Idris

I’d had a bad feeling all day that I hadn’t been able to shake. I couldn’t hear or smell them, but I could just feel it. They were catching up to us. I just hadn’t realized they’d be this close.

I hated feeling helpless, and I was tired of it. So fucking tired of not being able to protect those closest to me. My only consolation was that Athan wasn’t here. I hoped he was safe in our mansion, happy with Tendra, and wasn’t trying to rescue his fuck-up of a brother. Except Celia and Amelia deserved to be rescued.

I focused on Keno, knowing I had to keep my wits about me. I set Amelia on one side of me, and Celia on the other. Keno’s eyes kept slipping from me to Celia. Celia to me. And when his nostrils flared, I inwardly cursed.

“I knew it.” Keno’s lip curled. “I can fucking smell you on her.” His distaste of me was apparent and expected. However, when he turned hateful eyes to Celia, I braced. “And you. Whore,” he spat. And it took everything in me not to lurch at him and fucking rip his eyes out. But I had to be smart, and not leave Celia and her sister vulnerable. “Tainted fucking whore. You spread for a Gregorie, so why would I want you?”

Celia vibrated next to me, but her chin lifted a little in the air, like she refused to be cowed. “Then let us go if you don’t want me anymore.”

Keno laughed. “Sure, go ahead. I’ll just take your sister, then and she’ll breed for me. She’s of age.”

“No!” Celia screeched, and shoved a shivering Amelia between us. “You’ll take her over my dead body.”

“Hmm, now there’s a thought.”

“What do you want?” I asked. “If you let the girls go, you can have me. You can do whatever you want, just let them go.”

“And where will they go?”

“My brother will take them in.”

Keno sneered. “Your king harboring the oldest Valarian princess?” He spit on the ground. “No fucking way.”

“Then tell me what you want.” I hated that he had the power, but I was outmanned. I didn’t have a fighting chance at taking these vampires on and keeping the girls safe. I fucking hated this. But I’d learned now. Be smart and not so impulsive.

“Drain her,” Keno said so softly that I wasn’t sure I heard him right.

“Excuse me?”

Keno stepped closer, and I braced. “Drain. Her.” He said it louder this time, and his men at his back shifted a little nervously, glancing at Keno like he’d gone off the rails. Maybe he had.

I had a sinking feeling in my gut. “Drain who?”

Keno was watching her closely. “Celia. Drain her.”

Fuck. Draining her would kill her, and she couldn’t be turned, so she wouldn’t revive as a vampire. She’d be…dead. Fully, forever dead. At my hands. “You fucking psycho.”

Keno smiled then, pure evil, his fangs prominent. “Drain her and I’ll let you have the young one. She’s too fragile for what I want anyway.”

My arm around Celia’s waist tightened. She was so warm, so soft against me. And he wanted me to fucking drain her. I couldn’t do this. “No.”

Keno’s eyes narrowed, his smile turning into a grimace. “Then I’ll kill you two and I’ll take the little one. This way, Celia will pay for lying to me, and you’ll have a reminder of what happens when you cross the Valarians. Maybe I’ll let you live when you’re done. I haven’t decided. But the young one, she can go.”

I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. My entire body was humming, and my heart slammed into my ribs with every godforsaken pump. No, I wouldn’t, couldn’t…Celia stepped into my line of sight. “Do it,” she whispered.

I stared at her. “Absolutely not.”

Her eyes blazed. “Do it.”

“I—”

“Please, Idris. He’ll kill us all. At least let Amelia live a normal life. And you. Please, please.”

“You cannot sacrifice yourself,” I growled at her. Everything in me was rebelling. This was the woman I loved, the reason for every breath I took. The only reason I wanted to breathe. Without her…

“I’m asking you, Idris,” she whispered. “To do this for me. This is what I want. Do what he says, and protect my sister.”

Amelia was crying beside us, tugging on Celia’s sleeve. “No, no, please.”

I didn’t want to, but how could I deny Celia? I was so fucking helpless. I glanced over her shoulder at Keno. “How can I trust you’ll let the girl go?”

Keno shrugged. “I guess you have to take your chances.”

“You fucking—”

“Idris,” Celia said, her calm voice penetrating my haze of fury. “Please. Just do it.”

I looked into her hazel eyes and only saw calm. Peace. How? How could she feel like this knowing she was going to die? “Do you understand what you’re asking me to do? I’ll drain you. It’ll be me that knows when your heart stops. It’ll be me that’ll hear your death rattle when I’m still latched to your throat.”

Celia raised her hand and pressed it to my cheek. I leaned into the touch, ignoring everyone around us. “I know this is a lot to ask you, but I’m telling you now not to feel guilt. I don’t want that. I want you to live, and watch Amelia, and be a good man.”

“I’m a vampire, not a man,” I whispered.

Her hand slid down to rest over my heart. “You’re my man.”

“Time’s up!” Keno called. “What’s it going to be?”

“Celia,” I choked out, wondering how the fuck I was going to swallow her blood when I felt like throwing up.

“I love you, Idris,” she said, drawing me to her neck. “Only you touch me, so please touch me.”

With her hand in my hair, I bit into her. She gasped softly and sagged against me. I could feel her arousal, and hear her rapid breathing. All of it was salt in the wound, because soon that arousal would turn sour as I continued to drink long past the point she would return. Her blood slid down my throat and I closed my eyes as the tears leaked out, falling into the seam of my lips, so when I sucked, I tasted a mix of salty tears and blood.

Her hands clutching my shoulders began strong, but slowly began to weaken. Her body shook against mine, and when her knees gave out, I followed her down to the ground. She shook in my arms, her little body not able to withstand the loss of blood. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her hand fall from the back of my head to flop onto the ground. It was white, so white. I kept going, while Amelia sobbed next to me, while the blood flow began to thin. I kept going because Celia asked me to. I’d do anything for her, and if this meant keeping her out of Keno’s clutches, then I’d obey her wish. Even though it was killing me inside.

That was when I heard it. Or really, the absence of what I was supposed to hear. Her heart had stopped. When I sucked, no more blood filled my mouth. It was done.

I pulled back and looked down into my Celia’s face. Her eyes were closed, lips pale in her white face. Her dark hair looked even more stark now against her bloodless skin.

I saw a hand enter my vision, and I snatched up Celia’s lifeless body, clinging to it as I growled up at whoever dared to touch her. Keno. “Don’t fucking touch her!” I roared.

He drew back, face impassive. “I wanted to check that you did the job.”

“The job is done.” I didn’t recognize my voice. Hell, I wasn’t even sure I was seeing right. The world was…gray. Nothing mattered, nothing but keeping Celia in my arms. No one would touch her. No one. But me.

I rose to my feet, Celia’s limp body in my arms. My tears had dried, and I knew in that moment I would never cry again. Not one fucking tear. I thought I’d been fueled by revenge before. It was nothing now. Celia’s blood was in my veins, fueling me, and I’d for fucking sure put it to good use. I didn’t say a word to Keno. I turned around and with Amelia at my side, began to walk.

“You so sure I’m keeping my word?” Keno called after us. Amelia was still crying next to me, and at those words, she gasped.

Four Quellen dropped in front of me, blocking us. I stared straight at them. I wasn’t scared. I wasn’t worried. I’d take them all on. In fact, I fucking relished it. I placed Celia carefully on the ground, her arms crossed over her chest, and directed Amelia to sit next to her. Then I drew my knives at my sides. My heart beat, but that was it. I wasn’t Celia’s man anymore. I was her avenging vampire.

The odds against me weren’t good. Four Quellen in front, and about a dozen Valarian at my back, but I’d fight like the devil himself was inside me, because it sure felt like it. He was clawing up my throat, poisoning my blood, and I was more than happy to slit some throats with Celia’s lifeless body lying in the dirt beside me.

Except I never got the chance.

The Quellen advanced, but they didn’t make it far. A loud roaring filled our ears and the wind immediately picked up, sending the leaves and brush at our feet swirling into the air.

I knew what was coming before I saw the shadow of his wings pass over us. He’d come. He’d come despite my fuck-ups, despite how I’d lied to him. My brother had come. Bloodlust was still on my tongue, and while I heard the screams of the Quellen in front of me, and saw the flash of my brother’s dark wings, I turned around to face the Valarians.

Keno was shouting at his men to take out Athan. This had been what he wanted, to draw out my brother so he could kill him. Except Keno had underestimated Athan’s abilities, and I could see it in Keno’s eyes now, round and huge in his face as he watched my brother take out four Quellen in seconds.

“Grab the girl!” he shrieked at one of his guards, but I was there, and with a slash of my knives, the Valarian crumpled to my feet. Then the distinct sound of feet pounded the earth and from out of the brush emerged my clan. Dozens of Gregorie soldiers rushed at the remaining Valarians, and seeing my men, my soldiers that I led and trained with, arriving to save me nearly sent me to my knees.

But I had a vampire to take care of first. Keno was trying to retreat, running at full speed ahead of the remainder of his men.

“No mercy!” I roared to my clan as I took off after them. “And the leader is mine!”

My soldiers cut down Keno’s men with a quickness, cutting them off from their leader until only Keno remained, crashing through the brush with me on his heels. I leaped and landed on his back, sending us both skidding on the ground.

Keno fought like a wildcat, but I was possessed, filled with rage I hadn’t thought possible. My men surrounded me, but no one stepped in to help, knowing I wanted to do this myself. Athan’s shadow darkened the sky above me just as I got Keno onto his stomach, hands twisted behind his back. I settled my weight on him, and although he still struggled, he couldn’t dislodge me.

I gripped his hair, lifted up his head, arching his back as far as it could go before slamming his face into the dirt. Again, and again, and again, until I heard the crack of his nose and his face was a bloody mess. He’d heal, but that wouldn’t stop the pain I knew he was in.

“Idris,” Athan said. And I stopped, my shoulders heaving as Keno moaned beneath me.

I looked up at my brother, expecting to see censure but seeing nothing but sympathy. Fuck, I didn’t want to see that. I preferred his anger. My heart lurched as I heard Amelia’s sniffles. I turned to see her still sitting with Celia’s head in her lap, and she was stroking Celia’s hair.

“What happened here?” Athan asked, and I nearly laughed. Oh, a lot had fucking happened.

“She has the veil. He made me drain her. She didn’t deserve that.” I picked up his head again and shoved it back down, then ground his face in the earth, reveling in the crackle of the broken bones in his face.

Athan’s gaze was on me. “I’m sorry, Idris.”

I hung my head, the strength starting to leave my body as despair set in. “I fucked up, Athan.”

He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. We both knew what I said was true.

Athan’s boot knocked into Keno’s head, earning another moan. “You wanted to draw me out, didn’t you? Well, mission accomplished, and it didn’t end so well for you. I know some of your men got away, but this rivalry is done. Your clan is routed.”

Keno glared, then spat a wad of blood and saliva on Athan’s boot as an answer.

Athan just curled his lip. “What do you want to do with him?” he asked me.

I didn’t hesitate. “I want him to suffer. Sun will be up in a few hours. I want to lash him to a tree so he burns.”

Athan didn’t speak for a long time, and then he nodded. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

Some of my men had Sevren chains, and we used them to bind Keno to a large trunk. There would be no way he could break the chains, and the metal itself weakened him the longer it came in contact with his skin. He hissed at us the whole time. “The Valarian army is still out there. My brother is leading them, and he won’t give up until he has all of your heads. This isn’t about humans anymore. This is about wiping out the entire Gregorie existence!”

I knew that. I’d started it. Everything I’d done had been personal, too. “We’ll find them. We’re stronger,” I said, looking down at where Keno sat, legs out in front of him, arms bound tightly and awkwardly back around the tree. His shoulders looked on the verge of dislocation, and he had to be in immense pain. But like a cornered cat, he kept spewing venom. “We’ll kill all your men, and I’ll take your precious Sanguivita for my own. I’ll burn you limb by limb as I rip the wings from your brother’s body.”

“You won’t be doing that,” Athan said. “Because you’ll be dead.”

With that, I took a Sevren knife and plunged it into Keno’s stomach. He gasped, and his eyes went wide before he began to scream. Smoke poured from his wound as blood began to seep out. Eventually his head hung low, passed out from the pain. His heart still beat, but it wouldn’t as soon as the sun rose over the horizon.

I staggered over to where Amelia stood with Celia. Other than Celia’s pale skin, she didn’t look dead—merely sleeping. My bite wounds in her neck were still there, like small pinpricks. I drew her into my arms, and murmured into her hair that Keno was suffering for what he did to her, that I’d stay alive to make sure every Valarian was wiped out for what they did to us.

Eventually, I felt Athan’s hand on my shoulder, and I knew those eyes were still swimming with sympathy. I refused to look at him. I couldn’t. There’d be time for apologies, for whatever punishment he seemed fit to give me. I’d take it all in stride. It didn’t matter anymore what happened to me.

“Come,” he said. “Time to go home.”

“She comes with us,” I said, my voice hoarse.

“Of course, brother,” he said softly.

I gathered Celia in my arms, and with Amelia’s hand gripping my shirt, we began the walk back to the Gregorie compound.