Cedric the Demonic Knight

by Valerie Willis

  “I know.” Her voice was meek as she nuzzled his back and lightly kissed it.

  His skin was crawling, his breath had quickened against his will and the blood in his veins was rushing with excitement. Gripping her arm, he pulled her out from behind him and locked lips with her as they fell to the bed. She shuddered as he started kissing her neck and his fangs graced the skin. His hand slid across her back, working its way under her shirt. The exchange of excitement between them was washing away the fear and contempt that was keeping them apart.

  Her scent filled his nose, and the sound of her heartbeat as her blood rushed from his every touch pulled at the hunger that had been haunting him. It was something foreign to him, but if she wanted this so badly, he would give it to her. Giving way to his instincts, he latched onto her neck, his fangs popping through her skin. The moan of pleasure that escaped her quivering lips fueled his longing. Sweet and thick, her blood ran across his tongue and sent a shiver of desire across his entire body.

  Her fingers clawed into his skin as he continued drinking with all his weight on top of her, keeping her still. The magic in her blood weaved its way through him, and it was intoxicating. Morrighan’s magic lost its hold as hers touched it, replacing the broken ties that allowed him to maintain his existence. His wounds were no longer aching, but healing as they continued groping at one another. Releasing his hold on her neck, he licked at the bite mark as his hands crept across her body making her release wave after wave of arousal. Panting, sweating she opened her eyes, staring into the narrow slit pupils of his green ones. She ran a hand across his wounded shoulder, and relief flowed from her as she could see the skin growing back in its rightful place. Hugging her close, he pushed her further onto the bed, kissing her neck again. It was a sentimental thank you for him as he let his incubine blood drive him further as she panted and moaned in response. All he wanted was to make her scream in bliss. Cedric grinned as he stared down on her, knowing she had earned a night of unfathomable ecstasy for being so courageous for a change, despite her tears. Does she know how fortunate she is to be the Lady of an incubus? Will she ever understand that the love she receives from her Lord is the ultimate desire of those around her, to lay with someone that can bring them such great rapture that it spoils their soul?

  Chapter Sixteen: Legend of the Moroi

  Rubbing her neck, she could feel the two scars where Cedric’s fangs had dug so deeply into her skin. It was a constant reminder that she was a living elixir and needed for his survival as much as she needed him for protection. Winter was starting to give way to spring, with a few places showing the ground and patches of green. They had continued traveling from one village to the next, still looking for information on Morrighan and the King Incubus, Boto. Instead, they had come across a story about a moroi that had lived in a small town North of where they were. No one could say if she was alive, but her tale well known to travelers before the packs of werewolves started to overrun the surrounding woods.

  They had taken out three werewolves on their way down the path leaving the town. The woods here held an abnormal infestation of the turned. Cedric showed Angeline the signs of werewolf activity, from the clawing of trees to how to identify their tracks from other beasts. He told her of how all werewolves came from the same one, Romasanta. The books referred to him as the Father of Werewolves and it was unclear how old he was. There had been a conflict between Cedric and him back in Williamsburg. Romasanta neglected to show respect for those who had died when he looted several of the homes and graves. Since then, Cedric has had a hard time tracking him down. The werewolves he creates are banished, never allowed to be near him or his immediate territory. This causes nearby woods to become infested and they tend to gather in packs instinctually. Angeline noticed that Cedric did not feed on these as they dispatched a few more. Then again, the last thing he had fed on was her, weeks ago. Is my blood that strong that it gives him no reason to feed?

  Passing a broken sign post, they worked their way closer to a clearing where a shattered village lay. Cedric slid off Barushka and took a closer look at the calamity that decorated the place. Houses were barely standing with large gaping holes in the side of them. A few had signs of a fire erupting and a large pillar near Barushka’s hooves bore claw marks across it. Smelling a handful of soil, Cedric sighed as he looked about in the dimming daylight. This was the right place, but they were years late. In fact, it was impressive that the place was in such good condition considering the time that had passed. His best guess was over a hundred years ago when it was ravaged.

  “Did werewolves do this?” Angeline petted the side of Barushka’s neck as they both watched Cedric. “This is horrible.”

  “No.” Standing, he pointed to a charred mark on the well. “Werewolves don’t breathe fire. This is signs of Morrighan’s chimeras, which means that the moroi that lived here could be the one she used to mother me.”

  “Mother?” Pausing she looked about. “Was this done by the same chimeras we killed?”

  “Possibly, but she has several. We are talking about over a hundred years.” Walking around, he kicked a few things looking for clues. “I wish there was something here that had some more information. No one knows much about moroi. They are killed the moment they are discovered. I wonder why this village chose to keep her. If there were any survivors, I am sure the werewolves plucked them from here. In fact, most of the mutts we see were likely from this village before the curse took them.”

  “What is a moroi?” Cedric started digging in one of the packs, ignoring the mumbling manner she used to ask her unsteady question. “I haven’t heard of them before.”

  “Not many have. The Romanians are some of the few that have records of them. Moroi are the offspring of two strigoi, pureblood vampires, who were able to conceive a child. You can recognize one because they are always female, red-haired, and have green eyes. It is noted they are infertile and incapable of nurturing life in their cursed wombs. They say they can walk in sunlight, eat no different from a human, but have abnormal stamina and strength. Being of great beauty, they woo many men causing trouble in any village they come to. One lore said they will outlast their lovers in bed and life. No one has ever recorded how long they can live, due to the fact they are hunted down. I assume they can feed on other creatures for blood and may become stronger by doing so from my own experiences. Other than that, not much else is known.” He flipped out a book and started writing in it. “We’ll camp here tonight so I can look for more clues tomorrow.”

  “What’s that?” It was the first time she had noticed him writing. “What are you writing about?”

  “I am making note of this place. I’d be an old fool to think I could remember everything.” He shot a sharp look at her as he placed it back in the pack as if to say do not touch. “We can use what’s left of the house over there to camp in. It’s at least sturdy enough to use the fireplace.”

  Shivering, Angeline watched with chattering teeth as Barushka started the fire. It seemed awkward to be sitting in the abandoned cottage with the one huge hole in the sidewall. The air was cold and wet, and she could not wait until spring took full swing. Cedric returned with more firewood before sitting next to her, pulling her close. This was another strange sensation they were starting.

  Cedric had given into the idea he was stuck with her and indulged in being close to someone for a change. He couldn’t help but smirk with each move. Her waves would result in her sensations of being alarmed, physically stiff for the first few moments. It was clear she was more at ease when he treated her this way. She fell asleep faster when he took a moment to show her some tenderness, but he was starting to enjoy it. Part of him resented the idea, but out here away from prying eyes, he felt there were no risks. Barushka would eye him suspiciously from time to time, as a silent form of jealousy and protest as he snorted. Much to his own surprise, Cedric found himself smirking as she shuddered and pushed herself harder into his arms for warmth. When was the last time I enjo
yed in something so simplistic? I have strived so hard to distant myself from my past that I forgot about the humanistic things that I cherished most. Too bad my time with her will not be a long one. Her life will end well before my own, if I even live through killing Morrighan and Boto. A sigh escaped his lips as he closed his eyes, his thoughts trailing over his times in Williamsburg and the things he missed so much.

  #

  At some point he had dozed off, the fire was low as its coals popped and crackled. Placing more wood on the fire, sounds started coming from outside. Barushka flipped his ears at Cedric; both of them had heard it. Grabbing up his sword, he took one more glance at Angeline sleeping on the ground as he backed against the wall to conceal himself. The noises of several animals pacing out of view followed by an occasional growl met his ears. Another pack had tracked them down, but this one was much larger. Nodding at Barushka, the shag foal started nibbling and nudging Angeline awake. As she came to, her eyes locked onto Cedric’s and she grabbed up her bow and the quiver from Barushka’s back.

  Looking out the opening in the far wall, glowing eyes stared back at Angeline and she pushed back her fear. She drew an arrow and waited as she tried to decipher how many were out there. Drool dripping across the ground resonated in her ears like rain causing her hair to stand on end and she bit her cheeks. The werewolves they had come across were all starving and these were no exception to the fact as she observed their ribs protruding out of their skin. There were eight sets of glowing eyes, but more were undoubtedly waiting from the movements she could see from the hole in the wall. She lipped the number to Cedric whose jaw twitched in response as he tightened his grip on his sword.

  Looking back she gasped, a large mangy head of a werewolf was poking into the opening. Focused on her, it had failed to notice Cedric against the wall as it slowly crept over the wall. With one hard swing, his head dropped and his body followed leaving it hanging halfway into the room. Howling erupted all around, deafening in manner as it thudded through Angeline and Cedric’s chests. Two more werewolves charged at the opening, managing to bottleneck each other. Growling and snapping at one another, they were larger than the first one that had entered. Letting an arrow fly, she landed a hit in the smaller beast’s temple, killing him instantly. Reading the tome of the Rangers, half-human monsters had easier kill spots if the archer was skilled enough to hit the key areas. The other one was now biting and tearing into its fellow pack members in order to free itself from the blockage. Once more, Cedric decapitated the werewolf, making a stack of corpses as their wall of protection from the snarling pack waiting on the other side.

  Barking and growling erupted as they started to chew and pull their dead comrades out of the hole. Barushka engulfed in his flames, stood tall and ready to do his part in this fight as he stomped and snorted. A wolf’s head squeezed between the corpses, but was met with the back hoof of Barushka and sent out again. Cedric stood back from the wall as the werewolves started to bang themselves against the cobblestones. Rocks were falling, and their faux pas shelter was not going to handle much more abuse. Nodding at Angeline, Cedric was about to clear the doorway. She hopped on Barushka, ready.

  They could feel the waves of emotions from one another; Cedric’s waves of extreme calm managed to relieve her bursts of panic. What was meeting them on the other side was unknown but the sudden pulse of anger from Cedric was enough to snuff out her fears. She hugged herself low on his back, afraid of catching the top of the wall. Cedric gave the top corpse a hard kick, sending it flying into two unsuspecting werewolves. Before the others could register what was happening, he managed to take two more out with a toss of the last two bodies.

  Barushka cleared the cottage and Angeline wasted no time to right herself, taking down werewolves with each arrow. Cedric guarded against one attack in time to receive a slash across his back and once again, Angeline experienced the extreme arousal from his injury. Barushka bucked, launching the offender off Cedric but sent Angeline face first into his mane causing her shooting to come to a stop. Catching her balance, she focused on the closer werewolves in hopes of not forcing Barushka to make that mistake again.

  The pack was pouring out of everywhere like roaches in a dungeon. It was hard shooting from Barushka as he did his part to fight. He had managed to save Cedric and her several times already. For some reason, the werewolves had no interest in the Shag Foal but it was a blessing for them. If it were not for his flames, it would have been harder for her to see the incoming hordes. Cedric pushed back a werewolf, gaining enough of a break to dispatch another coming from the side. Shoved up against Barushka’s shoulder, he had never seen a pack this large in all his travels. The villagers were turned here after facing Morrighan’s chimeras, which had been nothing more than food for the werewolves in the area. Usually if the cursed ones were from the same area, they tended to group together.

  He ran forward, slashing two more down before head butting a third. Without his horns to absorb the crashing force of his forehead on the massive wolf head, it sent him flying and he knocked Angeline off Barushka. Landing on top of her, his green eyes stared down at her in bewilderment and for the first time she caught a flicker of panic from him. A werewolf pounced onto his back and he knocked him off as he stood over her. His horns and claws came forward; there was no choice in the matter after losing his sword. Angeline coughed and wheezed as she gripped her ribs, astonished by the overwhelming sensation of excitement that flowed from him. Managing to get her hands on her bow, her skin crawled with the feelings that he was receiving by giving way to his incubine blood. This is what he hated the most as lustful sensations pulsed from him, but without her quiver, she was useless and unable to help.

  Barushka was caught behind the torrent of fur as they pushed him further away from them. The fiery stallion was unable to break pass the attacking mammoth of werewolves. Cedric clawed at the attacking horde, which became more hesitant in confronting him as they continued to lose more pack members. Angeline pulled her daggers, ready to slash any that came too close. Both of them were carrying the same thought on their minds, if she were to receive a single scratch or bite, there was risk for her turning as well. There were plenty of accounts of witches and sorcerers being victims of vampirism, were-syndromes, and more.

  They were back to back, but somehow he seemed to agile enough to dispatch them before she had no choice but to attempt to strike. Barushka cried out, his flames bright as he broke through. Cedric gripped her up by the arm and threw her into the saddle. Immediately she began making way with her arrows, trying to make a path through the chaos of drool and blood. A howl erupted and the werewolves scattered. Panting, the three of them stood alone, baffled. Nothing but the dead left on the ground and the flurries of winter’s last snow falling.

  Sliding down to his knees, Cedric tried to slow the boiling of his blood and bring his incubine excitement back to normal, suppressing his horns and claws. It was unclear as to why a pack of that size would retreat despite their hunger and tenacity. Barushka snorted and nudged at Cedric, insisting he stand. Something else was coming; Cedric could smell it over the scent of dog and blood that was engulfing the area. It had a smell of power and decay, which meant whatever was approaching, was an undead type of demon. Walking over the bodies, he found his sword and turned to face the direction he sensed it coming from. Shuddering from the ambience of its power, Cedric tensed further knowing that this demon was either the master of the werewolves or something they feared. It was not long before a cloaked figure showed itself, pausing at a comfortable distance for both sides. Looking at the remnants of the battle for a moment, it lowered its hood revealing the yellow eyes, pale skin, and pointed ears. This was a vampire and a pureblood type. Tainted bloods tended to be disfigured, unable to keep consistent human facial features when near blood.

  “What do you want?” Cedric stood between Angeline and the vampire, unsure of his intentions of interrupting their fight for survival. “Are you the master to these werewolv
es?”

  “Yes, I am.” It sheathed a sword that had been held out of view. “I apologize for the trouble, but I must ask you what is it that you want? Why have you come here?”

  “I came here looking for information.” Out of mutual respect, Cedric sheathed his own blade and motioned for Angeline to lower her bow. “I had no intentions of defiling this place, but the pack gave me no choice. I apologize for disturbing your territory; I didn’t see any of the customary markers.”

  “Ah, understood. There were no markers indeed.” Rubbing his chin, his long black hair ruffled in the snowy breeze. “I am Count Vladimir. Normally I would not interfere with their eating, but I smelled something familiar. Was one of you hurt?”

  “Just me,” Cedric tensed up. “Why?”

  “Who was your mother?” It was a deeply grave look he shot Cedric, his eyes sharp. “And who are you?”

  “All I know is my mother was a moroi possibly from here. I am Cedric the demonic knight.” He huffed himself onto Barushka, keeping close to Angeline. “I was looking for information on the moroi and was told this had been the home of one.”

  “Then you have found it. Come, follow me if you wish to learn more about the moroi.” He put his hood back on and motioned for them to follow.

  Barushka had to stay at a solid gallop to keep up with Vladimir as he ran through the woods. There were no more signs of werewolves as they came to another clearing where a mansion sat in silence. Stopping at the gates, they waited for their host to unlock them and wave them in. The courtyard was large and overgrown as they approached the front doors. Cedric hesitated before going another step, his mind filled with the dangers of entering a home of a pureblood where their powers held greater influence.

  “Do not worry. We have no interest in the girl.” Angeline bit her bottom lip in response to this notion. “She is your bound mate and we hold such bonds sacred. Purebloods often do the same with one another. Feeding from someone’s bonded mate is a sin in our culture.”