 30

  Totally irked by Lucien's comment, I stewed while we finished our trek to the main hall. And when we made our entrance, joining the massive clutter of hysteric people scurrying around, my emotions were about to boil over. Nobody tells me what to do, I don't care who they are. If I wanted to fight, I'd fight. Plus, my powers were pretty useful.

  "You shouldn't have brought her here," Adrian hissed, glaring at Lucien as we strode onto the platform.

  "Sorry, your grace," Lucien pleaded, his demeanor that of an ardent brown-noser. "Luna didn't leave me much of a choice. She ordered me to..."

  "Hold on a minute," I grumped, scowling at both of them. "I'm my own person and if I say I'm gonna be here, I'm gonna be here. There's not a goddamn thing either of you can do about it."

  After several wordless moments, they eventually bowed to me in compliance. Then Adrian motioned toward his throne. "Would you care for a seat, my queen?"

  Hell no. I was readying myself to spout off some seriously sarcastic reply, when I noticed everyone in the room and stopped short. While a few of the onlookers were bowing in obnoxious supplication along with my men, most of them were simply staring up at us. And their faces, although covered by a range of expressions, were mostly cloaked in fear.

  Mentally shaking myself, I abhorred the fact that every deluded freak in this place believed I was their leader. Yet, at the same time, a part of me refused to let them down. Even worse, a deeply hidden sliver of my soul actually felt as if it'd been built for all this queen crap. And, let me tell you, that realization was extremely disconcerting to say the least.

  "Look," I called out in a voice charged with conviction. "We have too much important stuff going on right now for you all to be bowing to me. Please, continue with what you were doing. Rest assured, I will be fighting at your side." And with that, I turned and took the throne.

  "I'm glad to see that you're beginning to accept your station," Adrian admitted, stress lines creasing the skin below his eyes. "That said, I'm dead set against your participation in the battle. You may stay here..."

  "Frankly, if people are dying, we don't have time to argue about whether or not I'll be fighting. It's more important for you to get me up to speed. I mean, I don't even know if it's daylight, let alone anything else."

  He chuckled halfheartedly, a hint of exasperation creeping past his strong mask. "In short, it's midnight. Tsedaka brought his entire regiment of guards, which exceeds three hundred warriors. They're heavily armed and most of them inherited the use of fire..." Tilting his head to the side, his words suddenly broke off.

  I knew he was receiving some sort of telepathic communication. So, when he seemed to come back to reality, I anxiously asked, "What is it? W
hat's happened?"

  "Tsedaka's men," he wavered, voice sounding tired. "They set fires throughout slave housing."

  "Oh my god! Where are the people? Are they..." I couldn't finish my words. The idea of hundreds of innocents burning alive made me sick to my stomach.

  "Don't worry, we've evacuated the above ground sections. The children and elderly were hidden in the safe room beneath us hours ago. And the slaves remaining topside are all capable of fighting."

  "You mean, there are humans up there brawling with Tsedaka's superpowered lackeys?"

  Adrian nodded in earnest. "We need every soldier we can get."

  I remembered how easily I'd fended off my human attacker back at high court. A single punch had sent the guy flying into the wall hard enough to kill him on contact. If I'd done that on accident, I'd hate to think of what trained guards could do on purpose. "So, um," I swallowed hard. "Won't most of 'em die?"

  "Probably not, since they're armed. See that door over there?" he pointed to the far corner and, as I watched, several people walked out carrying machine guns. "That's our weapons cache. Bullets won't kill vampires, but they can be painfully distracting which will hopefully give us the upper hand."

  I had to force the next question from my lips, not looking forward to the answer. "How, um, how many of ours have died?"

  "Fewer than you'd think," he assured, shrewdly avoiding my gaze.

  "Just give me a number, Adrian," I insisted, hardly able to believe how calmly the words left my mouth. On the inside, I desired nothing more than to scream at him in aggravation. Everybody wanted me to step up and be the stupid great queen. Yet, the moment I started doing it, they handled me with kid gloves. Fuck this shit!

  He sighed, shoulders slumping noticeably. "Somewhere around seventy-five, give or take."

  Shock pulsated within me. Seventy-five lives, both human and vampire, had been given to protect me from my piece of crap father. In spite of my rational mind's comprehension that Tsedaka was the true source of their annihilation, my conscience still ached with guilt.

  And today's atrocities, coupled with the violent deaths of Amelia and Dawn, were only emphasized further as I glanced at Lucien's face. If the plastic surgeon didn't do a good job of fixing it, he'd be an ever present reminder of the horrific sacrifices that were made in my name. Honestly, my name wasn't worth it, even supposing I was the damn great queen.

  My soul simply couldn't tolerate anybody else dying for me. Furthermore, I knew that I'd never have peace as long as the old man stayed alive. So, this left me with one choice, fighting him on my own. What's the worst that could happen? He'd haul me back to high court and continue the torture? Or kill me? Both options gave me the willies, although, either one sat better with me than increasing the death toll.

  Abruptly, Adrian grabbed my hand, apparently having sensed my reckless scheme. "It's not safe for you to confront him yourself. I agree that cutting the head off the snake may be our best plan. That said, my soldiers should bear the weight of the task. Not you."

  "I really wish you wouldn't eavesdrop," I huffed, gritting my teeth in annoyance. "Look, I can stop time which is a considerable advantage above..."

  "No, you must save your power for a worst-case scenario," he growled, hurriedly shoving his free hand into his pocket and removing a key ring. "Here, these are to my Porsche." Without faltering, he tossed them into my lap. "If Tsedaka's forces get past our front lines, you'll need to halt the flow, take the car, and drive as far as you can prior to restarting it."

  "He's right, girlie," Lucien added, latching his hand solidly onto my shoulder. "And I'm not letting you battle the king by yourself."

  Oh, they were about to piss me off. They must've figured that touching me while I worked my magic would either enable them to tag along or it'd circumnavigate my tactics altogether. Nope, not gonna happen. "Lucien, I order you to step away," I hissed. "And Adrian, assuming you truly believe I'm your great queen, defer to my authority and stand down."

  In response, my protector swiftly released me. He had no choice in the matter, however, he did send an explosion of sadness and frustration across our bond. Appropriately, I felt utterly disgusted with myself for stripping him of his free will for a second time in under an hour. Nevertheless, it was a necessity. Because of our connection, he couldn't see past keeping me safe. And my single, solitary life wasn't a fair trade for hundreds.

  Adrian, on the contrary, didn't give in so easily. He actually had the audacity to grip my hand more firmly. "I'm aware that you're my queen and you outrank me. Despite those concessions, I also recognize that you're my mate. And I will not allow your foolishness to kill you. I'm unconcerned with how many of my people parish in your defense or that this inevitability angers you. I won't let you go after the king on your own."

  Glaring at him pointedly, my heart surged with resentment. "This is exactly what I was talking about earlier, before we hooked up. The sex was fun and all, but no man's ever gonna run my life."

  "You're so young and naïve," he ranted, remaining tightly anchored to me. "You can't possibly outmatch a vampire as old as the king. Beyond his incredible speed, he wields fire and is quite astute at handling a sword."

  "You believe in all the ridiculous prophecy garbage, right?" I sneered, wrinkling my eyebrows at him haughtily. "Then I can't possibly die today, otherwise none of it would come true." To be perfectly candid, I didn't know how much I really bought into Michel's mumbo-jumbo myself. But whatever. If it got me the results I wanted, fine.

  "I'm not permitting it," Adrian retorted bluntly. "Now, the matter's been decided. Let's move on to more pertinent issues."

  Rage exploded within me. Who in the hell did he think he was? "I'm no kept woman!" I snapped, employing every last ounce strength to wrench my fingers free from his grasp. In a flash, my efforts were victorious and I hastily froze the world. Fuck him!

  If it were possible, steam would've been rolling out of my ears as I marched into the weapons room. After a few adrenaline heaped moments of looking around, I decided that I needed to calm down. For my little impromptu mission to be a success, I couldn't be worked up into a frenzy over Adrian's controlling attitude. I'd have to deal with that another day.

  Pausing, I centered myself by sucking in a couple deep breaths. Then, several minutes later, with my blood pressure closer to normal, I selected a sword from the plethora of available weapons. Incidentally, there were guns, knives, and even stakes. For real, actual stakes. And, yeah, seeing them led to an amused grin on my part. I had absolutely no clue how to use one. Still, I thought it'd be kinda cool to say I staked vampire. Sadly, I did the smart thing and stuck with the weapon I'd successfully used on prior occasions.

  Making my way through the maze of tunnels and into the night took me awhile, nonetheless, I wasn't too distressed by the wasted time. Since I was alone, my power levels were holding up flawlessly. No migraines or shakiness. Essentially, the more people I displaced from the flow, the greater the drain. So, with only me, I breathed a bit easier. And, as I walked, I merely kept my mind on the goal. Killing Tsedaka. And maybe William and Petrus, if I met up with them.

  Finally stepping outdoors, I was greeted by total chaos. It triggered memories of battles I'd seen in the X-Men movies. Well, to be more descriptive, an X-Men movie on pause. Regardless, some of the vamps manipulated fire, while those opposing them used water. Likewise, many had erected colorful barriers to protect themselves. And, to my surprise, a few were even shielding a group of gun toting humans.

  Smoke from the rows of burning houses completely filled the sky, accompanied by flying bullets, and, strangely enough, a number of vampires. In turn, envy flitted across my emotions. The ability to fly, now that'd be a freaking amazing gift. Don't get me wrong, stopping time was damn useful. But flying, man. For years, I'd flown during my dreams. I'd just never thought a slumberland fantasy might literally be a reality.

  Briefly, I wondered which specific power enabled their flight, before shaking my h
ead and urging my inner ramblings back to the task at hand. My energy reserves wouldn't hold out indefinitely. So, renewed of purpose, I continued on with the survey of my surroundings, witnessing numerous other oddities.

  The single most grisly sight was a pair of snow leopards double teaming a dead vamp. The first kitty cat chewed on the neck while the second one scratched at an open chest cavity. They were partially covered in blood, yet I could still identify them by their magnificently spotted silverish-gold coats. To be honest, the whole scene thoroughly baffled me. I mean, how in the world had Adrian obtained the large cats? Beyond that, how had he managed to train them? They were an endangered species and clearly vicious animals.

  My reticent musings aside, I pushed on. And as I moved, I saw a lot more death. Bloody, pale bodies were scattered randomly along the ground. The dead vampires, with their missing heads, were easy to differentiate from their human counterparts. Regrettably, I quickly realized that close to five humans had died for every one vampire. Accordingly, my stomach grew queasier and queasier, fueling a fiercely venomous mindset. Payback's gonna be a bitch, you psychotic asshole. Payback's gonna be a bitch.

  Anger spurning me on, I tramped over acres of blood splattered grass and was seriously appreciative of my cloak's insulation against the chilly night air. The minutes seemed to drag on forever, although, I did eventually find the bastard. He stood beneath one of the large wind turbines, just to the outside of a makeshift door his goons evidently cut into the chain-link fence to expedite their assault.

  And, well, he saw me coming. He hadn't completely stopped, like everybody else. Instead, he moved in slow motion, directing fire to shield the area surrounding him. It began in a red-hot circle at his feet and shot up toward his waist. The flames were thick, blue tinged, and comprised a five foot impenetrable ring. Unfortunately for me, once I was within striking range, they'd completely enveloped his body.