by C. M. Steele
Bound
A Lamian Wars Novel
Book I
C.M. Steele
Copyrighted © 2016
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written expressed permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is purely coincidental.
Cover design: ZH Designs
Cover Image: Lindee Robinson Photography by Lindee Robinson.
Models: Andrew Kruczynski and Alyse Madej
The use of actors, artists, movies, TV shows, and song titles/lyrics throughout this book are done so for storytelling purposes and should in no way be seen as advertisement. Trademark names are used in an editorial fashion with no intention of infringement of the respective owner’s trademark.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and please purchase your own copy.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior express, written consent of the author.
This book is intended for mature adults only. Contains sexual content and language that may offend some. Suggested reading audience is 18 years or older. I consider this book as Adult Erotic Romance.
Chapter One—Falcon
Castello di Lombardi…two months later
Chapter Two—Falcon
Chapter Three—Falcon
Chapter Four—Draco
Chapter Five—Falcon
Chapter Six—Falcon
Chapter Seven—Leonora
Chapter Eight—Falcon
Chapter Nine—Leonora
Chapter Ten—Falcon
Chapter Eleven—Leonora
Chapter Twelve—Falcon
Chapter Thirteen—Leonora
Chapter Fourteen—Charlotte
Chapter Fifteen—Draco
Chapter Sixteen—Falcon
Chapter Seventeen—Leonora
Chapter Eighteen—Draco
Chapter Nineteen—Leonora
Chapter Twenty—Falcon
Chapter Twenty-One—Leonora
Chapter Twenty-Two—Draco
Chapter Twenty-Three—Charlotte
Chapter Twenty-Four—Falcon
Chapter Twenty-Five—Leonora
Chapter Twenty-Six—Falcon
Chapter Twenty-Seven—Charlotte
Chapter Twenty-Eight—Draco
Chapter Twenty-Nine—Falcon
Chapter Thirty—Leonora
Chapter Thirty-One—Falcon
Chapter Thirty-Two—Leonora
Chapter Thirty-Three—Falcon
Chapter Thirty-Four—Draco
Chapter Thirty-Five—Falcon
Chapter Thirty-Six—Leonora
Chapter Thirty-Seven—Falcon
Book II coming April 2017
REVEAL
Chapter One—Falcon
1695—A battlefield in Southern Italy
The sounds of metal striking metal clashed like thunder through the air. I had just dispatched the latest vampire to test my blade and I was onto the next. The battle took place miles from the nearest human village in the cover of night. To them it must have sounded like a storm was slowly approaching, however, it was our deadly war to save the humans.
For over fifty years, I had battled my own kind for domination of the peoples. The vampire world had been guided by the Supreme Council, most of whom were my family. Eight governors of the regions along with the ten Lords of Europe and my parents, the King and Queen, made up the Council. I was one of the Lords, in charge of battle and war, a duty that had been bestowed upon me on my twenty-ninth year when the former leader perished.
It was then that I was teamed up with my greatest friend and warrior Draco Romano. We battled the enemy together, easily destroying our greatest foe The Lamia. They were a large and growing group of vampires that sought to dominate the human and vampire worlds alike, making the humans our slaves and feasting on some of their bodies until they were lifeless.
In good consciousness, we could do no such thing, and thus a war raged on between us. The Lamia were cloaked in secrecy greater than the world had known before; however, we had one advantage they did not. We had my mother. She was given the gift of sight and had guided us to places in advance of an attack. The visions were not always clear but had been extremely useful. This battle had come as a surprise since we had defeated them here not too long ago, but I supposed that was their plan.
“Falcon,” Draco shouted. I swiftly turned to see an enemy with his blade coming down toward me. I rolled out of the way and swung my blade down with a whoosh, taking off the vampire’s head. His death was imminent and richly deserved. I grabbed my dagger from my waist and thrusted it into his heart, ending another life like mine. His body disintegrated and turned to ash. This was the only way to kill a vampire, and Draco and I were the best at it.
I raced through the lines of the Council’s Army and The Lamia’s, slicing my way across, wounding many of their vampires, and allowing our army to strike easily. The fight would be much faster to the human eye, almost a blur of men swinging weapons and bodies disappearing into nothingness. But to us, the fight was so clear that I saw my enemies and their blades as though they were moving sluggishly. Our quickness hadn’t been our only gift as vampires. There was also a beneficial gift of reading humans’ minds. We had the power to soar and leap great distances, which made travel much easier and battles a bit more strategic. Not all the traits were equal in skill. Some who were stronger could not hear humans or could not fly. We were nearly immortal, unless met with a blade to the throat and the heart.
As my blade clashed with one of theirs, I saw the sun starting to rise over the horizon and knew the humans would be out to farm the fields. With a signal from me, my army started to lead The Lamia soldiers out of the area, flying backward until we reached a covered grove where our battle continued. They were losing, as always, and once the sun rose, they retreated.
“Warriors, I am proud of your fight today. You have been strong and will be rewarded when we return. Let us journey back and rest for we know they do not understand defeat.”
“Huzzahh,” cheers erupted from my men.
I raised my hand to silence them for a moment. Once the noise settled, I solemnly added, “Let us remember our brave men that perished today. How many this time?”
“We have lost two, my Lord,” Draco informed me with a sullen expression. The crowd of a hundred and fifty vampires all closed their eyes as they thought of the two we lost.
“Let us mourn, yet honor their sacrifice. And let us hope that it will end soon.”
We journeyed back to my family castle to regroup before returning to our families. Many of the soldiers lived inside the city of Lombardy near the castle. Although the road home would be short, it was laden with sadness and frustration. In the
last fifty years, we had never lost two lives in the same battle. I had to speak with Draco privately about the possibility that they were learning better battle skills.
Castello di Lombardi…two months later
“Everyone is gathering outside, Falcon. This will be some significant news,” Draco said, handing me my long coat.
“Yes, and I fear it will be dreadful news. This war must end. Whatever my mother will announce, it will be something that shall escalate the battles.”
“What are you thinking it will be?”
“Truly, I have not the slightest inclination.” I expelled a long breath and closed my eyes to ease the tempest inside of me. He and I headed out to the balcony.
“And so it begins,” I muttered aloud.
I closed my eyes and rubbed my brow as I witnessed the masses gathering for my mother’s grand announcement. As one the of Supreme Council members, she was held in high regard with our people who had remained loyal to our ways. Hundreds gathered in the courtyard below within a moment’s notice. It has been nearly two months since our return from our last battle with The Lamia, and it had been quiet, too quiet. It would seem that they had taken a break from the war and perhaps a peace treaty of sorts could be had. I shook my head believing that to be impossible.
Today, I feared that her words will only bring more destruction. She had not spoken of the prophecy she received in her visions, however, I felt a sense of unease and dismay in her carriage. Dainty yet refined with strength of body and character, my mother was the epitome of perfection. She had a power that no other vampire possessed. The gift of sight wasn’t shared by any other vampire in our history. She was something truly special. There were other creatures, like shifters and some humans, with such gifts but not in our kind. It is believed that we do not possess the attributes necessary to be bestowed with such an advantageous and dangerous talent. We were too vain and unfeeling to be handed the ability of sight. With our other abilities, a gift of sight would make us unstoppable.
Since she had been the only one to possess the gift, we believed it must have come from her human nature. As they were not vampires until mated, our females were born human.
The door that led to the large hall opened. My mother and father, along with the rest of Council, stepped onto the balcony. I had a terrible feeling about her announcement. It struck me to the bone, considering and contemplating what she will reveal.
“Calm yourself, my son,” she said, caressing my cheek as though I was a little boy again. The warmth of her love eased the tension, however, it did not fully disappear.
She approached the edge of the balcony with the grace and elegance like that of a mortal queen but with the strength and power of a vampire. The crowd quieted at her presence, and I was awed at the way they respected her.
“Welcome, my fellow vampires. I bring news, a prophecy.” She paused as the crowd released a collective gasp. There had not been many prophecies and all had come true up until this point in time. The people knew that what she divulged will come to fruition.
She took a deep breath, then continued, “The war will one day come to an end. We shall be victorious over The Lamia.” She was interrupted by cheers and praises. She raised her hands for silence and waited for the calm to set in before finishing her speech. “There is more. The signal shall be the birth of a babe…a girl babe. It will be her parents that shall bring the war to an end. Have faith in the prophecies of our ancestors and go with peace.” I took a confused breath. The sound of the crowd was lost with the noise in my head. The words were hard to comprehend. A girl? How was that possible? There had never been a female of our species that was born. Only males were born vampires. Our mates were human females that became vampires once mating had been completed. The crowd shouted out questions, similar to the questions in my mind. My mother said, “There is nothing else I know at this moment.” She left the balcony along with the rest of the Council. I followed, closing the large glass doors.
“Mother, you cannot be serious,” I proclaimed the moment I heard the loud thud of the doors locking.
“Falcon,” my Father warned me to watch my tone.
I bowed my head in apology. “Forgive me. This is just hard to fathom.”
She walked up to me and clutched my hand. I looked at her and saw the fear in her eyes. She knew this would not end without madness. “That is true, my son. It is quite difficult. I found it to be confusing, as well; however, I do not make the prophecies. I present them as they are revealed to me.”
I left back to my chambers with Draco following suit. “This will bring more violence from The Lamia.”
“I know; however, you know she must see something we cannot. The news will spread to The Lamia very soon.” She had always been right and weighed all her decisions. Her visions changed with her choice to speak on the matter or to keep it silent. If she had uttered more to us, it would change again. She knew that this would be dangerous, yet she told our people.
“Yes, Falcon. Shall we train more recruits?” Draco inquired.
I jumped up from my chair and stated, “Yes, let us train two hundred more, starting tomorrow.”
Chapter Two—Falcon
I sat in my bed chambers, reflecting on the dreadful situation that we were bound to find ourselves embroiled in. Mother's announcement was profound and dangerous. News of the prophecy had spread like the plague. It was only a matter of time before the war would gain momentum and the dead would be greater than ever.
Draco and I had been training new warriors daily. Our people weren't as terribly concerned about the humans, but rather being controlled by such a scrupulous group of vampires. With numbers growing, our army would be six times theirs.
It wasn’t long until The Lamia caught wind of the prophecy and claimed that my mother had been wrong and The Lamia would reign once and for all. With that type of message, they would gain a greater following than before. Their numbers could never match ours, but there were always people against the power, not realizing they wanted to grant power to someone whose intentions were to dominate all, including themselves.
The latest battle was about to be had with The Lamia. Word had spread that they were on their way to a province in Northern Italy. They wished to overthrow the human leaders and make the humans their slaves. First, it would make the humans aware of what we are, and second, it wouldn’t stop there. They wanted to take over everyone and everything. There was no telling what the humans were capable of handling on their own. They already learned how to create explosions and build large castles with a tenth of the strength of a vampire. They had wit and brilliance, something The Lamia underestimated but the Council had been well aware of.
I decided it was best that I teleport myself there and survey the threat first hand. Within a day, I had learned that the plan was real. My men had to be alerted of the impending battle.
I returned just inside my bed chambers the next morning, ready to prepare for the day and inform the Council and Draco of the imminent danger. I paced back and forth as I tried to figure out The Lamia’s next move. The leader of The Lamia had been elusive and well protected. We did not even know his identity, which made him a greater adversary. We knew that he was Grecian and powerful, however, there were many with such a description. Greece had returned to its former glory and gained massive ground across the Aegean.
I groaned aloud, thinking of killing more of my very own brethren. It was something I took no pleasure in and I felt it was quite unnecessary. I ran my fingers through my unruly long hair just as there was a knock at my door.
“Enter,” I called out, turning toward the door.
“Lord Lombardi,” the servant said, respectfully bowing as she entered my chambers. “Your mother requests your presence.”
I did not care for the use of your mother. When she was labeled as my mother I knew the matter was personal. When they referred to her as her highness, I knew it was about official matters. “Is she in her chambers or in her study?”
<
br /> “Her chambers, my Lord.”
“Very well, I will be there shortly,” I sighed. She bowed again and left me standing there with much to wonder about. This was never good. If my mother cared to spend time with me she would just invade my space and demand I enlighten her with my exploits of the day. She was quite the woman with a hearty laugh and a genuine soul.
I loved my mother, however, I was feeling extremely wary of the current tension in the castle. With The Lamia’s claim that my mother lied, everyone understood that nothing would end peacefully. Things were tense when I departed yesterday. My father had been concerned and gave me a hug, something he had not done since I was a small boy. And my mother was not her usual self; I felt the shift in the air.
The hallowed halls felt eerily quiet this morning. Guards were at their stations, however, there was something amiss, something cold about them. There was a chill in my bones greater than I’d ever known. Having been in battle for nearly fifty years, I had moments of concern, however, the feeling that invaded my soul now was monumentally different.
As I approached her chamber door, a servant was exiting and held the door open for me, then shut it behind me.
Sensing my presence, my mother said, “You’re home, Falcon. I have missed you, my son.” She turned away from the large window she’d been gazing out of and came to me. Her eyes were different, moist with unshed tears. I’d never seen my mother weep in my entire life. The fear in my heart grew exponentially. Nevertheless, I opened my arms for an embrace that was tighter than it had ever been before. She squeezed me harder than usual, forcing a grunt to leave my chest.
“Mother, yes, I am home, but I must journey back,” I warned her, pulling back and holding her at arm’s length.
“Yes, I know.” The ominous catch in her voice concerned me greatly. Her eyes refused to meet mine, leaving me to suppose the worst.
"Mother, what is the matter?" There was something not right, but I did not know if she could or would reveal it to me. It was the most infuriating effect of her abilities. She carried more secrets than truths these days. There were things she could not tell me which I dearly wished to know. My instinct told me today would be no different.
