Talon

by Alice Wade

  “What does this all mean? This vicious fang attack?” she urged waving her injured wrist to imply the attack. The motion sent him nearly into a craze, for her scent wafted into the room with each rotation.

  His eyes traced her wrist as he spoke, “I need to feed but not from you. It will happen again if I leave this room, so it’s best if I just don’t leave. I would appreciate you taking a message back to my father that time is of an essence here. If I stay much longer, I will feed. I’m not sure how that will be received by my father at all, and I would prefer to be long gone when the urge becomes unbearable.”

  “What does this ‘feeding’ entail?”

  Talon snorted; she was tenacious and not backing down from this conversation. It was very much like the old Cuilwen he knew. “I drink blood.” He felt animalistic saying it like this, but it was fact. She was innocent when it came to outside influences that saying this sounded, so…primal.

  She looked at her wrist again and placed the cut to her lips in an exploratory fashion. Her tongue traced the shallow Cuilwen tasted salt, nothing more; nothing that she found revolting or nauseating, so she lowered her wrist and searched out his face.

  Talon watched her with a hunger burning in his eyes while her lips suctioned on her skin. They stared at each other in silence until she broke when she asked, “You find that appealing?”

  “Hmm…yes.” He felt the haze building again. “Cuilwen, leave. I can’t control myself at the moment and that little show is…well, pushing me over the edge.”

  “Why don’t you show some manners and ask what you really want to do?” she reprimanded.

  “What?” He panted as the tickle in this throat became a burn. Was she offering? Would she really let him do this? “Do you understand what you are offering?” he asked in tortured whisper without removing his eyes from her wrist.

  Cuilwen arrogantly tilted her head to the side, drawing his eyes higher so now he was looking at her exposed neck, “As long as you don’t make me like you, what do I care? I shed blood daily during training, so what is a little more.” A partial smile lifted her mouth, “But you have to ask nicely.”

  “Wicked,” Talon whispered just as he turned his back on her to regain some composure. He needed to think through his options. Kailani would disapprove of his actions, yet would ultimately understand due to their agreement to do whatever it took to stay alive. The way he saw this situation was in line with life or death, because the only way he would be able to leave this room without going stark raving mad was to ask for permission and drink Cuilwen’s blood. The only way to stay sane was to feed from his former lover and share that personal act. Again, he realized of how inappropriate this intimate act was and felt the added weight of the guilt added to the mounting baggage he already carried for this little trip. He could ultimately survive without doing it, but it would create complications he just didn’t want to deal with.

  Talon turned his head, eyeing her thoughtfully from the side. She had not moved and continued to watch, waiting for the request. Should he? Should he really do this or should he suffer until his father came to his agreement and then leave to feed on some stranger?

  “You know, your father is not that close to making a decision, so why starve?” she threw in, taunting him.

  “Wicked little creature.” he said again under his breath.

  “I heard that.” She laughed in response. “Come on Talon, just ask nicely. I really want to get to the practice yard and get in a few hours of exercise. You are perfect partner to spar with, so will you just do it already.”

  Talon raised an eyebrow in challenge. “I thought you wanted to talk.”

  “True, that first, but a workout later. Agreed?”

  “I don’t know. This is awkward.” He finally said to her face, “Very awkward.”

  “Do you think I care?”

  “No, but Kailani will.”

  “She’s not here. You need to stay strong and sane. Not maddened with hunger or whatever it is you feel.” Cuilwen stood up and approached, “Come on.”

  Talon hung his head in defeat. He knew she was right and that he wasn’t able to last longer, not with pure elven blood humming through his senses at every turn. Now that the haze had rescinded but the hunger burn remained he sensed every elf in the village. It ticked away at his ability to remain in control. She was right. He had no choice but to do this. He would just have to figure out a way to control the sexual urges that followed later.

  “It would be an honor, First Maiden of the Thistle Clan, if you would allow me to feed from your pure and untainted blood.”

  Cuilwen closed the gap between them and now stood inches away. Her smile was predatory and smug, “Thought you’d never ask. I would be honored, Prince Talon, son of Daerwen, Ruler of the People, for you to feed from my pure and untainted blood.” She was making a joke of this, which caused Talon to scowl.

  “Be nice, or I send you away. I have my own tricks, so watch it,” he cautioned, but Cuilwen’s grin widened.

  When she tilted her head to the side exposing her jugular again, it pushed him over the edge. He had her in his arms and blood flowing into his mouth in one blink of an eye. Talon felt her relax and didn’t fight or move.

  She felt a warm flush of something race through her body, settling between her legs and creating a passionate state of arousal. A small moan escaped her mouth as the feeling filled her entire body. Still she didn’t move and absorbed every sensation, every feeling this generated to permanently cement in her mind. If this is all she was ever going to get from Talon, well then she’d take it.

  Talon mentally compared her blood to Kailani’s and found that they were both equally appealing. Where Cuilwen’s was pure and full of magical remnants, Kai’s was just addictive. He waited until he felt the drop in blood pressure before he pulled back. He licked the entry points closed but didn’t release her from her hold. He buried his face in her neck to feel her pulse beat strong under his cheek.

  “Thank you.”

  It was barely whispered, more a thought, but she heard. “You may not believe this Talon, but I would do anything for you. Anything. Even give you up to this Kailani without a fight if that made you happy. You can feed from me while you are here, if that will make your stay more pleasurable.”

  He nuzzled his stubbled cheek against her hair, fighting back the emotions that kept overwhelming him at every turn since returning. “I’m so sorry, Cuilwen. I’m so sorry I let you down and I’m so sorry I cannot be what you want.”

  Her arms circled his neck and pulled his body close in an embrace. “You don’t need to apologize. I do wish things could be different. My love will always be unwavering, but I do respect you. I’m not about domination or possessiveness; you know that. I can see your love for Kailani is stronger than anything you ever felt for me and I just want you happy. If she gives you that joy, I’ll do anything to make sure you stay that way.”

  Hearing her basically offer her service to his cause made him cry. He clutched her to his chest weeping tears that were five hundred years restrained. She just held him, stroking his strong back until the wave of emotion passed.

  “It will be fine. I have hope that all will be well one day,” Cuilwen whispered against his neck, holding him tight to her body.

  Embarrassed from his lapse in his emotional control, Talon sniffed a few times and then detangled himself from her embrace. “You will make someone a fine mate. For now, I’m grateful you are my friend.” His strong hand cupped her angelic face and he just held his palm there, feeling the life that pulsed in her veins.

  “If that is all I get, then yes, friends.” A mischievous smile appeared, “Now, can we please sit down and talk for awhile so I can get to know you after all this time?” She hugged him again. Talon smiled into her, holding onto for a moment longer before he turned them around and walked with
her back to the couch.

  “Since you were more generous that I ever expected, I’m at your mercy. Ask whatever questions you may have.”

  They both settled on the couch, and Cuilwen pulled her legs up under her. Talon sat calmly with his arms crossed and waited for the battery of questions to begin.

  She thought through her list and settled on one topic that she knew would be painful. “Do you miss it here?”

  He looked away in torment before he finally met her compassionate face and sighed, “Yes and no. I’m well situated in my life, so I don’t miss the People as I once did. What I wasn’t expecting and completely unprepared for was the reaction to my father. I miss him.”

  She nodded, “You two were always very close. If it makes it any easier on your heart, I think he misses you too.”

  The look that crossed his face told her volumes and it wasn’t welcome news to hear that he did. Talon offered additional insight which made her feel worse for telling him this information.

  “I think it is actually easier to believe he hates me.”

  Cuilwen harrumphed at his self-pity, “Well, he doesn’t. As my status as First Maiden, I’m close with your father, I have to be. I see him sit on that bench each and every night holding a silent vigil to you.”

  That had his attention. “You must be mistaken.” There was no way his father felt any regret or sadness from his decision to banish him. Talon was overwhelmed with a sense of hope and that shocked him. He searched her face for any sign of falseness, finding only honesty.

  “He is the one who banished me. Why would he strive to remember me after turning his back so quickly?”

  “You really can be dense. He reacted so rashly because of that love. You disappointed him by leaving our lands and turning into this…” She waved her hand indicating his vampire body, “How do you think he should have reacted?”

  The anger he felt from being abandoned by his father rose to the surface, “He could have listened. He could have given me a chance to explain.” Talon held up his hand to stall the argument he saw brewing behind her eyes, “I’m well aware it probably would not have changed the outcome. If he loved me as you say, he could have talked to me. Instead, I was thrown out without a word.”

  “Well, tell me what happened then.”

  Talon put his head back on the backrest and groaned. This wasn’t an experience he wanted to recall, but he knew it was necessary. “That night I slipped away, I encountered a woman of incredible beauty. She was sitting at a fire located just outside our land and I found it odd, so I explored. The obvious happened and then she disappeared. She left me there to fend for myself as a newborn vampire—something that is very dangerous.”

  “Why?” Cuilwen interrupted since this was part of the story that she’d not been given an opportunity to hear.

  Talon eyed her, “New vampires go mad if they are not shown how to be a vampire. There is a knowledge to feeding, the newfound strength, and the heightened senses, all of it. If you abandon them to figure it out themselves, they turn rabid.” He laid his head back again, “I was scared. Me. Terrified and unsure of what to do or where to go. I turned to the one man I felt who would help—my father.”

  “Oh, Talon. He abandoned you too.” Sadness washed over her as she realized for the first time what he had felt and gone through. His reaction that fateful day finally explained.

  “Yes, but I accepted my punishment. I did disobey him by leaving. I just wasn’t expecting such an immediate reaction.” He added, “I expected a little more compassion.”

  Cuilwen wanted to cry. His cold, unresponsive reaction to her when he left made so much more sense now. On that horrible day of his exile, she had tried to talk to him, but he was cruel. He was cold and distant, treating her with detachment that hurt. She’d sat at the border, waiting for him to return to at least say good-bye but he never came back. Now she understood he’d been devastated and terrified, not angry, as she had previously thought. She watched him with such compassion that it forced Talon to look away.

  “Talon, once you left, how did you survive if you were alone?”

  “I encountered a coven of vampires in the northern hills that took me in for awhile. They taught me and kept me sane. If not for them, I’d have wandered aimlessly and become insane. Eventually, I’d be terminated for my rabid state. If not for them, I’d be dead.”

  “I’d really like to thank them.” She touched his face, cupping his cheek tenderly. “It would have been tragic if you died. I’m so very glad you found them.”

  Talon was besieged by her compassion, and couldn’t speak. He sat quietly, looking at her until he found his voice. Sitting here with Cuilwen after such a long absence was a painful reminder of all he had lost with that one mistake so very long ago. Even though he’d found Kai, he realized just how much he’d lost with her and her friendship. After a moment he finally replied, “Me too. I got lucky.”

  “So, you got saved and learned how to be a vampire.” She wanted to change the subject for a moment, because she saw a melancholy build behind his normally lovely blue eyes. “You must have thrived for you appear to be very stable now?”

  “I found a way to survive, yes. In time, I found Kailani which—in all honesty —was the one thing that saved me completely.” He shot her a look knowing this information was the cause of Cuilwen’s discomfort and waited to see if those words caused her pain. Instead of burning jealously, he saw only encouragement shining in her brown eyes. It urged him to continue, “She is my reason for living.”

  His friend sighed and smiled, “I can see that.” Her hand caressed his cheek a moment longer before she moved it away. “I would like to meet this woman one day.”

  “Interesting you say that. My sole reason for coming here and taking this chance was to get my father to agree to send you on this mission to retrieve the kidnapped elf. I immediately thought of you when I realized what my options were.” Talon tilted his head slightly to the side, watching his friend digest this information.

  She was too trained to show any surprise, and gave him a slight smile. “You flatter me.”

  His eyes drifted back towards the window for a moment and watched a small butterfly flutter around the fragrant flowers just outside his window. “I’m starting to think he won’t listen though. This delay is very telling. If he won’t talk to me, he will either have me executed or I’ll go back alone.”

  She snorted, “Give him time. He’s not seen you in five hundred years and needs to work through his own shock at seeing his beloved son before him once more. I have a question though. Did you tell Kai who I am?”

  Images of that conversation flashed through his mind of when he discussed this with Kai. “Yes. She wasn’t pleased with the turn of events, but on the topic of you, she is fine.” The smile that lifted his lips was very secretive so when he turned to face Cuilwen head on, it caused her eyes to narrow in suspicion. “Just be nice to her when you do. She’s not some gentle soul and has the potential to rip your heart out if she gets angry.”

  That had Cuilwen laughing a deep sound. “Are you jesting? I’m the most trained in warfare magic, weapons and technique. She’d not have a chance, but I’ll heed your request and not torment her.”

  “Good. So you’d be willing to help?”

  “Of course. I have been trying for two days to discover who this elf could be. Do you have any information that you could share?” What she didn’t say was that she also tried to get Daerwen to relent on his decreed and talk to his son. She just didn’t understand this determination he held onto when it came to Talon and could not comprehend the consequences to forgiving him. It wasn’t in their nature to hold grudges. She could not grasp why he could not see the second chance presented to him and take it. Those conversations had led to her almost crossing a line with her respected leader but she’d cross if need be.

 
; Talon shook his head, “I only know they have an elf. I don’t even know the gender, so I’m not much help there. The magic I saw was typical of trained warfare, which leads me to believe it is a warrior. Has anyone gone missing? On a long scouting trip and not returned yet?” Now that they were on the topic, the ill ease he felt settled firmly in his stomach.

  “Hmm. I checked that first. There is one from the eastern shore, from the Oystercatcher Clan.” She waited for Talon to figure out who she meant. “It makes sense if he were the one taken since he is the son of their Clan Leader. My information tells he was sent to scout out some suspicious activity along the border. According to our communications, he is not expected back for another week but they haven’t heard from him in months.”

  Talon frowned. Athradien was a friend of his, light-hearted with a joke ready for every occasion. He had a contagious laugh that meshed well with his strawberry red hair. He sincerely hoped it wasn’t Athradien. That would wound him greatly.

  “You are thinking what I’m, aren’t you. That would be catastrophic.” Cuilwen whispered sadly. “If it is he, I hope that won’t destroy his love of life and cloud the joy that usually alights his green eyes.”

  This was disheartening. Athradien was very skilled at manipulating objects to become weapons—anything was a possibility and he’d even seen him turn a blade of grass into a sharpened dart that could penetrate any armor. Not to mention, he’d been her closest companion since Talon was exiled.

  “How do we find out for sure? Is there anything you can do?”

  “I’ve been trying,” she answered in an agonized tone. She had never felt this helpless before.

  He patted her leg in a friendly gesture and rose from the couch, “I believe you, Cuilwen. I do.” His movement brought him to the window where he saw all the way across the valley and beyond. He felt that pressure again on his heart when he saw this view and was tormented with it for the past two days. Even though he wanted nothing more than to rush home to Kai, it still felt good to be back.