Chapter 13

STORM OF BLOOD

 

 

 

"I would have gone with Dragonslayer or Heartbreaker personally."

—Daison

 

Baron leads me higher up the mountain, to a small tunnel in the stone. "I really hope you know what you're doing, Baron."

I have to hold onto him and let him guide me in the darkness. My mind flashes with images of Daison, where I left him by the waterfall.

I push away the memory and focus on my steps, on the sound of dripping water. We step out of the tunnel and into a graveyard. The dead litter the ground: the soldiers of Stonehill clad in white and red armor, the raiders covered in brown and grey furs. In the distance, past a fog of white snow, Fen's soldiers chase the Fae through the forest. We won, and yet the city is destroyed.

Baron guides me through the red snow, away from the city. We enter a forest, where the branches are thick and the sky is dark though there are no more leaves. I have never been here before.

The sun is setting now. Twilight is descending upon us, bringing with it more snow and sub-zero temperatures. Baron seems fine with the cold. I'm freezing, but I keep moving. Something is wrong. I can feel it like a shackle around my gut.

Twenty minutes into our hike, Baron's ears twitch and he stops, a low growl in his throat. A moment later, I hear what the wolf heard first.

Men. Talking. I crouch next to Baron and listen.

"He'll tell us soon enough. Lester, here, can get anyone talking. Even a prince." My stomach drops.

And then I smell flesh burning, and I turn and release whatever was in my stomach as silently as I can.

"Why don't he yell? Anyone else would be screaming!" A different voice.

"Would you both shut the hell up?" A third voice says. "I'm trying to work. He'll scream eventually. They always do."

A picture forms in my mind. I want to reject the images. It can't be true. I creep closer, fear knotting my gut. Three men bundled in furs sit by a fire. In front of them stands a large rock. A man is chained to the stone, his mouth gagged with a rag.

The man is Fen.

I can't breathe. Can't see straight. I want to charge forward and save him, but I have to be smart. Even Baron knew he couldn't take on all three armed men at once and live.

So I take a deep breath and observe as many details as possible.

The three are armed. One of them, Lester, I presume, has a sharp prong that he sticks in the fire and brings to Fen's bare chest. He yanks the cloth from Fen's mouth. "Do you want to tell me now? If not we can keep going. I'm enjoying this a lot more than you are, right about now."

Fen spits on his face, and the man scowls and lays iron on skin, leaving a burning red mark. Fen's face twitches, but he doesn't make a sound.

"It's like he's made of marble. What the hell?" That's the second man I heard speaking. He's lanky with red hair and a red beard.

"Settle yourself, Cliff. Have some patience." The man speaking is big and tall, a brutish man with thick orange hair.

Lester is the most refined of the bunch. Slender with cropped white hair and a handsome face. They are all Fae.

I know you can't judge an entire people by a few—the girls who work for me are Fae and lovely—but these men… I want to skewer them all for what they are doing to Fen.

Why doesn't he fight back? Tear them apart? How did they capture him to begin with?

"At least the raiders did their part," says Cliff. "Brought him to us like a present."

So the whole thing was just a trap to capture Fen. But why? Why not just come after me directly if that's what they were going for?

Doesn't matter. We have to save him. I've got a sword and a very angry wolf. That will have to be enough. Now I just need a plan.

I'm still trying to think of something when Lester summons Cliff, who groans but comes to stand beside him, holding out his wrist. Lester slashes Cliff's skin with a knife and sticks the bloody arm over Fen's mouth. Why are they feeding him blood? Wouldn't that make him stronger? I feel like I'm in one of those nightmares where you have no idea what's going on, but everyone expects you to know what to do.

Fen tries to pull away from the blood, to refuse it, but Lester holds his head and shoves the blood into his mouth, forcing it on him. When Cliff pulls away, Fen's eyes are heavy, and his head lulls to the side, his body slumped in his chains.

"The ultimate irony, isn't it?" Lester taunts with a cruel smile. "Your kind coming to our world, only to find we are poison to you. But it's a sweet poison, isn't it? One you want more of."

Cliff holds his arm up, and Fen looks up, his nostrils sniffing at the blood, his eyes crazed with desire. This time when Cliff offers Fen his wrist, Fen doesn't resist. Not at first, but then a spark returns to his eyes, and he jerks his head away, spitting the blood out.

Lester paces in front of him. "You are stronger than most of your kind. Even of the first, you are something special, aren't you? But I'll find a way to break you. In fact, I think I've already found it."

The other man. The big one with orange hair is gone.

I was too focused on Fen, on figuring out a way to stop his torture to notice.

I spin around. The big man is there, a few feet away, sword in hand. Baron jumps forward. The man kicks him away.

I clutch the hilt of my sword, but before I can draw Spero, the man grabs my arm. With his other hand he grabs my hair and yanks me toward his group.

A gust of wind rips through the sky. The snow is thick. It's hard to see in front me.

Cliff tucks his hands into his coat, his wrist now bandaged. "We need to wrap this up, or we'll die out here."

"Be silent, Cliff. We have the bitch we came for, but I need one more thing from our prince before we kill him." Lester motions me closer. I fight, but the giant man twists my hands behind my back and pushes me forward. Lester holds a knife to my throat.

Fen struggles against his chains, his rage feral.  "Let her go, or you will know pain you cannot imagine."

"Tell me what I need to know and I will not hurt her. Fail to tell me, and she dies." Lester pushes the knife against my throat hard enough to break skin. I feel the blood drip onto my collarbone. He turns back to the prince.

"I'm sorry, Fen," I say. "I should have acted sooner."

His eyes are frantic. His body rages against the restraints. But he cannot break free. He cannot save me.

This time, I must save us both.

I twist, pulling the giant man off balance. He crashes to the ground. I draw Spero and plunge the blade into his back. It goes in smoothly. Quietly.

A part of me knows I have taken a life. It whispers to me of guilt and shame. But right now, I cannot listen. My mind thunders with rage. And there are more lives to take.

I charge at Cliff. Blade forward. His sword is up in defense. I feign a strike from above, but attack from below, slicing his knees. He falls, screaming and staining the snow red.

Baron jumps forward from behind me, landing on Cliff's chest, slashing at the man's throat until he screams no more.

Fen roars, fighting against his restraints, but he isn't strong enough to break free. Lester's eyes widen, glancing between his fallen comrades and me. He holds a knife in one hand, a hot poker in the other.

I strike at his feet.

He blocks low, crouching. And that is when I have him. There is more to a sword than just the blade. That I learned from Kayla.

I rush my hand up.

And slam my pommel into Lester's face.

He falls backwards, his nose broken and red.

Baron stalks forward.

The man pleads for his life. He looks to me. "Stop him. Stop him, please."

My mind is cold. My heart quiet. "You harmed Fenris Vane, Prince of War. Perhaps I would spare you, but he will not."

Baron leaps forward.

And the man pleads no more.

I run over to his body and grab a key from his belt. I find a lock on the chains and open it. The metal falls.

I rush to Fen and drop to my knees before him, tears streaming down my face. "Are you okay?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "I've been poisoned. It's working its way through my body right now. It will take too long to leave my system. We need to find shelter before this storm buries us. I'd survive, but you… " He takes my hand and pulls me closer to him. "You wouldn't make it out here."

Baron walks over to us, then howls long and loud into the night.

I help Fen stand, but he has to lean heavily on me to walk. "Where do we go?" I ask.

Fen looks at Baron. "Find us a cave, boy. Someplace out of the storm."

Baron howls again, not as long this time, and begins sniffing around. He takes off, slowing when he realizes we aren't following as quickly as we should be.

It's slow going, and I'm so very cold. Fen is getting worse, his body heavier with each step. I'm worried I won't be able to keep going, that I'll get too cold and my body will collapse under the weight of us both, but just as I'm about to lose hope, Baron howls again and disappears into darkness. I follow him, hoping it's some kind of shelter, and find a cave carved into the side of a mountain. I assume Baron already checked for unfriendly critters, so I duck and put a hand over Fen's head to protect him from knocking himself silly as we scoot into the cave.

I can barely see inside. We'll need a fire for light and to survive the cold. Or at least I'll need a fire. My vampire might be fine, but he doesn't look fine, and I'm not okay with him suffering.

I lower him carefully to the floor. The cave is bigger inside than the opening makes it seem.

Fen groans and tries to stand, but I push against his chest and he stays. "No moving. You need to rest. I'm going to find some wood and build a fire. Just… sit."

"Don't go out," he says. "The storm is coming."

"I'll take Baron and stay close to the cave, but I need heat even if you don't."

He tries to stand again. "I'll get it."

I push him back like he's a child. "Shut up. You aren't going anywhere, and I'm not helpless. Just don't make more work for me by trying to be a tough guy and hurting yourself more."

I leave before he can argue more. Baron stays at my heels, and I scavenge through snow that freezes my hands, trying to find dry enough wood to burn. When I have an armful, I return to the cave and set up the fire pit the way Fen taught me during one of our training sessions. He felt it was important I learn more than just fighting, that I learn some survival skills as well, given how unfamiliar this world is to me. I grumbled at the lessons then, but silently bless him for them now.

It takes me longer than I'd like, and I let fly a few choice curse words when I come close to getting the fire going only to repeatedly fail, but finally a tiny ember sparks. I stack more tinder on the flame, then fan it with my hand so it ignites. The blaze grows until it's a proper campfire, and I sit back and grin, proud of myself.

The cave lights up with the glow of flames, and I scoot closer to Fen to examine his wounds. He's still without a shirt, and his skin is on fire, not cold as I expected. "What did he do to you?" I ask.

Fen places his hand on my face, his blue eyes locked on mine. "Nothing that some rest won't fix. I'll be okay. You shouldn't have come. How did you even find me? Why didn't you escape with the city like I told you?"

"Baron came for me, and I knew something was wrong. I knew you were in trouble."

"You stubborn, stubborn woman. You could have gotten yourself killed."

I touch the stubble on his cheek, my eyes filling with tears. "But I didn't. You were the one who came too close to dying tonight."

He laughs, then coughs for his effort, covering his mouth as he does. When he pulls away, his palm is covered in blood. I grab it and stare, horrified. "Coughing up blood is really bad, Fen. What did they do to you?"

He wipes his hand on the ground and straightens himself. "Fae blood is poison to vampires. It won't kill us. Very few things will actually kill us. But it weakens us and makes us very sick, often for a long time."

"How do you treat it?"

He looks away. "We have to feed on a human to cleanse our blood from the Fae."

I don't even hesitate. I offer my wrist to him. "Then do it. Drink my blood and heal."

He shakes his head. "Even if I was willing to feed from you, which I'm not, it's been forbidden. None of us can feed from you until you've taken the Blood Oath."

"Then I'll find a vampire you can feed on."

"You would freeze to death in this storm, firstly. And second, while vampires can feed on each other, it doesn't give us the nourishment that human blood gives us. It can help us heal from certain wounds though, which is useful, but not something like this."

"Then you need to feed on me. Who forbade it? It's my blood and my right to give it to whom I choose."

"Let's talk about this in the morning," he says, his body too limp under my hands. "You need to rest."

"Now who's being the stubborn one, huh?"

"I'm not being stubborn, there are just things at play here you don't understand." He flinches as he adjusts himself against the stone, and I grab the bag Kayla prepared. "Your wounds need tending. Stay still."

He grabs my hand. "They will heal in time."

"But they aren't healing now," I say. "So I need to clean and bandage them so they don't get infected, or whatever happens to vampires when they are injured."

I pull out bandages and a cream meant for cuts, scrapes and burns. We get a lot of those at the forge. Fen doesn't show any expression as I inspect the wounds on his chest, my fingers prying gently to make sure he's not getting an infection. I use some snow and a cloth to wipe away any extra debris from the forest and then apply a thick layer of cream over each wound before securing it with a bandage. "So what things are at play that I don't understand?" I ask as I work.

"You ask a lot of questions," he says.

I roll my eyes at him. "Yeah, I'm irritating that way, always wanting to know things that have a direct impact on my life and well-being. Must be a silly human thing."

"You're right," he says. "It does affect you. And you'll need to be careful. My brothers and I have been around a very long time. You couldn't even fathom how long if you tried. We have seen the rise and fall of many empires and kingdoms and we have fought many wars. We have killed more than you can imagine. We have done horrible things, deserving of our demon curse. These are the men you will be spending time with in the coming months. These are your choices for the next king. We are dangerous, Ari. More than you know. And there are some who would stop at nothing to become the next king. When you are dealing with an immortal species, you don't often see change in leadership except by violence, and even then, we are hard to kill, as I've said. What is happening now is unprecedented. And you are at the center of it all. The High Council decided on rules to keep you safe."

"Like no feeding from me."

He nods. "Yes. However, other things were left open. And that's where you have to be careful."

"Other things like what?" I ask, securing the last bandage.

"There are no limits on physical intimacy," he says, glancing away.

My hand freezes on his chest. Our faces are just a few inches apart. Outside, the snow falls so fast and hard it turns the world into a cacophony of shrills and howls, dimmed only slightly by the crackling fire in our small cave. Baron sleeps next to us, his body close to the flame for warmth, but his head facing the cave's entrance, presumably to keep guard. All of this registers in an instant, but none of it matters, because all I can feel is the pressure of this man's hand on my hip, his fingers gripping me harder than necessary. "So anything goes then?"

"Essentially, yes."

"With my consent, of course."

"With me that would always be true, but that's not the case with others."

"So they would force me?" My voice quivers at the thought of the violation. "How do they think that will convince me to choose them in the end?"

"If they can impregnate you first, then they will have to be the one you choose. The heir must come first."

"So if I get pregnant, I have no choices left?"

His hand squeezes my hip. "Correct. That's why Levi isn't worried about his earlier display. He doesn't need you to like him. He just needs you to carry his child. Also, there are other ways to manipulate you into sex that aren't so… clearly forced, but which you would still consider a violation of the consent that is so important to you."

I frown. "Ways like what? Drugs?"

"In a manner of speaking. You've experienced the effect Dean had on you. He is the demon of lust and he can make you want things… feel things… that would be hard not to act on." Fen turns his head away from me, his jaw clenched.

I put a hand on his cheek, feeling the stubble of hair on my skin as I pull his face up to look at me. "Dean can use all his tricks on me, but I am not ruled by desire or lust. I'm smarter than that. And I gotta say, his recent alignment with Levi left him low on my list. I felt nothing when near him that night."

"They are strong, Ari. Powerful. We are the Fallen. The first of our kind to come to this world. The original cursed. You wouldn't stand a chance against them. Against any of us."

A buzz grows between us. This electric charge I can't pull away from. "Then you'll have to stick around and protect me. That's your job, isn't it?"

"Yes." His voice is deeper than normal. More gravelly.

"Then don't leave me," I whisper. "I know it's only been a few weeks, but I can't imagine being in this world without you. You have become my rock."

"Oh, Arianna. You don't know what you're asking of me."

"Then tell me. Help me understand. Am I wrong in thinking what I'm feeling between us is mutual?"

He pulls me closer to him, our bodies now pressed together. I can feel the heat of his skin through my clothes. He's so feverish. So sick. I shouldn't be pushing him like this, but I can't let him slip away from me, and that's what I fear will happen if I don't break through this wall he's put up between us.

"You are not wrong." He uses one hand to cup my cheek. His gaze is penetrative, and I stay still, my breath threading through me in the smallest of movements, my body on fire, every nerve hyper-alert.

I see so much in his blue eyes. So many years of living. So much pain. So much sadness. But also so much strength. So much kindness. So much untapped tenderness. I want more than anything to reach into his soul and pull it out of the self-imposed darkness and into the light.

He leans in and presses his lips to mine. I shiver as our mouths connect. His hand moves from my face to the back of my head as he buries his fingers in my hair and pulls me closer. His other hand wraps around my waist and splays against my back. I let myself relax into his body, as I straddle his lap, my chest pressed against his, my arms wrapping around his neck.

The kiss deepens, taking on a life of its own as our bodies come to life with each other. Our breath merges, and the urgency of our need dances through our skin, infecting us with wild abandon.

I grip his neck harder, my fingers tugging on his hair, my desire clawing through me like a starving creature in need of air, life…. him.

He tastes of mint leaves, and his scent is wild, earthy. I can't get enough of him, of this, of everything I feel when I'm with him.

His hands explore my body, and I push myself closer to him, adjusting myself on top of him. I know he wants me as much as I want him.

Now. Here. In the middle of a storm. In a cave by a fire.

He moves from my mouth to my neck and ear, kissing, nibbling, sucking. I groan against him, my face buried in his neck. He lifts me effortlessly and repositions us so that I'm on my back. He leans over me, his body pressed between my legs. His hair falls around his face as he looks at me in the firelight. "We do not have to do this."

I reach up to grip his neck and pull his face to mine. "I want you, Fenris Vane. Now."

A growl rumbles deep in his throat, and he kisses me again. His body is hot. Too hot.

Something is wrong.

He pulls away and rolls onto his back. He starts to shake. His throat is tight. He's choking!

I sit up and lean over him. "Fen! What's wrong?"

His body convulses, and he coughs up foam and blood. His eyes lose focus, and he grows paler.

"Fen! What do I do? What's happening?"

"The poison," he says through crimson lips. "Something in the blood."

Oh god. He looks about to pass out, or worse. Baron comes over to us, whining and growling. He lies next to his master and places his large paws on Fen's chest, then looks up at me with such a human expression of sadness, fear and pleading my heart nearly breaks.

I look around for something sharp and find a small knife in my pack. I hold my wrist over Fen's mouth, take a deep breath, and slice my skin open with the blade.

The cut is deep. I clench my jaw to not cry out in pain. But the blood is flowing. I push it closer to his mouth.

He has lost all reason. His eyes are closed. He no longer moves.

"Drink my blood," I tell him, tears pooling in my eyes. There are ways to kill immortals, Fen told me. Did the raiders find one?

My blood dribbles out of his mouth. He's not taking it. "Drink!" I scream at him, pushing my wrist into his mouth and holding his head up with my other hand so the blood goes down his throat.

I don't know how long the bleeding will continue. I'm ready to cut my wrist again if he doesn't wake up.

I'm close to it, raising my dagger, when he moves, his mouth gripping on, sucking the blood out of me. It's working. He's waking up. He's drinking.

Now all I can do is pray this heals him before it kills me.