by L. C White
“Then I will kill you. You have to stop this Maeve,” he says, desperately. “Go home. Pretend we never met. Be a human fuckin being. I can end all this. I can stop the war. But you will ruin me. I’m dead already, and I’m going to take them all with me. You can’t be near me for that.”
He gently pulls up my arms. As I quietly sniffle, he carefully removes the belt from my wrists, disgusted in himself. My whole body trembles with the urge to grab a hold of him. I still need him.
“I’m so fuckin sorry.” His lips sweep over mine. “Forget me, Maeve.”
He backs away from me, taking a wallet full of cash from his pocket. He slams it on the dresser, and jogs out of the front door.
I slide down to the floor in tears, listening to the grumble of his bike fade away.
Chapter 26: Tension
Liz
“Liz, will you open this door,” Adrien yells. “I’ll kick it down.”
Oh great, that will just make everything better. I can’t face another argument about this. I’m sick and tired of listening to him telling me Daniel will be okay. That he’ll get to the bottom of who the hell this Lillian is. Christ, it was only just yesterday I saw that look in his deep hazel eyes. Like I’d purposely gone out and fucked Laurie to produce a love child. How was I supposed to know one of my eggs, had been frigging smuggled out of that warehouse? The whole building went up in flames. How were any of us to know, Laurie was alive and kicking, biding his time to start this goddamn war. All these years protecting Daniel, growing accustom to myself being a fucking vampire, and for what; for all hell to break loose.
“Please Liz, just talk to me.”
I can virtually see him through the bathroom door. His head pressed up against the wood, his sexy eyes all sad and pleading. He’s always been able to open me up, still those human emotions and feelings for him remain solidly intact, firmly coiled around my vampire heart.
“Look, Ben and Dom have gone to find that young Sang. She’ll be able to give us the information we need.”
I smirk to myself, my fingers clutching the frosted glass sink. That girl will be long gone by now. Not only because Laurie will be after her, but I didn’t do a great job of calming the heated discussion. I attacked her. I know, it was stupid and not the most tactical thing to do to get a traitor on our side, but I couldn’t help it. She was being a snappy bitch with me, and I wanted details without hesitation. Adrien didn’t have a problem with my aggressive outburst, but Nathan did. He dragged me away with the help of Dom, and called me a stupid cow. Looking back, I should have walloped him in the face. Sometimes I miss the human Nathan. The Executive Nathan is so uptight, playing by the rule book, when right now rules should be thrown out of the damn window.
“Liz, you are sulking like a toddler. Do you really think that behaving like this is helping?” Here he is, Mr Dominant, putting in his two-pence worth. “You haven’t fed today have you?”
“Adrien, piss-off… please.” I offer him a ‘please’ to make my insult sound more polite.
Being a vampire has sort of pacified me over the years. I’ve been calm, and the only emotions that really affect me is the vampire sexual instinct. Vampire sex is great, I cannot lie. We feed off each other, and when we climax it is much more intense than the tiny human high. Other than that, I deal well in any situation. I’m usually confident. But since I lost Daniel, everything has become muddled up. I’m feeling so helpless. I have no control. I’m more than dead inside because I feel like Daniel has given in.
I should have spotted the signs. I should have given him more credit so he could open his heart up to me. I should have never allowed Maeve into our home, to turn our existence upside down, and then fuck off. I knew exactly what was going on between them. I saw the heat bouncing off them when they were near each other. At the time, I thought it was simple lust. But I was so wrong, and Daniel knew I wasn’t happy about it. He felt he had to keep secrets from us, and it kills me that he has confided in that evil asshole, Laurie.
“Do you want a glass of wine?” his tone muffles through the wood.
“No!” I push myself off the sink. “I don’t want a glass of wine!”
“I’m not going to leave until you open this damn door.”
I look at my reflection. To say I now have eternal youth, I look like shit. My eyes are dark, my lips are cracking, and I’m so drained. I need blood.
I came in here for a timeout. It was hearing Nathan and Sara screwing in the bedroom that made me flip. It wouldn’t matter if an asteroid was about to hit the earth. If those two don’t bang each other at least twice a day, they begin to bicker like kids. Nathan requires his Vigore sexual feed, or his concentration vacates the building. To him, it’s essential to keep him sharp. But to us Sang, it’s fucking annoying.
“Gwen is on her way,” he adds, thinking that will pacify me.
Gwen has been in contact with us since all this began. She’s kind of like Merlin to Arthur. She offers her counsel to the coven, and has been solid with every reading. But now things have gone so deep: tarot cards, blood readings, and rune stones, are useless.
“I’m going to count to three,” he says, annoyed. “One.” I blow out and make my way across the bathroom. “Two. Three.” I swing open the door on three.
“Happy?” I grumble.
“No.” He has that firm strict look on his face.
I brush passed him as he removes his glasses to rub his eyes. It’s only since we arrived in London that he’s had to wear them, and his shades. His migraines have flared up, not due to blood deprivation, but stress. I’ve not been very understanding, I’ll admit that. Finding Daniel is the most important thing to me right now.
I peer out across the illuminated city, taken back to my human days when I used to look out of the very same window. The time when I was happy dating a vampire. A time I willingly offered myself to be turned. And even though everything is so fucked-up right now, I would do it all again, for Daniel. The years on the ranch were the most content years I’ve had. It’s as though whatever gods reside in the sky, they looked down at us, and decided we’re no longer worthy of happiness. Gwen has always warned us, that the day may come where Daniel would have to choose. That’s why we did our best to keep him away from blood. It would have tipped the scales in the favour of his Dhampir.
I sense Adrien at my back. His arms slide around me, closing securely around my waist. I close my eyes and huff out, needing his touch to sooth me.
“We need to be strong, Elizabeth,” he says quietly into my ear. “It’s no good locking yourself away from me. You know tactics like that don’t work.”
I turn around to look into his soft eyes. “I need out of this damn penthouse. We need to find Daniel and Maeve, and being here is not going to do that.”
I still love Nathan. He’s loyal, and will always be close to me. But his ways are not going to find my son. Adrien can. I know he can. He has contacts everywhere. He’s still secretly making deals. And there are Sang out there who will follow him into the fire. I wish right now he was in Nathan’s place. I need him to be ruthless, uncaring, and willing to kill, like me.
“Running around the city is a risk, Elizabeth. What if we’re seen?” he asks.
“That is the last thing I’m worried about. If you’re not going to do it, then I’ll find Laurie. I can make him tell me where Daniel is,” I snap, turning to look up to his disappointed face.
“You’re not thinking straight. You’re not strong enough to take on the Voax alone. There are hundreds, if not thousands of them. It’s an organisation.”
“What happened to you?” I yell. “To the Executive who would go out there and fight.”
“Elizabeth, before we know what has happened to Daniel, there is no point in running around the city with our fangs out. So stop being so fuckin ridiculous about this.”
“You should have faith in your son.” I blink slowly, pissed-off that he presumes the worst of Daniel.
I press my lips toget
her, lowering my head. But Adrien will not allow me to wallow. His fingers slide up my face, moving my view to his. He’s now going to give me what for. I can see the irritation in him. He has a speech all prepared in his head.
“Listen to me. You stop this right now.” He leans and kisses my lips hard and sharp, before pulling back. “We will wait for Gwen. We will wait for the rebellion. A suicide mission is pointless. Okay?” His deep brow and stern eyes fix on me.
“Okay,” I say, begrudgingly.
***
Sara swans across the penthouse, all sexually refreshed. Running her fingers through her hair, she helps herself to a blood bag from beneath the kitchen island. I don’t want to talk to her. I will only end up calling her a slut. I hate staying here. Once, I loved spending time with old friends, catching up. But now, every single one of them rubs me up the wrong way.
Nathan fastens up the top button on his white shirt. He’s wearing the standard Executive attire: fitted black suit and designer shoes. He’s clean shaven and professional looking. Why he’s making such an effort to look great, is beyond me. The entire pyramid has collapsed under him. His power has gone, and he’s more concerned with how he looks. It’s a frigging joke.
“Hey,” he says, perching on the couch next to me.
He places his hand on my knee and gives me this infuriating condescending grin. I roll my eyes at him, wondering when he lost his balls.
“You should feed Liz, you look like crap.”
If I hear those words again, I’m going to kill something. I don’t need blood. I need answers. I remain mute, glaring a warning at him. His hand flies off my knee. He’s wary, and he should be.
“I’m doing my best,” he says.
“Well your best isn’t good enough.”
“Excuse me, I’ve been busting my balls, trying to find Daniel and Maeve.”
“And?” I ask, sarcastically indicating he’s failed.
“And I’m making progress.” He pushes himself up.
“Nathan,” I yell, knowing he’s got some breadcrumbs for me. “What do you know?”
“I know where Laurie is,” he says. “I’m waiting on Leanna to find out what we’re up against.”
I spring up from the couch. “And Daniel is with him?”
His nostrils flare out a breath. He doesn’t want to tell me. He’s worried I’ll make some rash and reckless decision. I don’t give in though, and continue to stare him out.
“As of yet, no sightings of Daniel,” he says. “Some of those who joined the Voax on the promise of better ways, are beginning to realise, Laurie is full of bullshit. Some have offered up information to the Vigore council. Look Liz.” He takes a step closer. “You don’t know how far Laurie has gone to corrupt Daniel. Some vampires have seen him, and what they witnessed wasn’t the innocent child you brought into the world. If he’s working alongside Laurie, you know we have to stop him.”
My eyes blacken, and my fangs throb. I’m not going to stand back and allow the coven to decide Daniel’s fate. I’m his mother. I know how strong he is, and I know he’ll fight this.
“Don’t look at me like that, Liz,” he says. “I’ve had reports that this Dhampir, Lillian, has murdered for Laurie. She is his puppet, and one evil bitch. If Daniel is becoming like her…”
“No!” I yell, noticing Sara coming closer out of the corner of my eye. “You’ve watched him grow. You’ve been there since the start of all this, and you’re giving up on him!”
“You think I’ll have him killed?”
“Yes I do.”
“Then you clearly have forgotten who I am,” he says. “I’ll do everything in my power to help Daniel.” He marches away as the front door opens.
Adrien comes out of Nathan’s office to stand at my side.
Leanna enters first, then Gwen, then the one vampire everyone thought was dead, Demetrius, along with two bodyguards. He floats across the room, his gaunt eyes acknowledging me. He’s the one who brought me back, and he commands my loyalty. But loyalty means fuck all to me now.
He stops before the table full of papers and information. His eyes hover over our findings and he nods his head.
Nathan holds out his hand to greet Demetrius, but Demetrius refuses.
“Demetrius,” Adrien says. “How are you…”
Demetrius cuts in, “Here. Well, that is a tale worth telling. And you inept stupid assholes, are going to know all about it. Can any of you not do as I ask?” he yells, his pale face creasing. “One simple job of burning all the evidence, and you couldn’t even do that right. Now we are all paying for your mistakes.” He holds his hands behind his long black jacket, pacing from one of his bodyguards to the other. “The Order’s downfall came by the hand of a female Dhampir. Your daughter I believe, Elizabeth. She was raised in secret. Trained to kill vampire. Trained to be a leader for the Voax.”
Adrien growls in a low breath. “The Order was responsible for punishing Laurie. He’s supposed to be dead.”
“Well he’s not, and it seems he has more intelligence than all of you braindead imbeciles put together.” Again he paces from bodyguard to bodyguard. “Lillian has been blood feeding since birth. She’s strong, and was made to lead along with the first born, the son, Daniel. If he’s feeding, then we’ll need more than god on our side,” he sneers at every single one of us. “Witch, tell them,” he orders Gwen to step forward.
Gwen plonks her bag of tricks on the kitchen island, offers me a sympathetic look, and moves into the middle of the room.
“It’s like the past happening again,” she says in a breath. “Meredith drank the blood of her Muse to save him from the pure ones, because they didn’t want to share her. But she became too powerful. Too lost to the Dhampir. She accidently killed her Muse, and distraught and broken by what she had done, she vowed to kill her keepers and all vampire, but they got to her first. I couldn’t connect the dots at first. Laurie thinks he can harness Daniel’s power by using Maeve against him, but he can’t harness the destruction of love. If Daniel is pushed, there is no telling how far he’ll go.”
“Daniel is different.” I step forward and look directly at Demetrius. “You gave us the chance, and we followed your instruction. He’s nothing like Lillian.”
“You think you can control what is inside him, when clearly you cannot,” Demetrius states assertively. “He’s a danger to us all, as is Lillian, and Laurie. All need eradicating. I am what is left of the Order, and you all have a duty to me.”
He walks to the table as Adrien grips my arm tight. He won’t let go because he knows I’m losing it.
Nathan hangs his head, and goes to stand at Demetrius’s side.
“What are your plans?” Demetrius asks Nathan. “Have you gathered an army?”
“I’m sorry,” Nathan yaps. “But this is not the dark ages. You want us all out fighting on the streets. What a fuckin fantastic way to reveal vampires to the entire world!”
“I’m passed caring about our cover,” Demetrius says. “I’ve been on the run for weeks, hiding like a damn dog from the Voax. I want revenge. I want heads, and you’re going to give them to me.” Nathan walks away from Demetrius. “For too long you Executives have been running things into the ground. You are what you are because The Order allowed it.” He looks directly at me, his pinpointed eyes threatening. “Your son is no longer your son. We have all lost those close to us, but if wrong is done, it must be undone. If he is found, he is to be handed over to me.”
My arm yanks against Adrien’s grip, as Demetrius walks to the door. He stops and turns in the doorway, looking over the shoulder of one of his guards.
“Nathan, I expect to hear from you soon about progress.” He vanishes.
I grunt out a furious breath, breaking the silence. Nathan violently sweeps everything from the table onto the floor. Paper floats down beneath Sara’s boots as she hurries over to console him.
I look up to Adrien and I see his jawline churning. “Forget Demetrius, Nathan. Forget ser
ving the goddamn Order.”
“I have bodies ready, if you want to give the order to move out,” Leanna says to Nathan.
“I can’t give the fuckin go ahead to start a war between vampires. I need some damn time to think!” Nathan charges into his office and slams the door shut.
Sara looks at my rage. “Adrien,” she says. “Make sure Liz stays here.”
Bitch, coming the all high and mighty with me. She takes her role as Executive’s wife to a whole new level, believing she can tell me what to do.
“Liz,” Gwen says. “I only compared Daniel to Meredith, because that’s what Demetrius wants to believe. Maybe I’m wrong. Daniel is strong and he had you. Meredith had only those who used her.”
If her words are supposed to offer me some consolation, they have fucking failed. Not only does Laurie want my son, but now Demetrius too. He might be a danger to all vampire kind, but to me, he’s just Daniel. I have to find him, even if it means doing it alone, I will.
I shake my arm away from Adrien. I can feel the rare sting of upset glazing my eyes. I thunder across the penthouse toward the door panel, only to be yanked back by Adrien.
“What do you want to do?” he asks.
My anger fades a little, seeing the sweet understanding in his eyes.
“I want to get our son back, and I will do anything for it.” I feel that strange choked up human feeling inside my throat.
“Elizabeth, you know I won’t allow you to come to harm.” He takes me in his arms, his hand cupping my hair. “It’s my job to protect you, and Daniel.”
“It isn’t,” I say quietly, drawing back to look into his eyes. “It’s ours.”
Chapter 27: Screwed
Nathan
Sara flaunts into my office and closes the door. I really don’t need her wittering on to me about how everything is going to be fine. She’s been my backbone all these years. My submissive dominant lover. My support. But right now, I need none of those things from her. I need this fuckin pressure off me. I need to be able to think in silence.
