The Original Sin (Skye Morrison Vampire Series, #3) (18 page)

The young guard soon lost consciousness as Kishpu took the bowl over to a table and added more liquid to it.  Finally pleased with what he saw in the bowl, Kishpu brought it over to the young Amun and demanded that he drink.

“You want me to drink the blood of a dead man?” the young Amun asked in horror.  “What sorcery is this?”

“Drink or die,” the king said simply.  “It matters not to me.  I have many other prisoners I can make the same offer of freedom to.”

I could see indecision in the young Amun’s eyes and then finally acceptance.  He knew that the only way he would ever see his family again was to do what the king asked.

“Don’t drink it,” I whispered under my breath as the bowl was brought to his mouth.  The young Amun bravely chugged the concoction and fought to keep it down. 

When it seemed as though he would keep it within him, he looked over at the king with a small smile.  “I was victorious, my king.  I have done as you’ve asked and would like my pardon.”

The king frowned and looked over at the sorcerer.  “It may take a little time, my king,” Kishpu quickly explained.

King Allik turned back to the young Amun and asked him how he felt.

“I feel fine, great one,” he explained before burping.  “It settles roughly within me, but I will be able to hold it down.”

The king’s frown deepened as he looked over at the dead guard and then back to Kishpu.  “Was his blood not of good enough stock?  Were your herbs not strong enough?  Nothing is happening!”

Suddenly, the young Amun doubled over in pain, a tortured moan bursting from his lips.  “Something is not right,” he groaned.

The king’s eyes grew wide with excitement as he watched Amun fall and writhe on the painted palace floor.  A harmony of many voices spilled out of Amun’s throat, all of them tortured screams.  It sounded entirely demonic and sent cold chills down my spine.  The king took a few steps back as the smile left his face.  He seemed genuinely afraid for the first time.

The young Amun suddenly became still and no one moved.  “Check to see if he lives,” the king ordered Kishpu.

Kishpu fearfully walked over and put his ear to Amun’s chest.  I watched as he closed his eyes in disappointment and acceptance.  I could tell immediately that the young Amun was dead.

“We can try again, my king,” Kishpu said quickly as he stood up and stepped back from the king.  “I will work day and night to make the potion right.  You will have eternal life, master.”

“You fool!” the king screamed as he stalked toward a terrified Kishpu.  “You made poison!  You were planning to kill me!  I’d be dead now if I had not used a slave in my stead.”

“N-No sir!” Kishpu cried, wringing his hands and shrinking back from the king.  “I would never kill you, great king.  I am your humble and loyal servant.”

“Lies!” King Allik screamed as he drew his stone knife and pulled his arm back to stab him.

A groan came from the floor and I looked over in shock at the young Amun. 

“He lives!” Kishpu cried as the king lowered his knife.  Kishpu walked over to Amun and kneeled down again to place his ear over his heart.  “His soul lives, my king!” he said excitedly.  “He did not die as I thought!”

Suddenly, there was a wet, plopping and tearing sound as the young Amun put his fist through Kishpu’s chest.  I screamed out as I stared at the heart in Amun’s hand.  The young Amun threw Kishpu’s body off of him, flashed to a standing position, and haphazardly tossed Kishpu’s heart to the floor.

The king, completely in shock, started to take steps backward as his guards descended on Amun.  Amun dispatched them quickly, never taking his pitch black, murderous eyes from the retreating king.

My heart pounded fearfully in my chest as I watched the carnage take place.  Finally, all were dead except the king and Amun.  Amun stalked toward the king, his face contorted with extreme rage.  King Allik turned and ran to the back of the great room, but by the time he reached the doorway, the young Amun was already standing there. 

Without a sound, the young Amun grabbed the king and sunk his fangs deep into his neck, drinking his prey completely.

The scenery morphed once again and we were back standing in the desert under a vast blanket of stars.

“Do not be afraid,
Damu
,” Amun whispered to me as I protectively clutched my hands to my chest.  “I feel your fear.  I will never lay a hand on you again, as I previously promised.  You are precious to me; I would never hurt you.”

“W-Why are you doing this to me?” I asked carefully.  “Why can’t you just leave me alone?  Why do you insist on haunting my dreams?”

Amun sighed as he closed his eyes.  When he opened them back up, he acted as if I had never spoken to him.  “I stalked the night for many, many seasons after the king and his sorcerer changed me; out of my mind with intense rage and insanity,” he explained.  “I was a monster; killing and eating whoever came across my path.  I did not think of my family during this time, I only thought of the blood I was driven to consume.”

He sighed and looked at the sand at his feet, squishing his toes deeply into it, relishing the feel.  “I completely destroyed the city of Su’u.  In my rage, I killed every man, woman, and child.  I burned down every home, scattered every mud brick foundation and wall until there was nothing but sand left.”

“So, you never went back to your family?” I asked in a whisper.

“No,
Nisiqtu
.  By the time I regained some sense of sanity, my child, wife, and mother were long dead.  I am just thankful that they escaped my murderous rampage.”

“So what I just witnessed was the birth of the first vampire?” I asked after a few moments of thoughtful silence.

“Yes,” he said simply.

“Why did you feel I needed to see that?” I asked, anger and confusion starting to build.  I hated Amun and now he was showing me things that made me feel sorry for him, feel genuine emotions of concern for him.  I felt like I was being manipulated and I hated it.  “Nothing you say, show, or do to me will ever make me not hate you.  I’ll hate you forever.”

“Forever is a long time,
Nisiqtu
,” he said gently as he put his hand on my back. 

“But it’s true!” I said, jerking away from him.

“Wait until you have lived forever and then tell me you hate me,” he said with pursed lips.  “Feelings change with time, especially when you have nothing but.”

“I don’t plan on living forever,” I crossed my arms over my chest.  “I’ll never be a vampire like you.  I’d rather die.”

“You do not know what you say,” Amun said, turning his back to me.  “Sometimes, we do not get a choice, Skye.”

“I have a choice!” I yelled as I put my hand on his shoulder and turned him around to face me.  “Archer and his family would never turn me without my permission!”

Amun’s eyes filled with rage at the mention of Archer’s name.  Without another word, he vanished and I was left alone standing in the vast desert sand.

I felt the covers being removed from my face and I opened my eyes in shock.  Bright sunlight streamed through my room, momentarily blinding me. 

“What the hell?” I groaned as I immediately shielded my eyes with my hands.

I felt my body being lifted up and I tried in vain to get out of the person’s hold.  “Put me down!” I yelled hoarsely as I feebly kicked my legs.

Soon, my eyes adjusted and I saw that Trey was the person carrying me.  “Trey, what the hell do you think you’re doing?  Put me down this instant!”

He ignored me as I was taken out into the hall, through Archer’s door, and into Archer’s master bathroom.  Suddenly, I was unceremoniously dropped into a warm bubble bath; the soapy water sloshing over the side and onto the tile floor. 

I sputtered as I sat up out of the water, my bed clothes and hair completely soaked.  “What the HELL is WRONG WITH YOU?!?!”

“Shut up,” Aoife growled at me and I turned to see her standing by the bathroom mirror, her slender arms folded under her impressive chest.  “I’m not going to sit here and let you sulk anymore.  You’ve been in bed for five days and that’s four days too long.  This is getting ridiculous.”

I looked over at Trey with wide, angry eyes, but he just looked down at me with pursed lips.  “Don’t look at me for help, Skye Morrison.  It was my idea.”

“Why the hell can’t y’all just leave me alone?” I asked heatedly.

“Because we care about you and we’re not going to sit here and allow you to spiral further into your depression.”

“You don’t know shit about what I’m going through, Trey!” I yelled as I roughly pushed a tower of bubbles out of my face.

“You’re right, I don’t,” he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he threw me a bath sponge.  “I can only FEEL every emotion you are having.  Now, are you going to wash yourself or do I have to do it for you?”

“Get out!” I screamed at him as I took off my shirt.  Trey immediately obeyed and I looked over at Aoife.  “You too!”

“Not a chance,” she said plainly as she came to sit on the ledge of the massive garden tub.  “Someone has to make sure you bathe, Skye.  You reek.”

I knew arguing would be a losing battle, so I huffed as I took off the rest of my wet clothes and threw them over the side of the tub.  Aoife grabbed the sponge, dipped it into the water, and then added a large dollop of liquid soap to the top before handing it to me.

I accepted the sponge with a scowl and began lathering my arms and chest.  To my immense surprise, Aoife picked up the shampoo bottle and began washing my hair.  No one had washed my hair since my mother had when I was a child.  It had been my favorite part of bath time when I was little.  My mother’s fingers were always gentle and loving and I felt the tension begin to leave my body as Aoife brought back those fond memories with every touch.

She silently rinsed my hair as I finished washing my body and then she began massaging conditioner into the length while I shaved my legs.

When my bath was done, she held out a towel for me and I wrapped up in its warmth before she sat me down and began the tedious task of brushing out my massive tangles.  Five days in bed had turned my waist length hair into a huge rat’s nest.  I sighed as I closed my eyes, relishing the feel of every brush stroke.  The action was so simple, but it felt good and was intensely calming.  A deep sense of peace descended upon me and for the first time in many days, I felt like everything might just be okay.

Aoife began to French braid my hair and when she reached the end, she tied it off before wrapping the long tail up into a tight bun at the nape of my neck.

“There,” she said, gently squeezing my shoulders with her hands, “you almost look presentable.  Come.  Let’s get you dressed.”

I stood and silently followed her into Archer’s bedroom.  Draped across his bed sat a pair of my workout clothes and I looked up at her in surprise.

“Get dressed,” she said with a small smile.  “Hagan is waiting for you downstairs.”

“I really don’t feel like training today, Aoife,” I sighed, but she immediately cut off further complaint with a flick of her wrist.

“You act as if you have a choice,” Aoife smiled, cocking one perfectly arched eyebrow, “but you don’t.  Since you refuse to get up and live life on your own, we’ve decided to make you.  It’s business as usual around here and that means you participate in your morning training ritual.  Now, get dressed.”

I sighed heavily and frowned as I dropped the towel and put on my gear.  I pursed my lips when I saw the ridiculously tiny thong that Trey thought would be appropriate for my workout, but I put it on anyway before pulling on my spandex shorts and red sports tank.  Aoife nodded to my socks and running shoes and I put them on as well.

Aoife threw my wet towel on the bathroom floor and escorted me down the hall and into the living room.   Hagan and Pádraig were waiting for me by the back door and they both nodded to me as I entered.  I took a deep breath as I nodded back and turned to Aoife.

“Thank you for doing my hair,” I mumbled, still relatively unhappy at being forced out of bed and knowing there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.

“Thank you for not trying to kick my ass,” she winked playfully with a small smile.  “I wasn’t keen on joining that club.”

“I think that’s enough girl-bonding for one day,” Hagan grumbled from the doorway.  “We’ve got work to do.  Let’s go, Morrison!”

I pursed my lips and followed Pádraig out the back door.  “So, where are we going?”

“We’re running in the hills today,” Hagan answered as he jogged past me.  “Keep up, Morrison, or I’ll tether you to me with a rope and drag you along.”

I grumbled my displeasure as I put one foot in front of the other and sped to catch up to him.  Pádraig followed along silently beside me as we made our way out of the backyard and into nature.

An hour later, as we crested the biggest hill I had ever climbed in my life, Hagan finally stopped.  He slipped off his backpack and took out a bottle of water and a small towel for me.

“Drink,” he commanded as he tossed the bottle to me. 

I did as he asked and downed half of the bottle quickly as Pádraig draped the towel over my shoulder.

“We’ll rest for a few minutes before we start our descent,” Pádraig said as he sat down on a boulder at the edge of a sharp cliff. 

He patted the rock beside him and I gratefully sat down, resting my tired legs.  Five days in bed had done me no favors, athletically speaking.  I was pretty worn out by the workout and dreaded the run home.

“It’s beautiful out here,” Pádraig admired softly as he took in the scenery.

Rolling hills, tree tops, and blue sky stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction.  I looked down and spotted the Colorado River, tiny from this height. 

“Yes, it is,” I sighed, wiping my face with the towel. 

Hagan took a seat beside us and we descended into a comfortable silence for the next few minutes.

“Why did you choose to take me running today?” I asked suddenly as I looked over at Hagan.  “We never run.”

Hagan glanced over at me thoughtfully for a few seconds before finally sighing.  “I think you’ve done enough fighting lately, wouldn’t you agree?”

Pádraig cleared his throat in warning and I turned to him just in time to see him give Hagan a disapproving look.  “What he means is that it’s a beautiful day for a run.  We thought you’d enjoy it.”

“I am enjoying it,” I nodded as I turned back to Hagan.  “If you have something to say to me, just say it sir.  We’ve always been honest and held nothing back, so let’s not start now.”

“You’re right,” Hagan said as he stood suddenly.  “I do have something to say.”

“Hagan, leave it alone,” Pádraig warned as he stood as well.

“No.  She asked so I’ll tell her,” he growled as he turned to me with anger and some emotion I couldn’t pinpoint in his eyes.  “You’ve been acting like a petulant, moody, irrational child as of late and it is bullshit Morrison.  Attacking Archer and then Jameson?  If that wasn’t bad enough, you haul off and lock yourself in your room for days, crying about how your mommy and daddy didn’t love you enough or some other ridiculous bullshit.  You need to man up and deal with life, little girl.  No one is going to cater and pander to you anymore.  You need to grow the hell up and learn to deal with the curve balls that life throws at you.  So your boss and the cause of your wet panties hurt you…get the fuck over it already!  You were kidnapped and it was horrible…we get it!  We’re trying to find the bastard that did it, and I promise you we’ll find him, but until then you need to learn how to deal with shit like an adult.  Put on your big girl panties, Morrison, and fucking deal with it!  This shit you’ve been pulling for the past week has set everyone on edge.  People are tiptoeing on eggshells around you; thousand-plus year old vampires are at a loss on how to deal with your temper tantrums and it is bullshit!  They shouldn’t have to put up with it!  You are an adult, Skye…granted, you’re human, but you’re not a child.  Grow the fuck up!”

I sat there staring at him, my mouth open in shock, as I let everything he said wash over me.

“Hagan,” Pádraig admonished in a whisper as he shook his head and started to speak to him in Gaelic.  I listened to the back and forth for a few minutes as I numbly watched. 

Finally, I swallowed thickly and stood up.  “I’ve done a lot of growing up lately,” I spoke over them before they stopped talking and turned to me.  “I’ve had my perfect, sugar-coated world turned upside down.  I’ve seen things that most humans, outside of law enforcement and serial killers, have never had to see before.  I think I’m doing fairly well given the circumstances, sir.”  Pádraig opened his mouth and started to speak, but I cut him off with a wave of my hand.  “I’m not strong like you.  I haven’t lived for centuries or been in wars or have ever dealt with even a fraction of the shit I’ve had to deal with before six weeks ago.  I’m only 23 years old.  I haven’t lived through or seen the things you have in your 700 years, Hagan.  I was relatively untainted by the horrible things that come from living in this fucked up world and I was lucky. Yes, I’m human and I’m damn proud of that fact, but that doesn’t make me weak.  I’m dealing with everything I have been given the only way I know how.  I don’t know where all of this rage is coming from, but I’m trying to deal with it.  I’m trying to get past my anger, work on my issues, and come out the other side a better, stronger, more complete person.  You didn’t have to speak so callously and cruelly to me Hagan.  I understand you are frustrated with the situation, but you were the one person I really looked up to and trusted.  To hear you say those things to me, however necessary you felt they were, really hurt me.  The one person I didn’t need to take shit from was you.  Thank you for making my choice that much easier for me.

“I didn’t mean…” Hagan started but Pádraig cut him off with a look.

“What choice, Skye?” he asked, his brow creasing with worry.

I turned and started back down the hill as I answered him.  “I’m taking my irrational, petulant and moody self back to my boring, pre-vampire life and as soon as Amun is dead, I’m having Quinn erase my memory.”

The run back to the house was silent.  Hagan and Pádraig never said another word to me and I was grateful.  I didn’t want to have to deal with any more emotional crap.

As I walked through the back door, I saw Gunnar enter the kitchen carrying my breakfast.  “Miss Morrison,” he nodded politely as he set the covered dish on the kitchen table.

“Good morning, Gunnar,” I gave him a small smile as I put the kettle on and grabbed the tea.  “Thank you for bringing my breakfast.”

“My pleasure, ma’am,” he nodded again, a tiny smile playing at his lips, before taking his leave again.

Gunnar was a strange man and I still hadn’t figured out what his role was in Archer’s life.  I wasn’t really the prying type, so I never asked Archer about him.  I didn’t think Gunnar was a vampire like the others though; I was fairly certain he was human like me. 

I had developed a fondness for the man over the weeks I spent at Archer’s.  Gunner would always bring me breakfast every morning and sometimes dinner to the club before I started my shift.  He never said much to me, but that was fine by me.  He was the strong, silent type and for some reason, that made me more comfortable around him.

“You’re back,” Archer observed behind me and I looked at him over my shoulder.  It was the first time I had seen him since I walked out of his office after I asked him to have Quinn erase all my memories of him and his vampire friends.  He stood awkwardly in the kitchen archway with his hands behind his back, a careful smile painted on his lips.

I turned back to my task, indifferent to him, pouring the hot water into my mug.  “It would seem so.”

“Did you enjoy your run?” he asked as he watched me take my mug to the table and take a seat.

“Some of it,” I answered honestly as I uncovered my breakfast and looked down at the spread Gunnar had prepared for me.  Sitting there were all of my favorites: a small cup of peach yogurt, a large, buttery croissant, a banana and strawberry fruit salad, and a plain waffle.  For the first time in my life, my favorite breakfast foods looked completely unappealing and I frowned.