She immediately went down on her knees with doe eyes that looked up at him.
“It has come to my attention that you have kept the vampire population reduced to hide in the shadows of mortal men. Do you not seek power?” Arthemis directed his gaze at the remaining delegates. A tight-lipped smile graced his lips, and he ordered the others to bow to him. They did not deserve to stand in his presence. They owed their existence to him and had forgotten that.
One by one, the delegates knelt. Their confusion and panic filled their voices as they threatened him with punishments and repercussions for his outrageous behaviour.
Arthemis walked around them. These men and women had become accustomed to the way things had been without him in their lives. They knew nothing of how the world could be at their feet. Tomorrow, they could be the gods they feared today. But he could not see them preaching his goals to their sired children. For too long they had been without true leadership and goals. They were spoiled and ungrateful—undeserving of his gifts.
“I will give you one chance to redeem yourselves,” Arthemis began, stopping in front of them after completing the circle. “Push aside your fears and follow me into the new tomorrow where vampires rule the world and mortals praise the dirt we walk on.”
“Preposterous!” one of the older vampires in the centre of the group shouted. “We have survived this long because we have hidden our presence from the world and the media. If we come out now, humans will kill us with their overwhelming force, numbers, and military.”
Arthemis scowled at him. “Do you believe them to be more powerful than me?”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with you, Lucious, but there is no chance you will be able to convince us to follow you on this suicide mission. Remove this spell you have put on us and let us go or the other European delegates will destroy you!”
“Am I supposed to be afraid of my own kin? The children I created?” Arthemis glanced at Kallias who growled at the delegate for speaking out of turn.
“You may think you are all-powerful, but the others will not follow you. They listen to us because we have been there for them. We are the true force behind keeping Europe together for all these centuries,” the delegate snapped back and raised his pointed chin.
Arthemis’ displeasure showed in his flaring crimson eyes. He waded through the delegates to the one who dared speak out against him and his plans. With his hand burning like a torch with scalding flames, he lifted the man with ease. Using his ability, he ordered the others, “Be quiet and do not lift a finger.”
When the man became completely immobile, Arthemis bit into his neck and drank his blood as the fire slowly embraced the man’s clothing. It had been a long time since he had the chance to taste the blood of his kin. It made him stronger while the other children were driven mad by the power they could not control. He chose his vessel well in this cycle. Lucious was able to adapt and convert that energy into his own. If he was given enough years to grow into his true potential, Lucious could become a formidable force of nature with more than one ability at his disposal. Runa had raised a wonderful childe full of promise.
The blood of the five-hundred-year-old vampire seeped into his body, and Arthemis’ mood turned sour. He came to the realisation that keeping the delegates around would be a mistake. They were eager to oppose him.
Can they not see that I am their saviour and not their enemy?
He drained the last drops of blood from the delegate and watched him turn to fiery ashes in his hands that dispersed around him. Once he disconnected from Ealdraed’s power, his hands stopped burning, and he reached for the nearest delegate. He captured the redheaded woman and lifted her to stand before him. Brushing his fingers along her pale cheek, he took in her beauty and silent accusations that her eyes were throwing at him.
Arthemis smiled at her with sadness shimmering in his bottomless eyes. The time he had spent in his prison had taught him that fate was cruel. His promise to his mother was void, too. He had harmed another being with his own two hands. He had killed, taking away their chance at existence in this realm. Would she be happy to know he had killed one of his kind? Would she feel sorrow for those who perished sooner than for him?
His nails dug into his palms, and he savagely bit into the woman’s neck. One by one, he drained the delegates of their blood, erasing them from the Human Realm. Once he was finished and his stomach was ready to burst, he bit into his wrists, allowing for the blood to seep out of his body. Using an incantation he had learned from the blood witches in his lifetime, he let his sacrifice be accepted by the Mother of Magic on this plane. With more blood flowing out of him, he concentrated on reshaping it into the body he once had.
Before him, the blood climbed from the ground like tall grass, bending, winding, curving as his will reshaped it. After a couple of minutes, a ghostly representation of his past image stood in its place. He touched the cheek of his empty shell. To complete it, he would need a lot more vampires to shed their blood in sacrifice.
Arthemis turned to Kallias. His childe was watching his every move with fascination and adoration. Even though it irked Arthemis to see such attachment in him, he knew that Kallias would never betray him or stray from an order Arthemis gave him.
“Summon the rest of my kin from Europe and the lands beyond. Tell them the limitations on creating more vampires has been lifted. I want them to encourage others to birth more of our kind,” Arthemis said and returned to his seat at the top of the room.
“I will spread the word.” Kallias bowed his head low and backed out of the room.
As he left, Ealdraed, Bion, Cenric, and Laclia came in. They looked around, taking in the floor that was covered in ashes and dust as well as the ghostly shell of Arthemis that stood in the centre of the room like a perfectly carved sculpture.
“You killed them…” Ealdraed spoke first. His eyes narrowed on Arthemis who rested his elbows on the armrests and folded his hands over his stomach.
“They were undeserving of the gift,” Arthemis responded, sounding bored.
Laclia bit her lip and wrapped her arms around Ealdraed. “Father did what he thought was right for our kind, I’m sure.”
Arthemis raised a brow at his daughter. “Am I to believe that you—my first children in this land of nightmares—are questioning my decisions once more? Do you doubt the guidance I provide?”
Bion shook his head and went down on his knees. “We would never doubt you or your commands.”
Cenric was the next to join his blood-brother. He sank to the ground and lowered his head. “We support you and your decisions.”
Arthemis assessed Ealdraed who defiantly remained standing as Laclia tried to pull him down. “Speak your mind, my son.”
“I feel that this pointless bloodshed is not needed. We could have used those vampires for our cause. They would have rallied the others to help us in the fight against the gods!”
A fire burned in Arthemis’ eyes as he clicked his tongue. “The gods—you speak of them as if they are the main threat here.”
“They are powerful—”
Arthemis silenced Ealdraed with a piercing glare. “Do not interrupt me when I am speaking!”
His son lowered his gaze at once.
“The gods will not be a threat to us once we have an army powerful enough to control this realm,” Arthemis resumed his speech. “They are weak when they are apart. We will use that against them in due time. For now, find Lilia and those helping her. Bring her to me. Had she not locked me away for thousands of years, I would have had less to worry about.” He pointed at his children. “You were the ones who started the First Council instead of pursuing my wishes for this realm. Your lack of determination and devotion has made our race into poltroons. It is why you fear the gods and their reign.”
“We did what we thought would bring balance to this realm,” Laclia interjected.
“In control, there is no room for balance. There is only room for domination.”
&nb
sp; “What about Hartwin?” Ealdraed asked, lifting his head. “We can’t leave him to suffer. He will lose his mind.”
Arthemis tilted his head to one side in thought. Hartwin had betrayed him to side with Lilia. Punishing her was out of the question. She was someone who was important to Arthemis. But his son knew the cost of his decision when he made it. He willingly walked into the misery he was currently undergoing.
“Leave him where he is,” Arthemis replied. “He must know what it is like to be trapped in a place with nothing but one’s mind.”
“Yes, Father,” his children said in unison.
Pleased, Arthemis smiled at them. They had become accustomed to not having him around. Now that he had returned, he would set things right. “Bring to me the rest of the vampires in this building. I have orders for them.”
Bion and Cenric got up and fleeted out of the room. Laclia and Ealdraed remained with him as vampires started entering.
Assessing every one of them, Arthemis’ hope of creating a powerful army was diminishing. Many of them seemed upset or angry.
Were their sires among those I have killed?
One of them stood out. From Lucious’ memories, Arthemis recalled that he was the other Councilman who was the childe of the sole vampire who managed to inherit Arthemis’ power of the voice. Too bad Vincent was dead. Arthemis would have enjoyed spending time with him and seeing how his power would develop further.
He let his energy swallow the crowd in the room, pushing down against their mental barriers. Rising from his seat, he used his ability of the voice to get them to lower their heads. One man remained unaffected by the command—Hans.
Arthemis waded through the crowd to the retreating vampire. He captured him by the collar of his shirt and trapped him by pressing his back against the wall.
“Why does my power not work on you?” Arthemis inquired.
“What are you talking about?” Hans demanded, trying to tear Arthemis’ hands off of him.
The elder’s eyes spied a ring on the Councilman’s hand—a relic that shimmered with the magic of the undead. To the naked eye, the ring appeared as a simple wedding band, but to Arthemis it was a powerful barrier that protected the wearer from his will. He could easily eliminate Hans and dispose of the possible threat, but this man was close to the human vessel his mother possessed. Hans could be useful.
Turning his head towards the nearest hound, Arthemis barked, “Find the woman with the same ring as this man’s.”
The vampire left the room using his vampire speed.
Hans cursed and grasped Arthemis by the throat. “What are you planning to do to her? And what have you done to Lucious?” His fingers dug into Arthemis’ skin, making it hard for him to respond.
Taking a step back and separating from the vampire, Arthemis adjusted the suit jacket he was wearing. After he straightened the sleeves, he said, “The girl will remain here. To get her back, you must bring Lilia to me within a week.”
“What happens if I can’t find her?”
“The girl will die.”
Hans growled at him. “Don’t you dare threaten what is mine!”
The Council’s hound carried an unconscious blonde into the room. He looked to Arthemis for further instructions.
Hans’ eyes flared with a possessive green glow. Before he could get to the girl, Arthemis grasped him by the shoulder and drove a fist through his abdomen.
The Councilman staggered on the spot and fell to his knees as blood flowed out of his gut. He clutched it in shock and disbelief. “Why are you doing this? Aren’t you the one who created us?”
Arthemis ignored his questions. He could not answer him in front of the vampires who were gathered to oversee the events. They needed to know that his word was the ultimate command. Their lives belonged to him and him alone. Questioning his orders would bring them punishment and pain. In time, they would learn to obey the new order.
“Find Lilia and bring her to me within a week. Her vessel trusts you and will follow you anywhere.” Arthemis motioned to the hound who held the girl. “Imprison her next to Hartwin and give her no food or water until he returns.”
“You don’t need to do that! I will bring Lilia as long as you don’t harm Perri,” Hans protested, sluggishly standing up. He was healing faster than Arthemis had anticipated.
“Go and do not return without her.”
Hans spared one last glance at the unconscious girl. He mumbled another curse under his breath and fleeted out of the building, slamming the front door of the mansion shut behind him.
Now that the game was in motion, Arthemis had to wait for his mother to return to his side. With her in his reach, he would show her the world as it should have been—at their feet.
14
FATELESS SOUL
LILIA
A decade of planning it took to finally gather the remaining ingredients behind Arthemis’ back. A scale of a dragon, a heart of a pixie, a wyvern’s tongue, and, at last, she held the tooth of a cobra that Hartwin had brought back from his travels in Africa. The blood ritual she and Diya were preparing themselves mentally and physically for was nearing. They would bring Arthemis’ reign of terror to an end tomorrow night.
She sat on a stone bench that overlooked a peaceful field of poppies. The sun warmed her skin, reducing the stress in her shoulders to nothing. Could she go through with it and take the life of her own son for the betterment of the world? That question haunted her daily. He was her son, too. On some level, he was the fruit of love between her and Michael. The long blonde hair, the masculine features and beauty, they all came from the man she adored. Had it not been for that demon contract he had made with Baal, they would be happy with a normal offspring that did not crave lifeblood of mortals and his own kin.
Initially, she thought he had grown tired of mortal blood or learned to control his thirst for it. She was wrong. Arthemis had changed his tastes. He had his children turning others for the sole purpose of feeding on the blood of the newborn vampires and growing in power. The sight of him drinking blood from his kin made Lilia sick in the stomach. She could no longer turn a blind eye to the lustful and demonic lifestyle he was leading. What was to stop him from directing his hunger towards her or Diya next?
Her sister as well had fallen for a monster. That demon had lied to her, fooling her into believing that he was a mere warlock. But, the truth came out eventually. Their child was the reason many humans lost their life energy to the succubi and incubi. Yakshi—their daughter—ran away from Diya to begin her existence anew. Tales of life-consuming beasts followed Yakshi wherever she surfaced with her kind. Diya chose to leave her child be whereas Lilia could not allow Arthemis to continue bringing pain to human souls. They needed to remain a part of the cycle of life and death to purify their souls of the terrible deeds they had committed during their years in the Human Realm. Her son did not agree. He would rather shatter the balance the gods of this realm had worked hard to maintain.
“Why the intense look on your face, Mother?” Arthemis asked, taking a seat beside her.
When she blinked, she realised that the sun had sunk below the horizon. The shadow of the night began to slowly creep up on the field and trees around them.
“I was thinking about life and death,” she said softly.
Arthemis took her hand and caressed the back of it with his thumb.
When she gazed at him, she saw her little boy, her only son who could charm even a snake into loving him. His touch was tender and caring. It brought tears to her eyes, knowing that tomorrow he would be gone.
“You are upset…” He brushed away the wetness on her cheeks and pulled her in close. Kissing the top of her head, he assured her that everything would be fine and that he would make her happy.
Lilia pushed back the suffocating sorrow that rode her heart into the ground. She pulled away from him and held his face between her palms. “One day, we will be reborn as human and see the world from their perspective. We will be powerles
s against the currents of fate, fragile against the forces of nature, and blind to the world that is beyond the walls of our abode. But as human, we will connect with others better. We will belong.”
“We are immortal,” he reminded her, moving out of her reach. “Death will not come for us.”
“Sometimes I wish it had. Living for hundreds of years torments the soul. We become shells of what we used to be, creatures with no morals, no compassion, unable to resonate with those around us. What is the point to life if the life we live brings us no joy?”
Arthemis grasped her shoulders and forced her to look him in the eye. “You told me that every soul is precious. Why would yours be any different? You used to hold their deepest secrets, wishes, and lusts in the palm of your hand. The encounters you created between those souls caused wars and brought peace to foreign lands. If my father was here, I am certain he would agree with me. You deserve to have a smile on your face.”
The words he spoke carved her heart out further. He was kind and loving to her. He gave her everything she could ever want and more in earthly possessions. There were chests of gold and hand-crafted jewels spread out in her chambers. Castles she never cares for or wished to visit. She had touched none of his gifts. They were trinkets that he believed would appease her and wipe the worry from her brow. He could not see that the source of her fret were his actions. Throughout the years, he had become so focused on making her ‘his priority’ in life that he had forgotten what it was like to live a life, to love and truly care for another. He had separated himself from humans even further, seeing them as food or possible power sources instead of accepting them as other creatures that deserved his respect and had the right to coexist with him.
Lilia patted Arthemis on the head and stood. The evening air was chilly, so she rubbed her arms to stroke some warmth into her exposed flesh. “I am tired. It is best I get some sleep.”
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