Venus let her head fall back against the tile, her limbs flailed out on the floor. She closed her eyes and willed herself to come down from the adrenaline high. When she opened her eyes Tomas was bowed low, his head touching the ground much like how Riken greeted her in the mall. She came to understand this was a sign of deep respect. She pushed to her feet, her left wrist hanging at an awkward angle from her fall but she stood on sure feet, her shoulders back and head held high.
“It is an honor to serve you my Queen,” Tomas said his eyes coming up and locking with hers.
She nodded once and offered her good hand to help him up.
Tomas flipped open his phone, dialing Justice. Venus cradled her wrist against her body listening intently begging silently to hear Arias' voice over the line. She only heard Justice's curses and rising voice. She turned and paced the room, tears flowing and swiping at them carelessly. Soft little mews escaped her lips before she could stop them. Tomas cleared his throat and Venus spun around. He had his hand outstretched, his phone open waiting for her. She snatched it up quickly.
“Hello?” she breathed waiting for the rumble of Arias' voice.
“Are you okay my Queen?” She winced at Justice's voice.
“Let me speak to Arias,” she commanded quietly.
Justice was silent for what seemed like an eternity. “He's not available right now.”
Venus tossed the phone back to Tomas and fled the room.
Justice hung up the phone and turned toward Arias confusion marring his face. “Why my Lord?”
Arias growled a warning. “When I decide to run my decisions by you, I'll let you know.”
Justice flinched like he'd been hit and lowered into a deep bow. Arias snarled and stalked out of the room to hunt some more Talmidim.
Venus stormed to her bedroom, Arias' bedroom, wanting to break everything she laid a hand on. Arias had been in that room with Justice and hadn't wanted to speak to her. She was hurt possibly beyond repair. She fell back onto the bed and remembered her injured wrist. Venus waited...and waited. Tomas didn't come for her and Arias didn't call. She was getting angrier and more desperate every minute that passed. With sobs wracking her body, she picked up her cell and called the only one left she thought she could trust.
Michael hung up the phone and went into overdrive. He had to make plans. The sound of Venus' tears through the phone had clawed his heart into shreds. He called Riken who was back at his home in France but was more than happy to send the Lear Jet Michael's way. Venus hadn't wanted to talk about it but something major had happened. Michael had heard that Arias and Justice were in Amsterdam at the present. What could have upset her so bad to leave her palace?
Venus was sprawled in a daze on the enormous bed when a familiar presence entered the room. It wasn't a flow of power, it was just a warm feeling. A tingling through her limbs. An awareness. It had been nearly twenty four hours since she hung up the phone with Michael. She hadn't eaten, hadn't slept, hadn't moved. Her entire body ached, that big piece of muscle in the center of her chest hurt worst of all. It took a tremendous amount of energy to look towards the door and there he stood. He was golden, radiant, so mouthwatering it hurt. Tears prickled her eyes again but no moisture came because she was too dehydrated. She wasted those last tears hours ago. Michael strode to her, ripping back the sheers covering the bed. He scooped her tiny body up into his arms and just held her.
“It looks like a war zone downstairs,” Michael said in his rich, warm voice. “Where is everyone?”
She sniffled and then shrugged. “Just get me out of here please,” she pleaded. And Michael did exactly what she asked.
Venus looked awful, he thought as he watched her sleep on the plane. She was filthy, her clothes torn and dirty as if she was in the thick of it when the explosions happened in the mansion. Judging from her level of shock, Michael knew that was the case. Where was everyone though? Surely, Arias knew about the situation and why hadn't he come to rescue her as Michael just did.
Venus stepped out of the shower that she was pleasantly surprised about on Riken's Learjet. She struggled to pull on a hoodie with her broken wrist. It smelled of Riken but it didn't put her at ease. She didn't have any other pants so she tried to beat out as much of the dust as possible, her stomach churning because she knew it was mostly Vampyre remnants. She caught a glimpse of herself before she exited the bathroom. Her eyes were red and puffy, her nose was an unattractive pink from sniffling, her cheeks were sunken in. She looked horrible. Her good hand trembled as she wrung out the water from her hair. She blew out a breath and cursed at herself. That's how much she really knew Arias...she believed with all her heart he loved her, he cherished her. His eyes told her that, his body told her that. Now, he had turned his back on her and she didn't understand why. What did she do wrong? Maybe that was just the way he was, loving and gentle one minute and cruel and unforgiving the next. Venus could have been killed back there in the palace. It was truly a miracle that she wasn't killed and needing to be comforted, to be kissed and held tight and told everything would be okay, she got a pathetic excuse and a butt-load of evasion tactics. Venus would show Arias that she didn't need him at all. She killed two Talmidim all by herself and that thought flooded her with pride. She hadn't backed down, she hadn't cowered. She didn't need any man for her to feel whole.
Michael looked up from the newspaper when the bathroom door opened. Venus had gone in there looking a mess, dirty and disheveled from the war zone, the look of her face lost and broken. She looked so fragile that Michael had to fight the urge to cradle her in his arms and let her know that he would protect her, that he would be whatever she needed him to be. Michael bit his tongue when the thought crossed his mind. No, you cannot be what she needs you to be, he scolded himself. As Venus stepped out of the bathroom, she had transformed. Of course, she was now clean and fully dressed. It was the look on her face, the determined, defiant flash of her eyes, the tight set of her jaw. She was always beautiful, but this calm, confident, ready for battle creature in front of him set him at a loss for words. His lips parted, demanding that he say something to her, but he couldn't utter a sound, not one syllable. Her eyes found his and she strode over to him. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her, the heat that was radiating from her, the sway of her lips, her tongue that stroked her lips to wet them. He couldn't move, his chest heaving as she straddled him on the leather loveseat. Her sweatshirt covered chest brushed against his chest, her heated core rubbing across the top of his jeans. It was the sweatshirt that brought him out of his trance. The sweatshirt that smelled like Riken. Shit, he cursed at himself.
Venus pressed herself against Michael, lowering herself until she grazed his stiffness beneath his jeans. His eyes fluttered shut and he took a deep breath. Venus took the opportunity and leaned down to claim his lips. She teased him to open up with her tongue and when he did, she took over taking everything he was willing to give her. Her arms circled his head and held him still as she plundered his mouth, the desire and lust ratcheting up so high that she had to grind herself into him.
“Venus stop,” Michael groaned.
“Why?” she whispered huskily.
Her delicate hand cupped him through his jeans that were strained tight as it is. She fumbled with his zipper and before he could protest again, he felt her velvet touch. A man with less control would have came immediately but Michael gritted his teeth.
“Venus, I said no. I can’t do this with you,” he growled forcefully.
He took her arms in his hands and pushed her off of him, a little too hard as she fell on her backside, sending a shocking pain through her injured wrist again. She looked up into his eyes and saw the rejection there which was far more painful. She scooted off the floor, her eyes wide, her chest constricting tightly. She turned her back on him, refusing to let the tears fall.
“Wait, let me explain,” he called to her, reaching out. She spun back around and stepped backward out of his reach.
“Don’
t,” she warned continuing to back away.
“Venus, I’m not able to, we are not allowed. Please,” Michael tried to corral her again.
“Don’t!” she screamed and left him to sulk in the part of the plane farthest away from him.
She was beyond humiliated, throwing herself at Michael. The worst of it was that he had stopped her. They both physically wanted it, that was obvious. But it was also obvious that Michael didn't want anything to do with her and there he was feeding her bullshit about how they weren’t allowed. Please. She just wasn’t good enough for his high and mighty angel ass. It was two enormous blows to her pathetic veil of confidence over the rejection from both men. A black hole had formed right in the center of her chest and it was threatening to eat up her entire existence. She was alone. She was alone in this world full of sharks and there was nothing left to keep her afloat. She liked Michael yes, she lusted after Michael. Who wouldn’t? But her pain only belonged to Arias. She had fallen for him…too fast and too deep and this was what was left of her. A pathetic excuse of a woman who saw fit to throw herself at the first dick that wagged its head at her. She brought her knees up to her chin, curling herself up into a tiny little cocoon and squeezed her eyes shut praying they would land soon.
Hours later the pilot announced their arrival and Venus frowned when the male voice relayed the time and temperature in Paris. Of course they would go to France. This was Riken's plane after all. Venus needed to get the hell off of this sardine can but she was also in no hurry to go to Riken. She was tired of it all, this emotional roller-coaster that she'd been on for the past month. She sighed and launched herself off of the seat when the plane's door opened. She didn't wait for Michael. She didn't even want to look at Michael. She needed to leave and never look back. Go back to her plans for California. They didn’t have any right to stop her. She wanted her own life, her own options, she was not going to live by their rules anymore. As the chilly wind hit her face, she glanced at her options and her plans of a quick escape were foiled when she saw Riken standing outside of a dark SUV, holding the door open. Her heart sunk, the emotions ripping through her again as she felt the call of his blood. She refused to let that call run her body anymore. Her legs started pumping before her mind could catch up. She was running, running in the opposite direction of the SUV. She heard Michael shout for her and she felt Riken’s presence not too far behind her. She begged her legs to go faster, for her body to use whatever Vampyre blood ran through it to speed itself up.
“Venus, stop!” She heard Riken call.
He was so close. Close enough to…
She didn’t even had time for the thought to finish and he was there skidding them both to a halt. His large, well-muscled body wrapped around her back and arms, immobilizing her. Venus thrashed and kicked and swung her neck around to try and bite him even. She was desperate, freedom nothing more than a faraway dream.
“Venus, what’s a matter with you?” Riken shouted, his voice reaching a panicked tone.
She stopped fighting against his hold, her spirit crushed underneath his tight physical control. She looked back towards the SUV where Michael was waiting, his angelic features marred by a confused scowl.
“Leave me alone Riken,” Venus muttered angrily, stalking back towards her ride to her awaiting prison.
She got in without a word, not even lifting her eyes to meet Michael's.
Riken's eyebrows furrowed as Venus brushed past him scowling and got into the SUV without one word, not one look. He looked at Michael questioningly who merely shook his head and got into the front seat of the vehicle. As they took off to his lair, he looked Venus over. She was angry, furious even. At whom, he could not tell. Riken wanted to caress her cheek, wipe away the frown, feel her soft lips against his own again. Perhaps she was just mad at herself for making the wrong decision with Arias. Yes, that was it. Riken would have her soon and then he could turn her and gift the bloodline with a new heir.
“Are you alright Venus?” he asked, his voice deep with the emotion of his thoughts.
She flinched very slightly but it was a movement that Riken noticed immediately. She gnawed on her bottom lip and stared out the darkened window.
“Will your blood heal a broken bone?” Venus asked nervously.
Riken frowned. “Are you injured Venus?”
After a few minutes of silence, she nodded and gestured toward her wrist. Riken didn’t wait for her to ask again, he bit into his wrist and beckoned her to scoot closer. Venus could not bring herself to look up at Riken but she still seethed anger. She wanted her wrist fixed that’s all she knew at the moment. Venus bent her head down and licked off the trickle of blood. Letting her raw emotions rise to a head, she tore into Riken’s wrist for a deeper drink. He gasped and made a small groaning noise but held her head down onto his wrist to encourage her to keep drinking. Venus didn’t make it sexual though she was sure Riken felt like it was. When she felt the buzz of the powerful blood hum through her, she sat back and licked her lips and watched Riken’s skin stitch itself back over within minutes. Venus moved back to her original spot, giving herself some breathing room from the prince.
“I’m fine now, thank you.” she whispered in monotone.
Riken wanted to reach out to her, comfort her and the loneliness in her voice. She had on one of his sweatshirts that he kept on the plane and though it was three sizes too big, it looked perfect on her. It made his chest swell at the thought of the little way he had some mark on her. She had to have been smelling his scent the entire plane trip, didn't it affect her at all? Didn't this close proximity to the Prince of the Rex Deus have any effect on her? And ingesting his blood, surely that would have made her swoon to him. Well, it obviously did affect her in some way. She was still putting off waves of anger, her arms were banded around herself. Riken wanted to beg her. Beg for what, he wasn't entirely sure. To see a smile maybe? A kiss? Riken sighed and stared out his window hoping she would want to talk about it soon. Pulling up to his estate in the Northern part of France, he had hoped to see something in her face. Acknowledgment that this was to be her home from now on. Of course it was no palace on the ocean, but Riken's estate was nothing to scoff at. The castle was built in the 17th century for his parents, nestled on 111 acres of rolling forest. It looked medieval as castles tend to look but inside Riken spared no expense. He held out his hand for Venus as she exited the vehicle but she tucked her hands into the center pocket of the hoodie instead ignoring his courteous gesture. Riken had to bite his tongue to avoid admonishing her, from taking her roughly to the ground to show her that she was his. He shivered at the mental image and willed himself to follow her as she walked towards the castle. Corbin opened the gate for them and bowed low to the Prince. He did not set his eyes upon his Queen, which elevated him all the more in Riken's eyes. He embraced his friend and ushered Venus inside the castle.
7
Arias roared when Justice brought him the news. She was back in Riken's hands.
“My Lord,” Justice said his head bowed low. “She thinks you abandoned her.”
Arias roared again this time lifting his big fist and smashing it into Justice's face. His lieutenant flew back several feet crashing into a flimsy table. Blood poured from a three inch gash on Justice's face that was slowly knitting itself together. The Mashiach struggled back to his knees waiting for more punishment. Arias trembled with wrath and a need to strike out more. He snarled clenching his fists.
“She was supposed to come to me and beg that I turn her. She was supposed to realize that she would die if she didn't surrender herself fully to me.”
“My Lord, she is thinking as a human would. In her eyes,” Justice paused gulping because he knew for sure this would earn him another blow. “You left her when she needed you most. She feels betrayed and unwanted and that is why she went to your enemy.”
Arias' chest tightened. He knew Justice was right. He sank to his knees feeling like the air had been kicked out of him.
; “You asked why, Justice.” The man nodded, his face drawn waiting for the knowledge. “There is an enemy of mine among our Talmidim, mounting an army against all Mashiach. An enemy we thought was dead long ago.”
It could only be Ivan Grozny, Justice thought. The only thing on this earth that Arias feared. Ivan, the Terrible. A Talmidim as old as Arias himself which was a feat unto itself. Talmidim tended to only survive for a century or so before they became too crazed and had to be put down. Arias' father sired Ivan after the Tsar's severe depression over the loss of his wife. Ivan had been the worst Talmidim, his fury and distrust fueling a bloodlust so deep that he became known as one of the most violent rulers in history. Arias' father dispatched the young prince to kill Ivan off for the sake of the bloodline and Arias had believed all these long years that he had managed to kill the crazed ruler.
“How is it possible my Lord?” Justice asked.
“He has been waiting all these years Justice, watching, learning. He is different from Talmidim as we know it. He is much more like the born with his power, and strength of will. He still is ruled by his bloodlust but he is cunning. He has found out about Venus,” Arias said, his voice full of pain and Justice couldn't hold back a gasp from escaping his lips.
“The first night I landed here, I was ambushed. He could have killed me without a second thought. He is their leader. All the Talmidim that are cutting ties with the bloodlines, he is their leader. He asked about Venus, Justice. If it was true about the legends. I denied everything to protect her. I denied how important she was to me. I insisted that she was little more than a pretty addition to my harem of women.”
“He's the one who ordered the attack of the palace,” Justice said enlightened.
Arias nodded.
“You think we are being monitored?”
Arias nodded again. “That is why I tried to pretend she did not matter to me. I could not speak directly to her or it would tip him off that I treat her as my equal and not as a slave.” A sob caught in his throat as the enormity of what he had done crashed upon him. “I should have gone to her that day. I should have protected her myself.”
Revelations Coming (The Dark Truth Novel Series) Page 7
