Fate of the Blood Moon's Path (28 page)

“There is much to discuss Draven.” He ran his hand over his eyes as if he were getting tired.

“My lord?” Akuma asked him.

“I am fine. It was just a long journey.” He turned towards us with a sort of crooked smile plastered on his face.

“You are sure?” He asked.

He smiled an actual warm smile this time. “You worry too much Akuma.”

“It’s a bad habit. I do tend to worry about my King.” He bowed his head.

“Yes, well, we have a lot to talk about. As you two are my successors, you would be in charge if anything happened to me. There are events that will be coming up in the near future that could jeopardize any, and, all species.”

“Such as?” I finally found my voice.

“In time my boy.” Lazarus laid his hand on my shoulder. “First thing’s first.” He dropped his hand and leaned against the window sill. He motioned to the door. Two Vampyres, very muscular, entered. “I’m not pleased with your duties Draven.” He turned his head.

“Sir?” I stepped forward. One of the Vampyres grabbed my arm to keep me from stepping any further towards him. “Lazarus, please. I don’t understand.”

“I gave direct orders to watch Angel. Nothing else. You were not supposed to talk to her. You were not supposed to fall in
love
with her.”

“I…” I let my breath out. “I didn’t fall in love with her. I didn’t think that talking to her would hurt anything. She’s quite accepting Sir.” I admitted. The other Vampyre stepped in front of me.

“There are consequences Draven; for not obeying. But alas, I’m not going to have you killed. No.” He paused. “A good beating will do just fine. Go easy on him boys, I favor this one too much.” He turned his back looking out the windows listening to the wolves howling in the distance.

Smack!
The fist of one of the Vampyre in front of me landed straight on my jaw. There was a cracking sound.
Good thing I’m dead already.
A punch to both sides of the ribs, a kick in the knees. Punch after punch making me double over. My knees gave out and I hit the floor. Then the torture continued from both Vampyres. Kicks and punches in the stomach and ribs, and the back. One after another. I let out a breath hoping it was over, then it started again. Blood started coming out of my mouth and nose.

“Enough.” Lazarus commanded. “He’s had enough.” But he didn’t turn around. The two Vampyres left the room with the door slamming. I could feel the blood dripping off my face onto the floor and my broken bones inside. I couldn’t move. I laid there.

Just because a Vampyre is dead doesn’t mean that he can’t feel.

“Will you obey?” Lazarus asked.

I nodded, or I tried to.

“Sometimes you are too easy on him Akuma.” He finished. Akuma didn’t respond back. He stood silently looking out the window.

“Just lay there Draven.” He went back to a chair away from the window and sat down. “And you can’t lie to me Draven! I know that you have fallen for her. I feel it radiating from inside of you.”

“Sir…” Akuma turned, but Lazarus’ hand came up, again, stopping him. “You can’t afford distractions anymore. Is that understood?”

I nodded again.

“She’s trouble and there will never be anything between the two of you. Ever.”

“Trouble?” I finally got my voice to work again.

“Yes. Trouble.” He made a face like his thoughts were troubling him and he was having a hard time getting them out. “She is of my blood, and unfortunately has mongrel blood in her as well. But she has a mind of her own. No one can think for her, not even when thoughts are placed within her head by compulsion. I saw what she did hundreds of years ago in London. She has powers that…that I do not know where they came from. She drew fire out of her hand and burned one of my men to death.” He paused. “Her abilities aren’t Vampyre and they are certainly not wolf. There is some other force here at work I’m determined to find out. I’m going to be sending others to watch after her for a bit. To hide and not be seen. To not talk to her.”

“No.” I let out a cry of pain as I sat up, holding my ribs.

“Draven, if you had done what you were told to do, you wouldn’t have to worry about it.” He wrapped his robe around him a little tighter. “Kalin.” He yelled.

“Yes?” She entered. She must have been standing outside the doorway.

“You are to take yourself and two others with you to watch Angel. Don’t get caught, and keep down wind. If you get caught or killed I will not care. It’ll be your own stupidity that put you in that position in the first place.” He waved her away. She gave me a quick glance before leaving.

“Akuma, help him up please. I can’t stand to watch him squirm anymore.”

Akuma glided across the room and bent over taking his hands and hoisting me up from behind underneath my arms. He stood there holding me letting me lean against him for a few minutes.

“Ok?” He asked me.

“Ok.” I responded quietly.

“We are going to be having guests from overseas; come here to us.” Lazarus dropped his hand to his lap, looking over towards the two of us.

“Who?” Akuma asked.

“Those from the past.” He stated. He didn’t look himself tonight. He looked as though he had hated himself for the things he was doing and was going to do.

“From the past?” I asked.

“His parts have all been found. Now it is up to us to bring him back together piece by piece.” He said.

“Vlad?” Akuma asked, even though he and I already knew the answer.

“Yes.” Lazarus stood and started towards the doors. “Come Akuma, oh, and Draven. You are not to leave this mansion. Understood?”

“Yes.” I nodded and coughed, which shot pain through my whole body.

Lazarus walked out with Akuma following him like a dog. None of this was sounding good to me, at all. Bringing back a man from the dead who was known to the world for being a blood hungry demon. His pieces were scattered for a reason, so that he couldn’t ever expose the truth about who and what we were. And now they want to bring him back. Something big was going to go down. Whatever Lazarus is reluctant to talk about it, then it must be important. But why didn’t he just say it? Why keep everything a secret?

I have to see Angel. I have to let her know what is going on.

The wind outside was picking up and the two windows became ajar with the force of the elements. This was my escape. There is no one outside now keeping watch. Except for Kalin and her goons. I’d have to keep an eye out for them. I’ll stay close to the water. The magick is weak there, I’ll be able to get through from there.

Angel.

29.

Lost in a Dream.

Present Time.

Running. Running fast. The tree’s and the rocks were nothing but a blur as the forest became nothing but a scent. I could see two forms, running and weaving within the greenery.

“Come on Caleb.” One of the voices yelled. Mom!
I tried to yell out but I couldn’t. This is just a dream.
This is just a dream.
It has to be right?

“Victoria.” That was my father’s voice calling out to her.

She stopped and he stopped. They were face to face looking into each others eyes. I was there, but I wasn’t there. It was like I was hovering like a dragonfly around them at every angle.

“I wish we didn’t have to hide this.” My mothers hand touched my fathers cheek. He smiled at her. This was a smile I have never seen on him before.

“We’ll always have to hide it.” He kissed her forehead.

“Caleb. My father might understand. If I just…”

My father put his hand over her mouth softly, “No, he won’t. He’s a beast set in his ways.”

She scowled. “But he listens to me.”

“He might listen, but he will never truly hear you my love. He would never understand us and he would never understand how we feel about each other. Even though he once felt that…I just don’t think he would remember what love really is.” My father’s eyes were distressed and I could see the heartache in his eyes and in his soul.

“You are right.” She was defeated. My mother’s eyes…I have her eyes.
Her eyes wandered to the tree tops and then down at the forest floor.

“Look down to no one.” He lifted her chin. “You’re so beautiful.”

They looked at each other, my mother smiled to him. She had the biggest most alive smile that I have ever seen. With the sun out atop the tree’s, her eyes were a sort of neon green.

“I wish we could run away.”

“We can’t. We both have duties to our own kind.” My father said.

“Again, you are right.” They laughed.

Then everything started to fade out. No!
I tried to yell,
No!
They couldn’t hear me.

The scene changed.

It was dark now, with a musky old building smell.

“Your father knows.” It was Akuma’s voice. Then everything came into view. My mother was standing on a balcony overlooking the moonlit trees. Akuma was behind her, and Draven. He was standing against the back wall with his arms crossed looking down at his shoes.

“What are you talking about?” She whipped her head around glaring at him. Her long brown hair was flowing like the water on the lake. She continued glaring at him never taking her eyes away from his.

Until he turned his head and spoke, “About your little love affair with a dog Victoria! He’s disgusted with your judgment. If you wanted a pet all you had to do was ask.”

“A combining of the species would fulfill all the prophecies ever told about our futures.” My mother tried to convince him. “Don’t you see it. Even now our king, and there kind are going to go extinct. Those humans will catch on and destroy us.”

“Oh who cares about those dogs and if they go extinct! We can make more of us. And those idiotic humans…” He trailed off. “An abomination would save us how?” Akuma’s eyes grew. And it seemed like the walls shook. I saw Draven sink deeper, or try to, like he was wishing he could be sucked into the wall.

“You are all so one track minded Vampyres! None of you can see any options.” She said.

“There aren’t any options Victoria. Only one. You know what the consequences are for those who step outside the boundaries of our ways.”

“Yes. I’m perfectly aware of the so-called consequences Akuma. You unfortunately, don’t have any say in any of it.”

“You’re wrong there. Your father already gave me the orders. It’s time for your death my dear.” He said so calmly and stepped towards her.

My mother dove out off of the balcony that she had been standing on. She hit the ground and took off like the speed of light. I followed.

“Caleb!” She screamed. She sprinted towards the forest, up the long high hills towards the meadows. There was howling coming from the distance now. “Caleb.” She then whispered.

“We’ll catch up to you!”

“You can run, but you can’t hide.” Vampyres were calling out to her.

“Caleb!” My mother fell onto the ground and her voice went weak. Defeated. She wanted to be caught? She wanted to give me up?

“Just give it up would you already?” Akuma’s figure came in from the darkness above.

“You can’t kill my baby!” She screamed. The howling was getting closer. She tried standing and Akuma pushed her back down with his foot. Something he is famous for.

Then he whispered. “Orders are orders, and trust me I do have a heart. If it were up to me I’d let you live and put you on the first ship back to Romania.” He stood. Why did he just say that to her? Had anyone else heard him?
Then my mother was gone. The Vampyres were gone, and the howling was louder.

“NO!” I sat up screaming in my bedroom. I was no longer this little fly on the wall that was chasing each scene around with a hunger for the truth.

“What is it?” Kane sat up startled grabbing my arm pulling me towards him. “Angel, what’s wrong?”

“Just um, just a bad dream.” I tried to smile, but I was shaking too much.

“Angel?” Scarlet came running in with a shirtless Aden behind her.

“I’m fine.” I was getting annoyed now, and took my arm out of Kane’s grasp.

“Sorry.” I hid my face in my hands.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“It was just a bad dream.” I repeated.

“You’ve been having a lot of those lately.”

“I know.” I said flatly with an angry tone.

A loud crack of thunder made the house shake. And the winds were blowing the curtains. Along with the wind blowing, a strange scent lingered with it. The rain started coming down sideways and hitting us on the bed.

Lightning.

Motion.

“What the…?” I scrambled towards my window jumping out of it onto the front porch and sliding down it and hitting the ground and running.

“Angel!” I heard Kane yell. Kane, Scarlet, and Aden all took the stairs and came after me.

“Who the hell are you?” I screamed so loud that my voice cracked. It was a man. I heard him laughing. I made my feet go faster in all the slippery mud on the roads and caught up to him. I leapt like a predator jumping onto it’s prey making him fall down.

I rolled off, turning and standing, then leapt again. Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt bringing my arm up and swinging. One hit to the temple and he was knocked out.

There I was drenched from the rain, covered in mud and leaning over an unconscious body. I quickly stood when I heard what sounded like a herd running at me.

All of them, including the Six, stood there looking between me and the body laying in the mud puddle.

Angel.

30.

Salvation.

Present Time.

“He’s human.” I jumped back fast.

“Seriously?” Aden stepped forward with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.