Kingdoms Of Hell: Vampire Paranormal Romance (Transfusion Book 7)

by Stephanie Hudson

  This was his…

  Resurrection.

  Chapter 4

  The Life of a Vampire King

  Tears and screams.

  This was what followed, the first was coming from me as I silently sobbed from having to witness the true torture of what the man I loved had had to endure to become what he was. In fact, it affected me on such a deep and disturbing level, that I wasn’t sure I would ever get the memory of his screams out of my mind, as it sounded as if Lucius was being ripped apart.

  I don’t know how long this lasted, as it began to feel more like a test of strength on both our parts. Especially seeing as I was quickly questioning why I was being made to witness so much of Lucius’ beginning. Was this my penance for demanding these visions from the Keepers of Three?

  Finally, after the screaming agony had finished, I got to witness Lucius’ transformation, starting with when he forced his body from the nails that had kept him prisoner on the cross. He growled in anger and tore each arm free first, before using the freedom of his arms to push the rest of his body from where he had been nailed in place. Blood spurted from the holes made before I watched in fascination as they started to close, along with the biggest wound of all, his chest. At first it had looked as if it had almost caved in on itself from the impact Lucifer’s hand had made when punching through the ribs to get to his heart.

  As now I could see his ribcage fusing back together at the breaks where they had snapped, before his flesh, muscle and skin started to knit across the hole. This continued until it was nothing but a large chiselled chest, one significantly more muscled and toned than before. But this wasn’t the only transformation his body received, as everything about him started to change. It was as if before he had only been half living and now his new life truly looked touched by that of a God.

  His skin looked pale yet in a healthy way, as if the new blood coursing through his body had made it glow slightly. His hair looked the colour of the desert sands touched by the sun, one he would no longer wish to bathe under, as it was the eternal darkness of night that would forever call to his Demon.

  His once dark eyes turned to that of molten steel, with the hints of blue flashing brighter as his cunning and quick mind took in everything around him. He looked down at his fist as he clenched it tight before telling the Devil who made him,

  “I feel strong, powerful, as if I could kill with barely any strength needed.”

  “That’s because you can, and you will.”

  “I will?” he asked looking up making Lucifer throw his head back once more, laughing at the question before telling him,

  “Yes, my Son, you will and what’s more…you will enjoy it.” Lucius grinned back up at him and it was one of knowing that sent chills down my spine, reminding me just how brutal and vicious Lucius was at heart, despite the love he held for me.

  “But first, I bestow on you your last gift, a reminder if you will,” Lucifer said before he clicked his fingers, making his hand ignite and become engulfed in crimson fire. Then, with his flaming hand, he placed a fingertip to Lucius’ temple and the second he did, Lucius fell back against the bloody cross.

  The impact of the Devil’s touch was quickly explained the moment I saw that same crimson fire being absorbed into his skin and start lighting up his veins as the demonic power coursed through his body. An extreme power that would obviously take some getting used to as the moment he gripped the wooden beam at his back, it suddenly burst into flames. Lucius stepped away from the now burning cross and looked at what he had done with both shock and excitement.

  “I feel…incredible!” Lucius said surprising himself again when this last word came out as a deep growl, but nothing more shocking than when the demonic wings suddenly erupted from his back. In what then seemed like a natural reaction, they stretched out, displaying a huge wingspan of stretched black skin in between finger like bones. These were spiked with razor tips and in a similar shape to that belonging to a bat.

  Two massive horns had grown from near his shoulders at his back, spanning at least six feet long each side and they narrowed out into deadly points. They were also black with deep ridges along the top that gave them the appearance of a demonic spine. The underbelly of them was where his wings began, with the leathery skin attached there before the first of the boned fingers sectioned off the rest of each wing. The thick bone curved giving them their shape and function, with the last finger curling out past the front of his body near his feet with the longest and most deadliest claw of all.

  Down the centre of his spine was what looked like exposed black bone covered in between with a fine black fur that looked surprisingly soft to touch. What followed after the discovery of his wings, was the transformation of his entire human body as it changed into that of his Demon. A form I had only seen once at the top of his silent winter garden. Even now, it still was a terrifying sight to behold and Lucius rose up to his now taller height before he looked down at his demonic hands before they both clenched into fists. Then he pounded one to his chest like some wild alpha before he threw his head back and let go of a deafening roar as his Demon was finally set free for the first time.

  He looked unstoppable.

  Lucifer raised his hands to the side as if marvelling at the sight of his creation just as Ba‘al Zəbû cowered back at the sight of such power. For Lucius started to grow, his mighty leathery wings stretching out as he threw his arms back, his chest went forward and the full extent of his power burst through him, as this time his demonic roar cracked the walls and shook the ground.

  He looked more like the Devil King in front of him than anything else, which was when I realised that was precisely what his demon side was…

  The Devil in his soul.

  “Now for the reminder of exactly how you came to be,” Lucifer said before quickly grabbing him by one of his horns and spinning him around. Then, with the back of his wings now facing Lucifer, he applied the pressure needed to force his new creation to his knees. Lucius went down on one knee at the same time Lucifer reached back behind him until he located the spear once more, one that again burned him the second he touched it.

  “Now it is up to the Fates to make you a true God!” he roared before raising the weapon high and powering it down in between his wings, stabbing Lucius down the centre of his back. The spear ended up implanted beneath his exposed bone, making him fall forward to both knees. Then I watched in astonishment as the full length of the blade delved deeper underneath his flesh, embedding itself and fusing the metal with the spine of his demon until hidden safely between his wings. Lucius remained on his knees, panting and shaking his head trying to dispel the obvious painful effects of what Lucifer had just done.

  “Now you are Judas no longer, for it is only right for a father to bestow upon you a new name, for yours will no longer represent the betrayer of God, one the memory of your human life will forever hold. But instead it will represent the light that now burns within your soul, for you are the Light of the Seventh…so from this day forward, your name shall be…Lucius Septimus.”

  I gasped just as the vision changed to that of him waking ten feet away from the tree he had been hung from, under the blood moon. And this time there was no tugging feeling gnawing at my soul as if the edges of my consciousness were being jerked in all directions. But then, the moment Lucius rose to his feet, I could see for myself the utter rage in him was not the same as it had been today.

  No, this was the fresh newborn son created by the Devil and the anger that was coursing through his veins had a direct link to Hell. I knew that the moment I barely recognised the terrifying demonic killer glint in his blood-red eyes. The first thing he did was lift a hand to his face before he engulfed it in Hellish flame just as Lucifer had done when calling forth his Demon for the first time. After this he walked directly to the tree of his death and with what looked like barely any effort, he tore the thickest branch from the rest, letting it fall to the blood soaked earth. The scorched and burning
bark sizzled in the liquid as he looked down at it in pure rage. This was because it had been the branch he had been hung from and one that was a cruel reminder thanks to the bloodied nose that was still attached.

  Although where his previously broken body had gone, I had no clue.

  After this he picked up the branch, one that quickly became engulfed in flames he created. He stood still for a moment as he watched his own human blood burn away from it before throwing it with such force, it scattered in the dirt at least thirty feet behind him. I could barely see it still burning in the distance against the night sky and then with a flick of his wrist, the entire tree went up in a mass of flames. I sucked in a shuddered breath, watching now as he calmly walked away from the site of his death, happy no doubt in the knowledge of it now burning to ash behind him.

  But little did he know at the time it would only continue to grow back for as long as he lived.

  Just like the Tree of Souls.

  The sight of him walking away quickly gave way to the next vision, one that started to play out differently than before. It became an almost flicker book of destruction, blood and gore as Lucius’ reign of terror flowed throughout the world of Vampires. It was almost like standing on the very edge of time so you were not a part of it but just close enough to watch as it sped forward, slowing enough to only catch glimpses of its motion. Almost like looking out of a car window and going from a hundred miles an hour of blurred landscape to just slow enough to catch sight of a single aspect of the world you travelled through.

  And his world was a bloody and brutal one!

  Because his new deadly rule swept through each continent until every last Vampire he found was either kneeling at his feet and being fed by his wrist or they were in bloody pieces scattered around him. Either way the choice became clear, accept the Devil’s claim or die. Needless to say, most chose to kneel and those that believed themselves stronger, soon realised they were wrong…in the ‘eternally dead’ sense.

  I didn’t quite know how long this took him, as he travelled the world with the limitations set against him. But as I watched him on one ship after another, I knew that this had most likely taken him a long time to accomplish. And in truth, it was terrifying to watch the raw, untamed strength and rage inside him that merged into one. The way his presence would sweep through the land like a plague among his people, making them cower in dark and shadowed corners trying to escape the choice forced upon them. Some would even band together, thinking to bring him down in greater numbers.

  But again, they were wrong.

  Nothing and no one could stop him. Not the biggest, not the oldest and not the ones with what they foolishly believed was enough skill in fighting.

  Lucius was a machine.

  A cold blooded, methodical killer. He was the threat that always followed through and he was the nightmare to those that believed they had created the name. And then, when the last of the entire race was brought to heel, Lucius found himself yearning for something more. Some sort of direction or his own master to follow, for it soon became apparent that his desire to be a king hadn’t been born with him in his new life.

  Which was why he ended up sat on a sand dune with a stunning golden city glittering under the full moonlight in the distance. The blood coating his hands and face clear to see and looking almost like black ink bathing his pale skin under the star blanketed night sky. A servant was cowering behind him as Lucius asked,

  “What city is that?”

  “Ctesiphon, My Lord,” his servant answered in a fearful tone, bowing as he spoke even though Lucius still had his back to him. Of course, I had heard of the name and not just because I was a historian by profession but for more personal reasons. I heard the name spoken in great fondness by my father. I had grown up listening to the stories of the most fearsome warriors on horseback that were skilled in defeating the Romans time and time again. This done with their unique battle tactics with little more than a bow and an endless supply of arrows provided by a caravan of servants with supplies. They were also expert riders on horseback with a skilful aim at both firing an arrow forward and back behind them as their horses rode away.

  But their skill in war wasn’t the only thing the Persians were well known for, as it was also where the word paradise was born. Persians were known as the world’s greatest landscapers, having the most exquisite gardens, this thanks to their extensive knowledge and collection of plants and also their underground viaduct system that fed water straight down from the mountains and into their cities.

  Now, what brought Lucius here at this moment in time I didn’t know, as the visions leading up to this point moved by too quickly to understand why. Why I now found him staring directly at the city that I would have given anything to experience, just once. Which was why I also knew that here, through the vision of his memories, was as close as I was ever going to get.

  This was also when I realised what the Keepers were showing me, as so far it had been slowed down at every single turning point in Lucius’ life. The things that happened to him pathed the course for not only his future but for the future of all of those around him. Setting the way and planting bloody footsteps for the Fates plans to take place for us all. Which of course, was the next fated journey that had obviously led him to,

  My father.

  “And who is its King?” Lucius asked.

  “That would be Arsaces of Parthia, the King of Kings to the human world.” At this Lucius straightened a little and turned to look over his shoulder at his servant, I could then see his fangs flash in the light before he asked,

  “And in my world, who is he in that one?” The servant bowed low obviously used to Lucius’ dark rage, yet still not knowing when it would appear.

  “He is also known as the King of Kings, my Lord, for he is the first ruler and known as the overlord of all Supernatural beings.” Lucius hummed and looked back towards the city.

  “Is he now?” he mused obviously deep in thought, now with a strange glint in his eyes as he looked intrigued.

  “If…if I may be so bold, Master.”

  “Speak!” Lucius snapped waving an impatient hand in the air.

  “He is known as the most powerful being on Earth and his armies above and below are both vast, so it would not be wise to…”

  “Above and below?” Lucius’ question cut him off.

  “It is what makes him so powerful, for he is the first and only one of his kind,” the servant replied, obviously holding himself tense as if at any minute this conversation would end in him losing his head.

  “And that is?!” Lucius asked, clearly getting irritated at having to wait for the information he wanted.

  “He is both Angel and Demon, my Lord, born from both royal bloodlines of the highest-ranking Angel and Demon. In fact, I believe his father is Lucifer’s most trusted confidant and is a Prince in Hell,” the servant told him, and I couldn’t help but smile as I thought about my unconventional grandparents who, for obvious reasons, were not together.

  “And that would be?” Lucius enquired with more calm now.

  “His father is Asmodeus, the Prince of Lust, My Lord.” At this Lucius reacted, telling me that he had heard of my grandfather, who was in fact said to be Lucifer’s closest friend.

  “Now that is interesting,” Lucius replied, more to himself.

  “Sire?” his servant asked after Lucius nodded to himself, now looking more than pleased. Then he gained his feet, dusted off the sand from his dark clothes and said,

  “Then I have found what I have been looking for.”

  “How, my Lord?” he asked, but Lucius ignored this and instead gave him one last order,

  “You may go, I have no more use for you, and you are free of my service. Go and live life as you please, for I am done ruling over it,” Lucius stated and before he could hear the servant’s utter gasp of shock, he released his huge demonic wings and was up in the air in seconds, now travelling towards the city with speed.

  This f
ading image of Lucius disappearing out of sight after taking to the night sky, signified the end of one vision before another swiftly took its place. But this time it became more like a series of quick events that included a glimpse of not only his past life, but also that of my father. To see him now as a Persian king was a sight I would never forget and nor would I ever want to.

  It was a startling sight to behold and to see him sat in those ancient times on his glorious throne…well, simply put, he was magnificent.

  But in regard to Lucius, as time was spun quickly in front of me it also became clear that he became more than just my father’s right-hand, but they became comrades as well. Brothers at arms that fought side by side in many battles together. And this wasn’t all, as a new series of visions portrayed Lucius as something other than simply good in a fight. No, instead of him swinging a sword on the battlefield, visions of him stalking the city streets at night showcased another acquired skill of his. This was when my father had sent him on missions, that mainly included stealth, cunning, speed and the deadly hand of an assassin.

  However, over time it also became clear that Lucius’ aversion to sunlight faded somewhat, even if it was something he obviously kept quiet about. As there were times that I would see him on that same sand dune, once more looking out over the city, alone and deep in thought as he watched the sun setting for the night.

  But during these times, there was always one expression on his face...longing. In fact, out of everything that I had seen so far, if there was one time I could have paused and stepped right into, then it would have been in that exact moment. I would have sat down beside him, taken his hand in mine and watched the sun setting with him, before ending the night asking him what it was he was thinking about.

  The question soon lingered in my mind even as time continued to play out. As for his other aversions, silver was one he always stayed away from and I was unsure if it was just the reminder that made it this way or did it actually have the power to burn or even weaken him? Again, this was yet another question I ended up having no choice but to add to all the rest, especially as time continued to span through the ages.