"You don't need to clean up after me. I'm okay."
I smirked as I poured us both cups of tea. My smile widened when Christian's arms slid around my waist. My back pressed firmly against his chest and his lips pressed gently on the area where he'd bit me last night. I shivered at his touch, the spot still sensitive with just a hint of pain.
It was five in the morning and we'd both woken up half an hour ago to take a long hot shower, which consisted of a round of amazing, bodies pressed to the glass sex.
After we were both clean and dressed, I decided some tea would be nice. I did want to go back to sleep soon, but my mind was beyond curious about Christian's past.
I wanted to know more about how he became a vampire and I was intrigued by the cat named Moko. Christian didn't seem like a person who loved cats, especially with his back and forth battle with Moonlight.
"You said it takes up to 24 hours before you'll be back at your A game, so I don't mind. Plus, it means I get to stay and spend time with you," I confessed with a smile.
He rested his head on my opposite shoulder, watching me as I began to put honey in his tea and milk in mine.
"So...you're not in any pain? From the accident?" Christian whispered.
I turned my head slightly and kissed his left cheek. "I'm fine. Michael did a really good job, and the healers at the hospital made sure to triple check after Kendrick's request."
I noticed he didn't look convinced so I moved the mugs to the counter over by the wall, and turned in his hold to face him. I slid my hands up his chest before I wrapped them around his neck, pulling him down for a slow kiss.
Christian grinned against my lips. He must have understood why I moved our mugs back since he slid his hands to my ass and lifted me up to sit on the counter. We made out for a while, neither of us in a rush like we had been last night.
I broke the kiss to look into his purple eyes and pressed my forehead against his. "I've missed you," I whispered.
He gave me a sad smile. "Me too. I'm sorry."
We shared a look before we both smiled. I turned my body slightly to grab hold of our mugs again, passing Christian his before I picked up mine, staring at the steam that rose up and faded into the air. I enjoyed the scent of Earl Grey tea and took a small sip of the warm liquid.
"Would you freak out if I said I'm older than I look?" he asked as he placed his mug of tea next to where I sat.
"Hmmmm. Depends. How old are we talking here?"
I honestly didn't care, but I was extremely curious now that he’d mentioned it. I knew he was 29, but I had also noticed he was very knowledgeable with certain things that happened in the past. That left me wondering if he really liked history or just collected facts about events that occurred years ago.
"Hmm, Cece old…well, maybe she's older than me. I'm not really sure,” he mumbled, looking deep in thought for a moment.
I lifted an eyebrow at him, placing my mug next to his before I crossed my arms. "Cece is apparently 25 for life."
"I think you should add a zero," Christian replied.
I gawked at him, blinking a few times before my mind registered his comment. "250 YEARS OLD!" I exclaimed, before covering my mouth. I leaned forward to check on Moonlight, who was sleeping next to the new lamp on the table. He stirred just slightly but stayed in his curled up position. I sighed, leaning back to stare at Christian, who had an amused expression on his face.
"You're fucking with me," I insisted. I wasn't angry, but I sure as hell was going to be if it turned out he was pulling my leg.
"I'm dead serious," Christian replied.
"Wait...so you’re 250 YEARS OLD? What year is that? Oh god, I hate mental math. Where's a paper and pen?" I looked around for supplies to see if I could calculate this on paper. Christian chuckled quietly and placed his hands on my thighs to catch my attention and grinned.
"Cycle 4,782 was when I was born. I was 19 when I was bitten and changed to a vampire shifter. That was Cycle 4,801. Aspen’s War happened 99 cycles after that in cycle 4900, and he was banished for 50 cycles. I've been assisting with an organization similar to PINC for a long time, but was a part of PINC 10 years ago when it got established with Jaxson and the others, creating Team Seven. I signed up saying I was 19 since it was easier, but the guys know most of my history,” he explained.
I was silent as I mentally tried to absorb the timeline he'd given me. Well...shit...
"Hmm. Cece's older than him too. That makes me curious," Serenity hummed.
"Very curious. I think we should ask for the details," Aurora suggested.
"Hmm. If it's boring like the history lesson Cece gave last time, then no thanks," Serenity mumbled.
"If we had marshmallows, it would be more interesting," Aurora suggested.
I groaned, rolling my eyes. "If you two want marshmallows, just say so," I complained out loud. Christian snickered, walking over to the cupboard. He opened the black cabinets and retrieved a bag of marshmallows.
I flinched at the loud squeals of Aurora and Serenity in my mind. "MARSHMALLOWS!"
"I can't believe this. Why do you even have marshmallows? AND we're getting off topic." I grumbled the second half, directing it to my joyful spirits.
"Awww. Can't we have one?" they asked together.
Christian took a toothpick from a container on the bottom shelf of the cupboard and opened the bag of marshmallows. He poked one of them through with a toothpick and presented it to me. I grinned, taking it from him and closing my eyes.
I imagined the flicker of fire toasting the marshmallow just enough to make it slightly brown. I opened my eyes and beamed that my image in my mind had become a reality, the fire coming to my aid to toast the marshmallow just enough to give it the perfect burn before it disappeared.
"I did it!" I exclaimed before I stuffed the gooey marshmallow in my mouth. Yum.
"Ah. So good," Serenity and Aurora hummed in delight. Christian shook his head, sealing the bag and putting it back in the cupboard for safe keeping. I'd probably steal the rest of them when he wasn't looking, but at least my spirits were satisfied and would last through story time.
"Good work," Christian complimented as he walked back to stand in front of me, his hands returning to rest on my thighs. I blushed before giggling nervously. "Sorry. Back to story telling. Serenity and Aurora won't interrupt now," I declared.
"We'll be here," they both said. I could envision them sitting in my mind, patiently waiting for Christian to explain his past. Christian nodded with a soft expression, and took a calming breath.
"My home realm was Minato, Realm Five, but I was born on Earthala in London, England. My parents knew a lot about technology and wanted to use their knowledge to help the advancement of cars, and eventually, transport ships. They’re the ones who created the blueprints for the portals that help people cross over to different dimensions. They had made plans for spaceships and other methods of transport meant for longer journeys for those who couldn't handle portal transport," Christian explained.
I raised my hand to interrupt and he smirked. "Yes, Scar?"
"A. You don't have an accent. Not like you need one...I just think accents are rather sexy in bed and well...uh, ya. B. Portals and transport ships. Do you mean like the one that Makoto and the others left on? The ship that had been waiting for them on the outskirts where humans can't see?"
"Yes, those types of ships. Also, if you want me to talk in my accent, I can if it turns you on." He said the words in a thick British accent that made my heart skip a beat and a smile form on my lips. So fucking hot.
"Uh...before you two get all steamy in the kitchen, can we hear the rest of the story?" Aurora remarked.
"And maybe breakfast too. The marshmallow made me hungry," Serenity added.
"Ah, right. I'm not distracted...but yes, use that accent....in bed next time," I mumbled, my cheeks growing red.
"Alright, Scar," Christian agreed, before going back into story mode.
"My childhood was really pleasant. My father helped design many of the latest cars we see today and a few of the limited edition ones Junho has now. He had countless books of different car designs for every brand. My mom worked on the artistic designs for each, while partnering with the King and Queen of Heila for future plans for transport ship features and capabilities."
He paused, looking at the entrance to the kitchen. I followed his gaze to see Moonlight up and stretching at the doorway.
"When I was six, I begged for a cat and after nagging my parents for three years, I finally got one at nine. I named him Moko because I'd heard the name on a commercial and thought it was cute. I did everything with Moko and decided to become a knight at fifteen."
"A knight? Like..." I asked, already thinking about Mako's men.
He nodded. "I attended Knightwood in Minato from sixteen to eighteen and returned home right when I turned nineteen. Normally once we're done schooling, we’re assigned to a post to begin our duties as a knight. I was set to work on Heila, but my mom had given birth to my sister when I'd first entered Knightwood and I didn't want to miss any more of her growing up," he explained.
Sister? I tried to imagine what his sister would be like, let alone the rest of his family. Christian was handsome, so it made me wonder how perfect his family would look.
"My sister...she was adorable. Cute and full of energy. I'd gotten permission from the King of Heila to stay a few years with my family so I could watch her grow, while my parents continued their duties in helping advance our transport systems across the realms. That of course, ended when Aspen's War occurred." Christian whispered the last sentence.
"Aspen's War...but you said the war happened almost 100 years later. Wait...how were you turned to begin with?" I questioned.
"Aspen's War came about due to the building tension between Realm One, Latelia, and the rest of the realms. Shifters were disappearing, not just in one realm, but from everywhere. Family members of those affected would request for police assistance in searching for their loved ones, but there were so many shifters missing it felt like an epidemic," Christian explained.
"I remember we stayed indoors for a long period of time because our parents were afraid we'd be the next to be kidnapped and taken in for experimentation. Then it was decided that it would be better if shifters lived in specific areas, so it would be easier to track everyone, unlike how scattered we were. That was the biggest mistake the royals made."
Christian turned his head. I stared into his eyes, which showed a flicker of anger. "One night, it was really cold and the area we were staying in suddenly lost heat. Everyone ended up walking to the town square where a fire had been built to keep us all warm. Those with higher magic capabilities worked to make a shelter that could keep the heat in until morning, when we'd be able to figure out what had happened. None of us knew it was all a setup." He bit his lip and I lifted my hands to rest atop his. He smiled, gripping my hands tightly before he continued.
"Vampires were known to work with Realm One because King Aspen paid their covens lots of money for their loyalty. Not all vampire shifters were bad, but a good 80% of them were willing to work with Aspen, same with the bear shifters. To them, it was easy money in exchange for money, food, and for the vampires, blood. It was easy when you thought about it. King Aspen's experiments would always provide a dead body or two, and he'd extract all the blood from them. I later found out he had an area just for that, keeping shifters alive solely to take their blood, which was payment for the vampires’ loyalty."
He took another breath, looking down at my hands. "That night, they targeted our entire town, which was supposed to be a safe haven for us shifters. We...tried to fight, but it was just before winter and many of us had just settled in. Those who were compliant were kidnapped and taken in for experimentation. The rest were deemed as resistant and were to be killed.
Christian closed his eyes before he continued. "A fight broke out as they were planning to board the vehicles that would take the compliant shifters to the experimentation centers, which we now call facilities. One thing led to another, and it became a mass slaughter. The vampires decided it would be more torturous if they took our blood. Then those who survived the change would be taken in and used for whatever purposes they deemed fit. Males would be given to bear shifters, those who were into men, while the women would be taken to the coven to be used as sex slaves. We fought hard and my family and a few others were able to escape...but, we fell into another trap by trusting the wrong people,” he whispered.
He blinked a few times before he swallowed. His Adam's apple moved up and down. When he continued, his voice was shaky. "The group that attacked us...Haslam and his friends, they were the ones who were supposed to take us to safety. My parents trusted them and paid a ridiculous amount of money to ensure we were safe, especially my sister and I. We reached a little village and that was when our group was attacked. My parents were both powerful, but there’s only so much two individuals could do against five vampires and three bear shifters. They were captured and..." Christian cursed as he blinked back tears, looking away.
"Christian...you don't need to continue," I whispered, already guessing how the story ended, but he shook his head.
"I want you to know...you deserve to know. The others don't know...about everything...but I don't want to hide it from you." He met my gaze once more with his tear-filled eyes.
I nodded, slipping a hand out of his hold to brush his cheek, wiping away a tear that escaped. "Okay," I whispered, and waited for him to continue.
"Haslam took joy in biting me and drained me till I was barely conscious. After that, they...took my sister. They first bit her...and then...they...the bear shifter..." He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence as he choked back a sob.
I bit my lip, but decided I'd only be able to find out by seeing it myself. I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to ignore my fear of seeing what left Christian unable to finish his story. I slipped my other hand from his grasp, placing both hands to cradle his face.
Let me see thy past that haunts you.
The world around me shifted, and in seconds, I stood right at the scene.
There was Christian, lying on his back on the muddy ground. I noticed the bite marks on his neck, as well as wounds and cuts all over his body. It looked like he'd been whipped and tortured recently.
His eyes were barely open, but his concentration was focused on a little girl, who was barely moving. She was in a purple dress, the color reminding me of Christian's eyes, but it was dirty with mud, and blood covered the left half of the poofy material. She looked to be barely conscious, tears in her eyes as she quietly sobbed for her parents. They were only a few feet away, chained to the ground with two large men behind them, ensuring they stayed still and witnessed what was happening to their children.
I noticed a pile of bodies to the far left of where Christian was. It looked like there were five children, and the rest of them were adults, all of them dead.
"Please! I beg you. Please...spare them!" the woman cried. Her eyes were bright red and filled with grief and sadness. Tears rolled down her cheeks and her silver-white hair was drenched from the rain that poured down.
"Haslam! Please. I'll pay anything. I'll do anything. Please, let my children go. Please..." The man looked so similar to Christian. I realized it must have been his father. His red eyes were pleading, desperate for a different outcome.
I turned to see the man named Haslam laugh as he handed the girl over to his male partner next to him.
"Sorry, dear friend, but you couldn’t pay me enough to save your pathetic children. If only your daughter was older, she could have been more of use to us. As for your son, it looks like he'll die before the change kicks in. Sucks really. He had potential. Now, watch as their fates end," he declared, snapping his fingers.
My eyes grew wide as a large bear walked into view from behind the stone building. His savagely large teeth were in full view, with him growling as he approached us.
"NO! NO!!!" Christian's mom screamed in utter hopelessness as she fought against her chains, but I could tell she'd reached her limit and couldn't conduct a spell. I turned to see Christian's father with wide eyes, tears rolling down his cheeks.
I looked back at Christian who tried to reach out to his sister, but his hand fell to the muddy ground, too exhausted to move. Haslam laughed as the little girl noticed the bear, her little weak eyes growing wide with fear. She began to struggle, fighting to get out of the man's grip, but I knew there was nothing her little body could do to overpower him.
With a swing, her body went flying into the air; her high pitch scream echoed as thunder rang through the sky. I watched in horror as the bear caught her in his mouth, and began to rend her little body to pieces.
Christian's parents screamed. Haslam laughed as the little girl's screams of agony became increasingly weaker, till her little head was crushed in the bear's mouth, blood splattering everywhere.
Everyone was silent, the only sounds came from the rain hitting the muddy ground and the teeth of the large bear shifter who began to walk away, satisfied with his actions.
"Ah...Silence. Now, then. Why don't we dispose of you two? I don't see the point of keeping you alive after you've witnessed such a beautiful scene," Haslam hummed with a malicious grin.
I watched the next events in a blur. The bear shifter proceeded to rape Christian's mom before killing her, forcing Christian and his father to watch everything. After that, they tortured Christian's dad until he could barely breathe.
"Now, before you die, dear friend, I'll kill your son. Then you can explain to the gods what a pathetic father you were for being unable to protect your family," Haslam whispered to him, then began walking towards Christian.
"Scarlet!"
I could hear Christian's voice in the back of my mind, clearly trying to pull me out of the vision, but I wouldn't be drawn away. I needed to see the end.
Haslam pulled out a gun, aiming it at Christian's head. I braced myself as he turned off the safety and began to pull the trigger. Something jumped up and bit Haslam's hand hard, making him hiss in pain. Haslam flicked the creature to the ground next to Christian.
It was a black cat with purple eyes, who quickly recovered from the impact and hissed, ready to jump at Haslam in order to protect Christian. But then, the gun went off; the bullet hit the cat, who fell to the ground and began to twitch in place.
"Fucking cat!" Haslam roared, aiming his gun again at Christian, whose attention was on the little cat lying in a pool of blood. I noticed a little gold bell around his neck, which was slowly being drenched by blood. I heard Christian's quiet whimper.
"Mo..ko," he cried, tears rolling down his cheeks.
Haslam pulled the trigger. I waited for the loud sound of the bullet, but heard a “clack” instead.
"Fuck...stupid cat used up my last bullet. Pathetic,” he huffed. He took a look at Christian and shrugged. "Guess your son will just have to meet you up there in the stars in a few hours then, dear friend."
"HASLAM! Demon shifters are coming!” a man called out, running towards us.
"We can take them just fine."
"The Queen is with them! Sir, we won't stand a chance." The man looked terrified.
Haslam cursed, rolling his eyes as he looked at Christian, and then his father.
"Well, we got to go. Don't want to deal with the Queen of Demons. Heard she can be a pain in the ass and I'd certainly like to live another day. Good luck with judgment, Sir Ross. Sorry I couldn't be quite as dear of a friend as you have to me." He hummed, before signaling the bear shifter with a slashing motion.
I watched in horror as the bear lifted Christian's father up by the head. I watched his red eyes slowly turn to purple, the color identical to Christian's. He stared at Christian and gave him a sympathetic look.
"I'm sorry, son. I love you...forgive." He whispered the final word. Then, a blade went through his neck, leaving his head hanging.
Christian was silent, his weak eyes looked horrified at the sight of his father’s death. I was just as shocked.
I felt something grip my shoulders, but I fought even harder to linger as I heard the sounds of hooves hitting the ground.
"We have to go!" a man shouted and the others began to run.
Haslam paused, turning to look at Christian with a wide smile. "I'll make sure to come back after our little run to claim your corpse, Ross. That way I know your whole family line has been killed by my hands. Say hi to your family for me,” he mocked. Then he laughed and ran off, dashing into to the woods up ahead.
A few seconds later, five horses came into view. A white horse in particular caught my attention. I noticed a little girl wearing a red cape sitting on the white horse with a woman seated behind her, keeping her in place.
"Steady, Vinzent," the little girl ordered. My eyes grew wide seeing a familiar set of eyes on the elegant horse.
Even with the rain that continued to pour down, his beauty was mesmerizing and hard to ignore. The older woman leaped off the white horse named Vinzent and reached out to take the little girl's hand.
The child accepted it and was helped off the large horse to the ground. Her small red heels touched down on the mushy wet ground that was stained with blood.
"Go after the others. Catch as many as you can,” the little girl declared, her voice sounding hard and stern.
"Yes, my Queen!" the three men on horses responded. Within seconds, they were running into the forest, leaving one male guard behind, as well as the older woman. She had long blonde hair that was in loose curls and bright blue-green eyes.
The little girl took in the scene slowly, her face covered by the red hood that sheltered her from the pouring rain. However, her long curled blonde locks weren't able to avoid the wet droplets, but that was least of the girl's concern as she walked towards Christian.
"This is horrible..." the remaining male whispered. The older woman followed the child, but nodded in agreement.
"With everything that's going...I doubt we'll be able to get any justice for this," the older woman seethed, anger laced her words as she clenched her fists.
The little girl reached Christian's side, and she knelt down beside Moko's corpse. She stroked the dead cat’s fur and slowly removed the bell from its neck. She moved to Christian and placed the bell in his hand before she looked at him.
Christian looked like he was struggling to see who she was, his eyes squinting as if to get a better view. The girl rose before she pulled off her hood, the rest of her blonde locks falling down her back and familiar red horns on the top of her head.
I gasped at the sight, the familiar green-blue eyes slowly turned red and the little girl looked over her shoulder at the woman.
"Mom...find them. I do not care about the laws. Capture as many as you can and bring them in to receive their punishment for slaying OUR people. I will not tolerate failure,” she declared, her red eyes filled with anger.
"Yes, my Queen." Her mother bowed her head. In seconds, a portal formed and her mother vanished within in.
"What shall I do, my Queen?" The guard stood at attention.
"We will take him with us. He'll survive. He must. I won't let that man win. Inform the others to prepare him a room and prepare for blood treatment,” she ordered.
"Yes, my Queen. I'll be a moment,” he assured. Then, just like the other woman, he was gone.
The white horse trotted up to the little girl and with a bright glow, a little boy appeared in its place. He was tall for his age, looking to be about eight or nine. He stood next to the girl, who appeared to be six or seven. A black cloak materialized around him, covering his naked body right as he reached the girl's side.
"Won't they kill him?" the boy asked innocently, the tone of voice made it sound like he was referring to a different group of people.
"No,” the little girl stated. "I won't let them."
"Who...who...are you?" Christian fought to get the words out.
The girl smiled and her red eyes turned back to their blue-green hue.
"I am now your Queen. I will protect you, shelter you, and ensure you survive after what you've witnessed today. In return, I ask for loyalty, for betrayal of my kindness results in death. But I can tell you will never disobey me."
She smiled sweetly, her expression showing how young she truly was. It made me realize that this little girl had seen things no child should. She was immune to the sight of death, yet still held a level of sympathy that showed in her vibrant eyes.
"My name is Cece Alexandra Rose. I am the newly appointed Queen of Demons and you will serve me until you find someone who accepts this broken side of you."
I finally allowed my mind to be pulled back into reality and with that, darkness claimed me.