With a deep breath, I pushed myself up from the ground and stood on shaky legs. As the creature held me in its slit-eyed stare, I threw a handful of dirt toward its face. It recoiled, staggering backward and rubbing at its eyes. Only when it stilled did I step forward and throw the rock at its head. My aim was good. The rock hit its snout, and it yelped in pain before crouching away from me.
I took the opportunity to run. I headed deeper into the forest, the tree trunks larger and more spaced out.
Just as I was beginning to think I’d escaped, the creature stepped out in front of me. I had no time to change direction or even slow down, and I crashed into its putrid chest. My whole body shook as I staggered backward.
Its snout was bleeding, the result of my attack, but it was also dribbling drool and saliva. It snarled. Rancid breath and spittle blasted into my face, and I whimpered. I took another step backward and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the reality of what was happening. But when I opened my eyes, the creature seemed even larger.
Odin chose that moment to make an appearance. He let out a rabbling chatter as a large stick dropped from the foliage above. I glanced at the stick as it lay on the ground to my side. It was solid, thick, and pointed at one end.
As the beast approached me, swinging its head from one side to the other and scratching its claws in the ground, I flung myself toward the stick. Gripping it tightly, I held it in both hands, the sharp end pointing at my attacker. As it raised one of its arms into the air, Odin flew at it, causing a moment of distraction. I charged at the beast and thrust the pointed end of the stick through its rib cage and into its monstrous beating heart. The pulsating muscle exploded, covering me in warm sticky blood. But the beast still didn’t stop. It roared and reared up to its full height. I twisted my weapon, ensuring it would not survive.
Odin was still making a nuisance of himself, flying at the beast, his claws reaching for its eyes. The beast continued to try and catch him, but its movements became slow, its life-force spilt all over the forest floor. When it eventually fell to the ground, its body twitched for several moments before finally stopping. I leaned against a nearby tree trunk and wiped my face with my sleeve. Tears crept into the corners of my eyes as I breathed heavily, trying to calm my galloping heart.
I’d killed it. I’d actually managed to kill it.
Odin fluttered to the ground and hopped around at my feet.
“Thank you,” I said, sniffing. “If you hadn’t dropped that stick . . .” I shook my head, refusing to think of the alternative. “We need to keep going. Come on.” A chorus of howls rang out in the distance. I pulled the stick from the dead beast’s chest and set off running. Once again, Odin led the way.
I listened for the panting breath; I waited for the pungent stench of another of the creatures. But I refused to look back. I had to get to the village.
It wasn’t long before I caught the glimmer of distant lanterns. And, as if sensing that I was at my destination, Odin cawed and then flew away. Tears welled up behind my eyelids. Only a few more steps.
The relief that had flooded through me was short-lived. Numerous ravens suddenly flew into the village, and a familiar cackle ricocheted through the trees.
Livia.
The few women who were around fled into their homes, and I rushed to a nearby tree and hid behind it.
The carriage had returned. Why? For me? Was this what normally happened? When the village demon died, his wife was returned to the selected categorisation for the ceremony?
Panic disorientated my vision, my palms sweated even though my skin was cold.
“Where is she?” Livia’s voice rang out clear and melodic. “Where is the little whore who murdered Paymon and thought she could get away with it? No one gets away with killing a demon.”
No one replied.
“Is no one prepared to tell me?” she roared. “Maybe you need persuading.”
Pots clattered as they hit the ground, followed by a loud scream.
“I can take this one instead,” Livia screeched. “A young girl for the Master. He’ll enjoy playing with her!”
“No,” I muttered, seeing that she’d grabbed hold of Susie. She was only fourteen.
“I hear you.” Livia giggled, and I clamped my hand over my mouth. Vampires—not only equipped with speed, but with an acute hearing ability as well. “You’d better come out, Athena, or I will take this pretty young thing back to the Master. I may even find some others to accompany her.”
I remained where I was, trying to alleviate my fear of Livia and what would await me at the Master’s with the need to do the right thing.
Livia laughed. The sound ran through me and made my every nerve rattle with agitation. I’d just escaped from an infernal and whatever that creature was that stopped me in the forest, and now I had to face a vampire.
I hobbled out of the forest, leaving the covering shelter of trees behind, and focused on Livia as she spun around to face me. Her white hair rippled in the breeze, and her vivid red eyes bore into me. The red cape that she’d worn at the Ascension Ceremony pooled at her feet like a puddle of blood. She was holding Susie with a vice-like grip around her throat, but she flung her to the ground as soon as she saw me. Instantly she stood beside me, the scent of death in her wake. She snarled in my ear, grabbed both of my hands and pulled them behind my back. I held back a scream as her nails dug into my flesh. What was she going to do to me? Take me to the Master? Kill me? I desired neither outcome, but with one certain to be my fate, I was strangely undecided as to which was the better option.
“You look disgusting,” she said. “Dirty and covered in blood.” She licked her lips before marching me into the centre of the village. Her cold breath ghosted across my neck, and she yanked my hair to one side. She licked my neck and pushed her nose against my skin. A quiet hiss filled my ear moments before my neck erupted in a burning heat. I screamed and twisted in her grasp, but couldn’t escape. The pain in my neck intensified, red hot pokers sunk deep into the flesh—a localised agonising pain that spread further and further away from its source of puncture. A noisy slurp sounded out, and a surreal groan of contentment was uttered.
I stumbled against my captor as she drew from my life force. Was this how I was going to die? After everything Paymon had said, that I would be safe when we married, had it all been lies? I closed my eyes, not willing to fight the pain any longer. If this was my fate, my life was over.
“Athena!” It was Thomas, shouting from the edge of the village clearing. “Athena!”
Something inside me clicked. No, this was not my time. I wasn’t just going to become this vile vampire’s next meal. I’d face the Master; I’d survive my years with him. I’d come back alive. I couldn’t just give up. I’d fight whatever was thrown at me—starting with Livia.
Gathering all my weakened strength, I twisted sharply, determined to force her away from my neck, but she only held me tighter. My strength was nothing compared to hers.
“I’m sure the Master won’t be happy if you kill his potential wife,” I rasped.
Her lips shifted on my neck, but she only sucked harder, the skin tearing where she had hold of me.
I continued to twist and turn, but Livia moved with me. I couldn’t shake her off. But as I fought to release her grip, I spotted Thomas charging toward us. He held a spade, carrying it high in the air as he ran. I prayed his aim was accurate as the metal plate swung toward the back of Livia’s head.
Before the expected blow struck, I was released and thrown to the floor. Livia effortlessly caught the swinging spade.
“You fool!” She pulled the spade toward her, and in doing so, brought Thomas within her grasp. She swung at him with the back of her hand and connected with his face. He flew backward before landing several metres away on his back.
I shifted onto my knees but lurched to the side. “Thomas!”
Livia stood between us, her rapacious feeding of my blood evident on her red smeared face. I lifted m
y hand to my neck before inspecting my fingers. Blood, and plenty of it. I ripped a length of fabric from the sleeve of my dress and pressed it to the open wound. If the lack of blood didn’t kill me, infection surely would.
Livia had moved sideways and seemed content on prowling around Thomas. She licked her lips and drew her hand across them as if sizing up her prey. Several of the villagers tended to him as he groggily sat up. But no one came to my assistance, not even Myrtle who stood in the doorway of her home staring off into the distance.
At least Thomas’s attempted attack on Livia had stopped her gluttonous feeding on my blood. As if knowing I was thinking about her, she spun to face me, her lips still stained a dark crimson. Smirking, she sauntered toward me and crouched over my crumpled body. I backed away from her, too fearful of what she now intended. I flinched when she grabbed my right hand.
“No mark,” she said, quickly inspecting the back of the palm. “I wonder why he didn’t complete the full ceremony with you. The bond would’ve remained unbroken if he had.”
I frowned, trying to determine what she meant.
“Lanim!” Livia called before hissing against my ear. “If you had not been selected as a wife for the Master, I’d drain you until nothing remained but a corpse.”
“And now?” I pushed myself away from her cold hands and lips.
“I’ll let Lanim take you to the Master. He’s not the gentlest of miscreants, but you will still be of use to the Master when you arrive.” She sniggered as she stepped away. “The Master will complete the full marriage ceremony as soon as you arrive. There’ll be no doubt as to who you belong to for the rest of your pathetic life.”
In a repeat of what had happened at the Ascension Ceremony, one of the shadows sitting at the front of the carriage slipped from its seat. It moved as pooled liquid, moaning and whining with the painful echo of distant voices. The sickly sweet aroma that I’d smelt at the ceremony grew in intensity as the miscreants headed toward me. Livia hauled me to my feet, but my legs had no strength in them, and I fell against her. She held me still, upright, ensuring I saw the approaching dark void.
Only when it touched my feet did Livia back away. My knees didn’t give way as I expected; they remained locked in place. I couldn’t move, not only were my feet stuck to the ground, but my arms were locked at my sides. I was nothing but a statue. The liquid reverted to the shadow, and a painful cold crept through me. I clenched my jaw, determined to fight off the debilitating hold the creature had, but as black spots appeared in front of my eyes, I understood it was pointless. I was no match for the miscreant, or Livia, or any demon. This world wasn’t ours anymore—it was theirs. They were in control.
When the moaning shadow crept over my face, my world was plunged into complete darkness. My pulse raced, and the sound of my own heartbeat thrashed loudly in my ears. I felt sick, dizzy, and disorientated, but with my lack of sight, my hearing became fine-tuned.
“Athena!” Thomas shouted, but I couldn’t respond. My muscles ached with the will to move, but with no control to do so.
“You are mine to take to the Master,” the miscreant hissed in my ear. Its voice was scratchy, low and terrifying.
A leathery creaking signified the unfurling of the winged membrane. But, as the stench of the miscreant became overpowering, I became aware of another sound, one I’d not heard for a long time—the distinctive strike of a set of hooves upon the hard ground. The sound gradually became louder and then stopped. A horse snorted. Not only did the snort hint at the horse’s agitation on its arrival in the clearing, the rider who spoke out, didn’t sound any happier.
“Livia,” a man roared. “What is Lanim doing with that woman?”
“EREBUS?” LIVIA’S VOICE WAS sweet and soft, nothing like the tone she’d directed at me.
“I believe that’s my name,” he said, sharp and concise.
“To what do I owe this pleasure of your visit?” Livia sounded as if she were singing. “You have no need to be in this disgusting village with all these peasants.”
The man sniggered. “I have every right to be here. But you? You have no right to be anywhere near this village. Not unless I send for you.”
“You’ve been given this village? Since when?”
“I was summoned several hours ago when Paymon died. I’ve been travelling constantly. Seems I got here just in time.”
A breeze brushed against my skin and a raven cawed overhead.
“Call that filthy beast off that woman,” the man said. “If you have no need to be here, it certainly doesn’t.”
“Lanim,” Livia snapped. “Back to the carriage without the girl. It seems Erebus wants to save her.”
There was a creak of movement, and the sickly aroma surrounding me lost intensity.
When moans and wails filled the air, I knew the miscreant was returning to the carriage, but the frightening blindness didn’t leave me. My hands and feet tingled as some feeling began to return to them, but the little strength I had in my legs wasn’t enough to prevent me from falling to the ground. I landed on my side and was unable to find the strength to sit. Footsteps approached. After a rustle of clothing, I was pulled against warmth.
“Athena, can you hear me?” It was Thomas, his voice strained, breaking.
I nodded. As the oppressive cold snaked away from my limbs, every muscle hurt, throbbing with a dull numbness. But it felt good to be in Thomas’s arms. He was warm and familiar.
The darkness that had surrounded me clouded and then dispersed, and I focused on the man who had arrived. He was seated on a large black stallion, but his facial features were hidden by the hood of his cloak. When he dismounted his horse, his cloak swirled behind him in an elegant flourish.
He prowled toward Livia. “So, you didn’t explain. Why are you here with the carriage? Has this woman done something to upset you?”
I drew in a sharp intake of breath and placed my hand over my chest as he pulled the hood of his cloak way from his face. He was young, much younger than Paymon. He had stubble, and where the beginnings of a beard ended, streaks of dirt were smudged across his face. The dark shadows beneath his eyes hinted at his tiredness and possible frustration. A deep scowl pulled across his forehead, and Livia backed away from him.
“Such a pity I can’t feed from your emotions, Livia. I’d be having my own private party if that were the case. But I can sense your fear—it’s quite disturbing, but also deeply satisfying. Something worrying you?” His brow lifted, and he shot a sideways glance at me. “And you. Paymon’s wife, I suspect? About to be claimed by the miscreant.”
“She killed Paymon.” Livia pointed at me, her hand movement wide and exaggerated.
“I didn’t!” I stood on shaking legs as Thomas held my arm, supporting my dizzy body. “He died in my arms. I never wanted him dead.”
“You killed him!” she roared.
Erebus spun to face Livia, and she immediately froze in place, like the statues that the girls had been when the carriage last came. He walked to where I stood, his steps slow and predatory.
Thomas backed away, leaving me alone. I glanced quickly at him, shooting him a disgusted frown.
Erebus scanned my bloodied and ripped dress. “So you didn’t kill him?”
I shook my head.
“Are you sure?”
I nodded.
Now he was next to me I could see his eyes. They were black, no doubt feeding from my racing emotions. His dark hair was tied away from his face, and he stood a head taller than me. He was also dressed similarly to Paymon, old-world clothes, but his were worn with the simple adornment of belts.
“You can speak, you know. Livia will stay where she is. I’ve compelled her.” He leaned toward me and whispered, “I hate vampires.”
I managed a small smile at his shared confidence.
“What’s your name?” He seemed genuinely curious and there was no sign of the former annoyance in his tone.
“Athena.”
He reached
his gloved hand toward my face and lowered it to my neck. When he lifted his hand away he looked at the blood staining the black leather and tutted before striding back to Livia.
“Get on your knees!”
She immediately sank to the ground, no choice under his compelment. With no words uttered and no warning issued, he kicked her in the chest. She flew backward before slumping to her side. She didn’t look up as Erebus strode to her crumpled body. He grabbed her hair before wrapping it around his hand, pulling it and forcing her to look at him. “You’re a worthless whore,” he snarled before placing his spare hand around her neck and lifting her to her feet. “How dare you feed from her?” he shouted only inches away from her face. “You have no right to even be here. Athena was Paymon’s wife, and now she will be mine. You will not touch her ever again.” He threw her to the side and then added another kick to her stomach.
I looked away, shocked and outraged by his violent attack on Livia. No man should ever treat a woman like that. And he thought I was going to be his wife? No, no way at all. I wouldn’t marry any man who’d raise a hand to me. And I’d just got my freedom back; I wasn’t losing it again.
“Worthless, stupid vampire!” He kicked her again as she lay on the ground. “I shall inform the Master of your greed to collect Athena when she should have been left alone. How dare you break the rules that are set out before all of us who serve him? You forget your place in this world, do I need to remind you?”
Livia hissed and turned away from her attacker. Her white hair hid her face as she remained crouched on the ground.
Erebus resumed his observation of me, his eyes dancing with secret amusement. “You look worried, Athena.”
“You . . . you attacked her.”
“Vampires do not feel pain. Their subservience to demons overrides their basic instinct to attack. They know their place, but I like to remind them who exactly is in charge.” He switched his gaze briefly to Livia. “Look at her, not a mark on her, only her pride is bruised, and believe me, that’s even worse for Livia. I’m sure she’d like to be bruised and battered rather than have her pride damaged, especially in front of you.”
Iniquity (The Ascent Book 1) Page 16
