“So?”
“He always had a fragile ego. Needed to be worshipped and obeyed without question, even by his companions,” he replied. “Me, on the other hand… I prefer my pets to have free will.”
“I have free will,” Arden snapped. “Maybe you’re just jealous anyone would use it to serve him.”
“Keep telling yourself that, precious,” Elan said, ruffling his hair. He pulled away before Arden could claw him for it. “My room’s at the very end of the hall if you need anything. I suggest you don’t venture past that door.”
“Or what?”
Elan paused. “That depends on how you feel about falling for all eternity.” He shrugged. “Choice is yours.”
He closed the door and left Arden to wonder if he was bluffing. He glanced back at the door and decided not to test it.
7
Vox
Once Dusk and Leo returned, Vox decided it was time to shower off the day’s stress. He should’ve turned back as soon as he heard the water already on, but it wasn’t until he walked into the communal showers and saw that Elan and Harding occupied the same open stall that he came to regret it.
The vampire’s head was back against the wall, his hand tangled in the human male’s thick brown hair. Harding had the vampire’s thick cock all the way down his throat and the look on Elan’s face was a testament to his skill.
It was just about the last thing Vox wanted to walk in on, but it was too late to pretend like he hadn’t seen anything and it certainly wasn’t the first time.
Elan’s eyes met his and his lips curved into a shameless smirk. “Don’t fret. There’s still plenty of hot water left.”
Harding seemed to realize only then that they had company, but when he turned his head, Elan gently guided him back to what he was doing and rewarded him with a stroke.
Vox rolled his eyes and began to undress in front of the showers across the room. “Don’t let me disturb you. Not like this is a public room or anything.”
The snort Elan gave was pretty much what he’d expected. The Brotherhood had a lot of down time, and they all shared relatively close quarters, so Vox was used to walking in on moments of intimacy. Aside from Dusk and Leo, they’d all fooled around at one point or another. It didn’t mean anything. Even Vox got lonely enough to put aside his disdain for the vampire from time to time.
Sometimes it was nice just to feel something, even if he wasn’t getting an orgasm out of it. Going through the motions to remind himself what it was like to be human. To feel the warmth of another person…
The only problem was, he did remember what it was like. He could pinpoint the last moment he’d felt the spark of intimacy with another, and every encounter he’d had since paled in comparison. Sometimes he just felt like torturing himself.
Vox turned on the water and even at full heat, he only felt the slightest tinge of warmth. He knew it wouldn’t cause any damage, so he left it on. It wasn’t like he could feel the burn, anyway. The fact that he wasn’t alone meant he’d have to shower in his mask, but he made do. The sounds of Elan’s fast-approaching climax were at least partly drowned out by the water and by the time Vox was finished with his shower, Harding was on his feet, running a towel through his wet hair.
A satisfied-looking Elan turned to face the water, washing away the remainder of his spunk. Harding gave Vox a sheepish glance and mumbled something that sounded apologetic as he got dressed.
The ghoul pretended like he didn’t notice, combing his fingers through his damp hair. Elan lingered once he was gone and Vox could tell the vampire had something on his mind, so he decided to preempt any snarky comments he was thinking of making with his own.
“The chimera’s barely been here for a week and already it’s like a Grecian bathhouse in here,” Vox remarked.
“You’re one to talk.”
Vox froze before pulling on his T-shirt. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you don’t,” Elan said smugly, leaning against the sink next to Vox with his broad arms folded and his abs on full display. Prick. “You know, if you want to pretend like you’re not infatuated with him, you should probably spend less time staring at his ass.”
“Says the guy who spends his time noticing how I spend my time.”
The vampire snorted. “Just looking out for you, that’s all.”
“Not sure when I asked you to do that.”
“Come on. You’re the annoying little brother none of us ever wanted,” Elan said dryly. “I’m sure it’s weird being around him. Seeing what you might have been.”
“Yeah. A walking magnet to horny elves, vampires and fae. I’m real jealous.”
“You know what’s funny?”
“I’m sure you’re gonna tell me.”
Elan smiled. “You two are from the same lab, aren’t you? Probably even the same farm.”
Vox’s jaw tightened beneath the mask and he gripped the sink, trying to remind himself he couldn’t strangle a coworker. “Your point?”
“You must know him,” said Elan. The way he spoke made it clear it wasn’t a question. He knew and Vox knew. It was just a matter of who was willing to cave. “You must have gone through the same brainwashing academy he did. Maybe even in the same class,” he said, studying the ghoul more closely.
“Again. Your point?”
Elan shrugged. “It’s just interesting, that’s all. He doesn’t seem to recognize you.”
“No,” Vox muttered. “He doesn’t.”
“But you do know him.”
His grip on the sink tightened. “Yes,” he said, his voice muffled, both because of the grates in front of his mouth and his irritation. “I know him.”
“Interesting,” Elan mused. He patted Vox on the back and dropped the towel around his waist before wandering over to his locket to get changed. “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”
Vox resisted the urge to flip him off. The vampire seemed to take it as a badge of honor.
If Elan knew, he probably wasn’t the only one. He was sure Dusk and Leo already had some idea. There were only so many facilities that housed the human children Ark stole and brainwashed. He knew no one in the Brotherhood was going to betray the confidence, even if he hadn’t explicitly given it to them. Still. He wasn’t even sure why he was keeping it a secret.
Of course Arden didn’t remember him. None of the chimeras remembered anything about their lives before. It was both the price of success, and the thing that made it possible. You couldn’t be the perfect weapon if you still had human ties.
It was, after all, another life. The sooner Vox found a way to leave it in the past, the easier it would be to cope with the ghost who haunted his present.
Chapter 8
Arden
“There you are.” Dusk’s voice was at once soothing and irritating, considering the circumstances that had brought Arden to his home. Arden was sitting on the couch in the living room, trying to read one of the books he’d found on the shelf to kill the time. He wasn’t used to being awake this long and for a house that was supposedly filled with representatives among all six species that populated Teros, it was surprisingly quiet.
The fae walked in, wearing new clothes that were every bit as princely as the ones he’d worn before. His hair was pulled back in a loose braid that made him look all the more gallant. “Reading anything interesting?”
“Not really,” Arden said, closing the book. “You were looking for me?”
“Yes. I feel bad for disappearing so soon after you arrived,” Dusk said in a tone that seemed sincere. “How are you feeling?”
“Mortal,” Arden answered. “Thanks to you.”
The fae gave him a sympathetic smile. “Come. There’s someone I’d like to introduce you to.”
“I already met Elan, and if it’s all the same, I’d rather not be reintroduced.”
“Elan? No, it’s someone else. Come,” Dusk ushered.
Arden reluctantly stood up from
the sofa and followed the fae out into the hallway. Dusk led him upstairs into a larger library Arden knew for a fact wasn’t there the last time he’d gone exploring. “Where did this come from?”
Dusk watched him with amusement dancing in his eyes. “Magic. The house is bigger than it seems.”
Somehow, he didn’t find it as charming as the fae seemed to.
Seated at the other end of the room behind a looming desk just off the floor was an unexpectedly familiar face. Arden’s chest tightened as he saw the elf from the party staring at him.
“Leopold,” he hissed. So it was him. He should have known.
The man’s expression remained cold as he pushed away the papers he’d been working on. “I told you I don’t have time for this.”
“It will only take a minute,” Dusk insisted. Why the fae was so eager to introduce two people who had only mutual hatred in common, he couldn’t guess. Everything Dusk did was a mystery to him, and this was no exception. “I know you both met at the party, but since we’re all going to be on the same team, I thought you should meet under more legitimate circumstances.”
“You’re a traitor,” Arden spat.
“You’re right, Dusk. The boy is charming,” Leopold said wryly.
The fae gave him a dirty look. “You promised.”
“Fine,” Leopold muttered, turning to Arden. “By your standards, I suppose I am a traitor, but I place loyalty to my species above the blood connection to an unscrupulous man who would run us all into the ground if given the chance.”
“So you’re planning on overthrowing your uncle?” asked Arden.
“Overthrowing?” Leopold chuckled. “The man is already a puppet for every special interest group that throws money and whores his way. I manage him, which was much easier before your Master needled his way into the inner circle.”
“What’s the point?” asked Arden. “Why would an elf want to work for the fae?”
“To explain it to you would require an education that your brainwashed mind would certainly resist.”
“Leopold,” Dusk warned.
The elf sighed. “Fine. The abridged version, then. What do you know of how the war began?”
“I know the fae kicked your kind out and the vampires gave you shelter,” Arden answered.
Leopold scoffed. “So that’s the sanitized version Eric feeds his drones now. What a privilege to be able to rewrite history on a whim.”
“Then what really happened?” Not that Arden would believe it.
“That’s really his story to tell,” Leopold said, nodding toward Dusk.
The fae didn’t seem to appreciate the concession, and Arden didn’t miss the sadness in his gaze. “We existed alongside each other peacefully for centuries, until the Elven Queen passed away. Her son was not amenable to the truce between our people, and he sought to claim the Chrysalus core that sustains all life within the Vale for the elves alone. He very nearly succeeded, and countless lives were lost.”
“The word Dusk is too shy to use is ‘genocide,’” said Leopold. “Championed by my uncle, among others. When the Elven King was assassinated and the tides began to turn, the Vale itself turned on the elves, cutting them off from their power source.”
“You were able to use magic before?” Arden asked in disbelief. “But you don’t have the markings…”
“It flowed through our veins,” Leopold said, looking down at his metal hand. “When the core cut us off, we were no longer able to exist within the Vale without augmentation. Biotechnology that circulated Chrysalus energy through our veins, allowing us to withstand the environment. It was enough of a disadvantage that most of us chose to retreat to the surface.”
“And they brought their technology to the vampires,” Dusk said quietly. “With the promise that they could one day join forces and conquer the Vale together.”
Arden frowned as he listened. He had never heard things strung together so coherently, and Leopold was right. His urge was to resist it, even though it made more sense of the alliance between the elves and the vampires than the official narrative. “You’re saying that Eric wants to come to this world?”
“Eric is an imperialist,” said Dusk. “He wants to conquer anything within his reach, and the Emperor wishes to continue what the dead King began. The extinction of my kind.”
Arden wanted to argue on his Master’s behalf, but the mental image of Dusk’s cousin came back to haunt him. “And what do you want with me?” he asked. “You think that ruining me is going to stop it?”
The horror on Dusk’s face was not the reaction Arden had anticipated. Leopold gave him a knowing look. “I warned you. Not every wounded bird you rescue sees freedom as a gift.”
“Freedom?” Arden snapped. “Is that what you call this? Being held hostage against my will, and stripped of the only thing that gave me purpose? Becoming a frail, useless human?”
“There is nothing useless about what you are,” Dusk said, his voice strained. “Or about humans, aside from the fact that you are not one.”
“Right. A chimera,” Arden spat. “All that means is a human who has the potential to become something more. Potential you took away from me.”
“I’m starting to see why he calls you Puppets. You’ve really never had a thought of your own, have you?” asked Leopold.
“Leo!” Dusk scolded.
“No. Mollycoddling him isn’t doing him any favors,” the elf shot back. “You’ve had three days to do things your way. He deserves to know the truth about the man who enslaved him.”
“Enslaved?” Arden hissed. “He gave me a purpose.”
“He stripped you of your purpose and replaced it with his own,” Leopold shot back. He stood up and leaned against his desk, his arms folded as he looked down at Arden. “Do you really know what a chimera is?”
“Of course,” Arden said, raising his chin in defiance. “A human who has the potential to become a vampire.”
The derisive snort from the elf told him he wasn’t even close, despite that being the answer he’d known all his life. “If you mean killing machines far superior to vampires, then yes, but that’s only half of the equation. A chimera has the potential to become a more evolved version of any species. Vampire, shifter, elf or fae. The fact of the matter is that vampires are the only ones twisted enough to farm and brainwash children for the infinitesimally small chance of finding one.” He paused, frowning. “Though there are elves who will most certainly try, now that they have access to this world.”
Leopold’s words wouldn’t sink in, even though Arden understood what he was saying. His heart just wouldn’t let him believe it was true. Even if it was, he decided, it changed nothing. He would choose to stay at Eric’s side all the same. “That’s not possible. You can’t become a fae or an elf like you can become a shifter or a vampire.”
“That isn’t entirely true,” said Dusk. “The process is different, and it is exceedingly rare, but it is possible.”
“Is that why you changed me back?” Arden demanded, newly suspicious of the fae’s motives. “You want to make me one of you? To fight against him?”
“I don’t want to make you anything,” Dusk insisted. “I wanted to give you what you never had. A choice.”
“If that’s true, then you’ll send me back.”
The pain in Dusk’s red eyes seemed genuine, even though Arden was less convinced than ever that he actually cared. “I can’t do that.”
“Then it’s bullshit.”
“I believe the word you’re looking for is mercy,” said Leopold. “The truth is that we don’t need you at all. You are a weapon and the Brotherhood’s only mission was to ensure that you didn’t make it into the Emperor’s hands.”
“The Emperor?” Arden frowned. “I belong to Eric.”
The elf’s gaze hardened. He seemed about to speak when a pleading glance from the fae silenced him. He stared at Dusk for a moment before grunting in irritation. “Be that as it may, the mission was to destroy you. Dus
k chose to make you mortal instead.”
“Why?” Arden asked. It made no sense.
“Because he’s a bleeding heart who’s never been able to say no to a pair of watery eyes,” said Leopold.
Dusk gave him another look before turning back to Arden. “Because you didn’t choose this life,” he said softly. “It’s not your fault, and you deserve better.”
The words would have been strange enough if they hadn’t come from a man whose relative he had killed in cold blood. As if reading his mind, the fae added, “I saw how you hesitated when Eric gave you the order to kill Vendros. I knew in that moment there was something good in you. Someone who wanted to be saved.”
“I never asked you to save me,” Arden spat.
“No,” Dusk said sadly. “But I hope that you will take the opportunity all the same. I cannot allow you to return to Eric, but I hope that you will come to see this place as your home rather than a prison.”
“Don’t hold your breath,” said Arden.
“You can’t save everyone, love,” Leopold said, taking the fae’s hand with surprising gentleness.
Arden stared at them both in disbelief. “You’re together?”
The fae chuckled, his fingers still combing through Leo’s white hair. “Is that really so hard to believe?”
“You’re fae,” Arden protested. “You’re mortal enemies.”
Dusk pursed his lips as if trying not to laugh and looked down at the other man. For the first time, Arden saw a hint of amusement in the elf’s eyes. “What can I say?” Leo shrugged. “Slim pickings.”
Dusk gave him a playful shove. “He’s an acquired taste.”
“If you don’t mind, I need to get back to work,” Leo said, giving Arden a wary look. “Try not to cause too much trouble, hm? I heard you already came close to falling into the tesseract once.”
Damn blabbermouth vampire.
“Come along,” Dusk said, putting a hand on Arden’s shoulder to lead him out of the library. “I’m sure you’re hungry.”
Puppet/Master (The Vale Chronicles Book 1) Page 8
