Chapter 8 – Admissions and Memories
Anna's P.O.V
To say that the evening was mesmerizing would be an understatement. Although I could have spent the rest of my life dancing and being swept away by the sweet music, all things have to come to an end. As the crowd starts to thin I realize that this enchanting, mesmerizing, beautiful evening is indeed slowly coming to its end. It isn't long until there are only a handful of people left, barely enough to count on two hands.
Not long after everyone leaves I am being led into a living room of sorts, adorned with deep chestnut brown furniture surrounding the roaring fire. Lord Augustus and Lady Astoria are sitting next to each other on one of the love seats. Lord Baron rests in an arm chair, a concoction of blood and scotch entwined in his silver goblet. Kayden leans against the silver mantle piece above the gated fire place. Shade is in another armchair across from Lord Baron and I am sitting with Victor in a second love seat, directly across from its matching pair. The only other noticeable things in the room are the slim, glass coffee table between the matching love seats and the walls adorned with bookshelves filled with books of every shape, colour and size.
"This place has really gone to the dogs," Is the snarly remark that breaks the silence. It doesn't surprise me much that it comes from a drunken Shade. I have been watching him partying it up all night, and now in the silent and peaceful room, where there are no rowdy girls he can get attention from, he is entering into a dark and brooding mood which I have been expecting to surface for sometime.
"What do you mean?" Victor asks his voice quick and sharp, like the edge of a dagger. I can see that he is assessing some threat or another that could have arisen during the time he was with me, but I simply cannot comprehend what this threat could be.
"He means," Kayden quickly speaks up without turning from the flickering flames. "That while you and that bloody prince of the Skin-walkers were gone, not only did you leave your role in your Adviser's capable hands," "Here, Here," Lord Baron cheers and I instantly know that he is Victor's adviser, "But that Christian did as well Fawkes has been giving us trouble at every bloody turn. So it would have been better if this place had gone to the dogs, rather than those blasted two-faced devils," Kayden spits, the venom obvious in his voice as he talks about Christian and the Skin-walkers.
"We need to start planning for war; those devils need to learn their place in the Underworld. That it is below us vampires and that they can either bow to us, or that their existence can be extinguished like the flames of mortal lives," Lord Baron spits, before he takes a large gulp of the goblet in his hands.
"Maybe it's time for the secret weapon to be in use Victor," Lord Augustus' voice is soft but firm as he meets Victor's crimson eyes "If war is to be on the way and you to lead us, then perhaps it is time to train yourself to be able to use it to it's full extent. It would be stupid not to use everything we have to aid us if it is war that we seek against the two-faced devils." There is uneasiness in Victor that I cannot explain, a tension in his shoulders, an aching in his soul that I can feel reverberating within my own.
"Can we talk about this later," Victor's voice is soft, pained as if what ever secret weapon they are talking about pains him to speak of it. As if it was a curse more than a blessing in time of war. Augustus nods his head in agreement
"I don't understand. I know of Christian and he is a nasty piece of work but not all the Skin-walkers could be like him. Why must we seek war if not all Skin-walkers are bad? Would it not be more profitable to simply organize an assassination of their Leader?" I ask, begging for the situation to be explained.
"They're ruthless, carnal devils. They have no understanding of mortal life, or how precious life is. All that they care about is their own desires, whether of blood or flesh. They think death is simply a game, that the lives of mortals are something for them to play around with. That they hold the scissors of fate, to cut the strings of mortal life, to see the flames extinguish in their prey's eyes. They're all the same and they all deserve to die." Shade's voice is cold and holds no mercy for the Skin-walkers, the ghosts of his past echoing in his eyes. Everyone is silent for a while as Shade's words sink in.
However after a few moments Lord Augustus speaks up, "Shade is right, Anna. Skin-walkers are cold and ruthless. They are carnal, however they are not primitive creatures, they are smart and strong and with their lack of regard for any sort of rules they are simply deadly. The only thing that they are afraid of is us, Vampires, which is why we have dominion over them. However, be that as it may, they do not care for anyone's life mortal or immortal."
"My husband is correct on this matter Anna, we vampire women do not seek war, we do not enjoy dwelling in death but if the Skin-walkers do not meet the hand that fate has dealt them with, then our world and lives as we know it will be nothing more but a barren waste land. We cannot survive while they still live." Lady Astoria adds, her bell like voice tinkling over the cold words. I cannot fathom why but I feel as if I understand what she is saying, I feel as if I understand what they're all saying. I feel eyes on me and I turn to find Kayden watching me.
"I've been in service for Victor for a few centuries Anna, I've lived by my sword and acted without stopping to think, at least when it came to those devils. I've taken lives, and saved a few too. I've seen things that nobody should have to see. But in all this time I've come to learn that all that Lord Augustus and Lady Astoria have said is true, the only reason why we haven't taken the problem out yet is because of the Shape Shifters, my own people Anna. We're like the Skin-walkers in a sense, but instead of taking on the form of other people we take on the form of animals. I refuse to kill my own kind until I know that every single one of them is on the Skin-walkers side, something I hope will never happen but that raises problems of its own." Kayden says, his voice just as cold and uncaring as the other's towards the Skin-walkers. It is silent for a while, everyone reflecting on the words that have been spoken. I can feel something stirring within Victor. I want to do something to help him, to make him feel better but there is nothing that I can do, there are no words that I can say. I feel at home and yet lost all the same.
"Anna, out all of us I'm probably the one to hate them the most. They took something from me when I was a child, something that every child needs. Well except for you, you probably would have been better off without your father. But I was not. They took my parents from me, in the dead of night. My memory of the beach was with Skin-walkers who had taken the place of my parents. I thought it was them, I had arrived at the beach with my parents but when I came back to them they were different. They were cold and cruel towards me; I could see it in their eyes that it wasn't them. I lost control that day, I killed two Skin-walkers and although I don't regret it, I never learned of what happened to my parents. I've searched every inch of the Underworld for them and I am yet to find them. I came to the conclusion long ago that those Skin-walkers killed them. It is that or I killed them myself and I can not allow myself to believe that. I have no place in my heart for the Skin-walkers, every single one of them are the same, and every single one of them are going to die. Whether all at once, in a war that will live on through the histories and us forever, or I will hunt them down and kill them one by one with my own hands, it really doesn't matter to me. I will not rest until I have seen to it. I don't expect you to understand Anna, none of us do but it is a necessity that will be met," Victor says before getting up and crossing the room, pacing the length of the Persian rug. Again silence ensues, each one of those present falling into their own thoughts. I remain silent, out of respect for Victor's parents. I know it would have meant the world to him if I had had the opportunity to meet them.
"They were good people. They didn't hate me because I was a Shape Shifter, if anything they loved me because of it. I remember when I first met them Vic, I was so terrified that they were going to cast me aside, simply because I wasn't a vampire, but they didn't. I remember his father asking me if I was on vacation he
re, and when I told him that I was not I remember him smiling at me. I remember him asking if I was a vampire with that same smile on his face and when I told him that I was not, that I was a Shape Shifter he knelt down so that he was at my height, looked me in the eyes and told me "good, because my son here needs to learn that not all Shape Shifters are bad." I had been petrified.
Chapter 9 – Strange Dreams
Anna's P.O.V
I run as fast as I can, from what? I don't know. My feet burn as if I'm walking through fire, my muscles spasm from the over-exertion, and I'm failing to breathe properly. Its stupid to run, as it is almost impossible to out run a vampire, but I had to try because he was here, and Victor – my protector, my saviour and my betrothed – was not.
"Come out, Come out wherever you are." I hear his cold voice purr, daring me to face him. I shudder violently as I wait in fear for his approach. "I know you're here love; I can hear your heart beating." I hold my breath, but I know that it will do nothing if he could hear that clearly. My eyes flutter close of their own accord as I will my heart to stop beating so fast.
"Stop trying to deny the inevitable love. I will eventually find you and mark you as my own, and you will be alone once more, without a shoulder to cry about the injustice on." A few minutes of silence pass before he's speaking again, this time his voice is gentle, alluring as he says "I promise not to harm her, I will allow her to keep her life as a sign of good faith but you must show yourself Anna, I am getting weary of this game." I instantly know he's lying, about sparing Meg's life. Christian's a cold, heartless bastard, he wouldn't spare a life to even keep his own.
"You're lying. If I have learned anything in my time here, it's that promises don't mean anything, unless if you make a vow to keep your word," I say as I step out from the little alcove I have been hiding in. As soon as I am in sight his eyes are devouring my body, as if I were the most beautiful thing in the world.
"You are correct love, I wouldn't be able to keep that promise, and I wouldn't make a vow to do so either. Meg has very little time left. The question is will you go past the point of no return? Will you surrender yourself to save your friend? Or will you let her die in your place? Clock's ticking Love, which is it going to be?" His dark eyes dare me to choose, to choose Meg or myself but before I can answer him, the world shakes violently and I hear a deep voice speaking out over us. Christian stands still before me, he hasn't moved, it's almost as if the earthquake did not just happen, as if he heard nothing. He's just standing there waiting for my answer, I try to answer him but as I open my mouth to do so everything but me, wisps away in a cloud of black smoke.
I wake up with a start, searching the shadows in the room for that devil of a man but he's not here, and as I relax back into the bed, I simply stare up at the roof. What was that? It could not have simply been just a dream, now could it? It seemed too real, felt too real but what other options did I have than to acknowledge it as a bad dream? The possibilities are vast and terrifying, like the idea of Christian being inside of my head, knowing my thoughts and fears, reading me as if I were an open book! But I cannot dwell on the possibilities.
I lay in bed for a while longer, letting the light of day awaken my mind and chase away the fears of the night, before I get up to get prepared for the day. I already know what I'm going to wear and so it isn't such a dreary process to prepare myself.
It isn't long until I'm dressed and in the study room, the same room which had been in our use last night, that I find myself looking through the books upon the wall. Victor has row upon row of books, the shelves reaching from the mid-waist to the ceiling. He has books that I love, books that I hate and books that I've never heard of before. I search for a book about the history on vampires and after an excruciating and thorough search I find one stuck in between Les Miserables and Dracula. The cover of The Underworld; Vampires and their History is gray and drab; it is thick as to the point where it would be classified as a tome. However when I pull on it to remove it from the shelf, it barley moves. Instead the sound of grating stone comes from the fireplace and I stop my struggles to remove the book, if only to see what is making the horrid sound.
I move cautiously towards it, both afraid and curious as to what the secret is to the horrid noise. As I peer into the fireplace I can see stairs leading down into darkness, which pikes my curiosity further, and brings questions to the front of my mind. I can hear footsteps echoing off of the stone wall as they ascended the stone steps, and I can hear voices floating up as well.
"Victor, I know I'm not your adviser or anything but I am your Oath Brother. You need to get rid of that thing, it's nothing more than skin and bones, and I don't think your betrothed would be very pleased to know what you're doing to it." I hear Kayden say to Victor. I quickly move away from the fireplace, and make my way out the door, closing it quietly behind me. My mind races with questions, what is he hiding? Why is he hiding it? What is he doing to it and why? But the answers evaded me, and I refuse to ask him about it.
"Anna doesn't need to know about my little experiments." I hear Victor say. There is silence for a while before I hear him speak up again. "Kayden, he knows where my parents are and yet he refuses to tell me. You know better than anyone that I'll do whatever it takes and more to find my parents, to even know what happened to them."
"I know Vic, but do you need to use your gift? It'll eventually kill him won't it?" Kayden asks, I cannot see them as I hide in the alcove next to the study doors, but I can hear the concern in Kayden's voice and I can imagine his hand resting on Victor's shoulder.
"Death is impossible for people like him, so my curse won't kill him, but it will cause him unbearable pain, and that's all I need to get the information from him," Victor says, his voice dark and cold, I shuddered to imagine that voice being directed to me so coldly.
"Come with me Kayden, I have to show you some new plans that I've been working on in the war room," Victor says before I hear footsteps walking away.
"You go ahead I'll be with you in a moment," Kayden calls, I wait in silence for him to leave too but I know that he won't just as I know that he is aware that I have been present for quite some time. It isn't long until he finds my hiding place in the alcove and the grimace on his face tells me that he is not happy about me eavesdropping.
"If you were anyone other than Victor's betrothed, I would be sentencing you to have your ears cut off for eavesdropping," Kayden says with a scowl, "Even so, I should be punishing you for your act of felony... But I won't. Instead you're going to answer one simple question for me; why were you eavesdropping on us?" He waits patiently for an answer, and for a moment I'm persuaded by the idea of running from him, but I want Kayden to trust me and I cannot possibly out run a Shape-shifter, could I?
"I swear I didn't hear much Kayden. I was in the study doing some research on vampire history, but then I heard the pair of you coming towards the study, and so I left before I was found in the room. Problem is you came out of the study rather than into it, and I had but little choice, either hide here in this alcove or be caught leaving. Not that I was doing anything wrong, but I was afraid of being accused of doing so," I say, answering his question as best as I can. I leave out the fact that I know that they came out of the stairs that descend from the fireplace. I was grateful for the fact that Kayden isn't a mind reader, although he's quite apt to pick up when someone is lying, as he takes my answer quickly and without complaint.
"Well then you heard that Victor requires me to go over some plans with him, so I must bid you adieu fair maiden," Kayden says, as he bends at the waist to kiss my hand. "I hope to see you again at supper tonight. I believe that your friend Meg has been sent to work in the upstairs parlour, if you wish for some company, but I must insist that you stay away from empty corridors and locked rooms, it is simply for your own safety." And then he's walking away from me. I make my way down the corridor without looking back, even though I feel eyes watching me. When I no longer feel Kayden's eyes watching me,
I turn back around and decided to follow him. I want to see what he and Victor are to talk about. This curiosity brings me to the corridor of Victor's throne room, to find that there is a door slightly ajar opposite of the throne room.
"The time for war is now Kayden, we cannot continue to live with the Skin-walkers reign of terror. I will not allow my people to live in fear any longer!" Victor sounds demanding, nothing like I've ever heard him before. As much as it's terrifying, it is also strangely thrilling and enchanting.
"So what's the plan? Do you want me to take my men out and infiltrate the Skin-walker's territory?" Kayden asks, his voice as deadly cold as it was before when I had overheard the two of them talking.
"No, we need something more direct. At the end of the week I plan to leave the castle. Shade, you and I will visit the different kingdoms and attempt to recruit the kingdoms on to our side. I know that you're apt enough to handle it," Victor says. I peer into the room and see Kayden slam his fists onto the table.
"And what of those who refuse to join us? Those whom refuse to unite?" Kayden asks his voice, demanding to know of the consequences. I see him flinch when Victor throws him a deadly glare.
"Then they will be on the Skin-walkers side, and be treated as one of them in the war," Victor says, his voice as cold as ice and as hard as steel, warning his brother not to double cross him.
The Fire Within (The Fire of The Soul Series) Page 8
