Everyones about to see your blood sprayed all over the trees.
Perhaps Victoria should have come out here on her own. Lauren, youre gorgeous, she said, holding out her arms to keep the two sniping females apart, just in case they decided to leap at each other and slap fight. Yes, theyd done it before, and it was humiliating for everyone. Stephanie, youre beautiful, too. Now, can I speak with my brother? Please?
Sorin kissed Stephanies temple before setting her down. He motioned behind the group with a wave of his hand. Sit. All of you. So formal now. So polite.
Sit wh-ere. Oh. Victoria spun around, expecting to see only the brittle leaves and twigs shed passed. Instead, she found four perfect tree stumps, two facing the other two. Exactly how distracted had she been?
Victoria eased onto the one closest to her. Sorin claimed the one across from her, and Stephanie claimed the one at his side, forcing Lauren to take the one facing her.
All but one of Sorins men had disappeared, but she knew they were nearby, watching, listening, protecting. Then one of them stepped from the shadows, proving her suspicions, holding a tray of blood-filled goblets.
Victoria accepted one and sipped. The blood was warm, rich and sweet. Not as sweet as Adens, but Chompers practically whimpered with relief.
Im surprised you came, Sorin said, looking right at her.
She had so much to say to him, so much to ask. Why did you never visit us? was the first thing to escape her mouth. The question echoed, and she blushed, gulping down the rest of the blood to hide her face for a few precious seconds. She should have chosen to kick things off another way. Not accusing him of neglect right from the beginning and putting him on the defensive.
Amused rather than offended, he said, I didnt think you wished to risk Fathers wrath. Getting comfortable, he removed the swords from his back and propped them against the side of his seat. Was I wrong?
Shoulders slumping, she set her empty goblet on the ground. I could have risked his wrath to see you, so I suppose I must share the blame.
Lauren rolled her eyes. Youre always so quick to take the blame or forgive when you cant. Well, I would have risked it, you backline reject, but still you didnt try to meet with me. And let me tell you something else. If you despised Vlad half as much as you claimed, you would have. So guess what? Youre all talk and Ill hate you forever for that. In fact, I might even decide to rip your throat out before I No way! Is that blade curved? She dropped her still-full goblet, blood spilling in the dirt, and pushed from her stump.
In the next blink, she was crouching in front of his weapons, studying them, running her fingers along the blades, oohing and aahing. Can I have one? Or both? Please!
He handled her jump from hatred to gimme-now-now-now with ease. You may have both when Im done with the human king.
The sickness Victoria had experienced in her bathroom, just before shaving Adens head, returned full force.
Awesome. Thanks. Lauren dragged one of the blades back to her seat to continue her study.
Sorin peered at Victoria with eyes so similar to her own that she could have been drowning in her reflection. And you? What would you have of me? My surrender to the human?
Hes not so human anymore.
Stephanie raised her free hand high in the air. Me, me. I know. Pick me!
You asked me to come, and I did, Victoria said. Why did you ask me? To offer your surrender to the human?
She expected the comment to enrage him. Had he been Vlad, it would have. Instead, he surprised her once again by grinning. I see Father did not beat the fire out of you as Id assumed.
Vlad had certainly tried. Well? she prompted.
Sorin shrugged one of those wide shoulders. I heard your Adens summons, and I came to remove him from the throne. I can tell you have great affection for him. I have also heard the reports. But we have become a joke among the races. Soon those races will swarm and attack us, hoping to destroy the vampires at long last.
How have we become a joke? He defeated the witches and the faein one night! Tell me the last time you did that. Or Father. You cant, she added before he could reply. Youre simply making excuses because you desire the crown for yourself.
He gave another shrug, unashamed and unabashed. Very well. I do. That crown is my right. My birthright. The human seems nice enoughfor foodbut thats all he is, Victoria. Food.
No, Aden was far more than that. He was courageous, honorable, and had (almost) always made her feel better about herself. Hed never purposely hurt her, and he never would, even when he was at his worst. She could not say the same about Sorin.
So, this was one battle she would not back down from. You should have taken the crown from Vlad yourself, but you didnt. You struck at him from behind, waiting, biding your time.
Finally, the reaction shed expected since the first. Anger. Your human did not strike at Vlad, Sorin said with a glare. Dmitri did. Aden merely finished off your betrothed. True. But. If Dmitri defeated Father, Dmitri was stronger than Father. And if Aden defeated Dmitri, that means Aden was stronger than both of them.
Logical, but wrong. Hell not defeat Vlad. Hes too nice. More than that, Father was at his weakest when Dmitri attacked him. That will not happen again. Hell be prepared now. And hell do anything, fair or foul, but mostly foul, to get what he wants. You know this. I can defeat him, however. I will defeat him. Ive been preparing for this war for years.
Wait. What is all of this about defeating Vlad? Lauren said. Hes dead.
The sickness churned more forcefully. Actually, hes alive.
Lauren looked like she wanted to protest, but a nod of confirmation from Sorin, then Stephanie, had her sputtering. How did you guys know? Why did no one tell me? What does this mean for us? Our people?
Sorin told me, Stephanie said. And it means nothing. No matter what, Father cannot be allowed to rule again. Hes a tyrant.
Butbut
You know Im right. You hate him, you just dont want a human in charge of us. Stephanie twined her fingers with Sorins. And you need to listen to me. Aden isnt as nice as you think. I mean, he is, but hes lived at a ranch for human baddies for months. Hes done stuff. Hell not be easy to walk on.
Sorin scoffed. A baddie human isnt the same as a baddie vampire warrior, now is it?
Im with Steph, Lauren said, abandoning her upset over Vlads defeat of the grave. Or, really, her upset over not being told. Youre underestimating Aden, and itll cost you. Metal vibrated and whistled as she ran her fingertip along the center of one of the swords. You werent here when he had our beasts slobbering all over him.
Stop! Victoria banged her fist against her thigh. Giving Sorin information about Aden is akin to aiding him. Aiding him is a betrayal to your king.
Sorin waved away her protest. Theyve told me nothing I didnt already know. And you can tell your human that I will be leaving my beast behind. Hell not use mine against me.
She absorbed his words, her eyes widening. You can do that? Leave your beast behind? On purpose? And survive?
He nodded proudly. Unlike Father, I have never feared mine. I accept that part of myselfand use it to my advantage. My beast leaves me and returns to me at my discretion.
He doesnt try to kill you? Lauren asked, as shocked as Victoria was.
He did. At first. Now, he accepts. Sorin rested his elbows on his knees, his expression thoughtful. Perhaps Ill teach you how to release yours. He can fight alongside you. And believe me, youll never have a stronger, more vigilant partner.
I would love that!
Victoria had never heard such excitement from her all-fighting-all-the-time sister. And, she thought with mounting dread, there went Adens best advantage. Controlling Sorin through his beast.
Things will be much improved under my reign, Sorin said, his gaze pinning her in place. Youll see.
FIFTEEN
RAIN POURED ALL NIGHT LONG. Rain still poured at dawn and throughout the rest of the day. The sky was as black as an abyss, the clouds so thick Aden wasnt sure theyd ever dissipate.
At the appropriate time, he made his way to the backyard of his new home. A home he would not give up easily. He stopped at the edge of the warded circle, quivering with energy. He was shirtless, wearing only jeans and boots, already soaked to the bone.
On his finger perched Vlads ring, filled with je la nune. At his ankles, his daggers were at the ready. Every vampire living in the home stood outside with him, some holding torches under the awning. Victoria stood with her sisters, wringing her hands together, bathed in flickering firelight.
They hadnt spoken since shed left him yesterday. Shed tried, shed wanted to, but still hed avoided her. His hunger for her would have deepened, and worse, he would have asked her to betray her brother.
He couldnt ask her. Not if he wanted to like himself when this was over.
It would be hard to like himself, though, if he was dead.
Did you feed? she mouthed.
He gave one clipped shake of his head. No, he hadnt. Hed tried. A few hours after dismissing the slave shed sent him, without taking a single drop of blood from the girl, his hunger had overwhelmed him and hed marched to the slave quarters, an area that was more like a harem than anything, where the humans could roam freely, even though they didnt want to roam.
As hed stood there, watching them, listening to their idle chatter, hed found his hunger actually dwindling. Even though the scent of their blood, the drum-loud beat of their hearts, had tantalized him. Hed left.
On his way to the throne room, where hed sat and thought in private, again hed been more interested in the blood of the vampires hed passed, his hunger returning with a vengeance. Yet hed opted not to partake, wondering whether hed spend the next day seeing the world through their eyes rather than his own.
Hed almost hunted Victoria down, almost asked her to feed him. But still hed avoided her. For all his other reasons and one more. Well, many more, but this one was the most important. She didnt want to feed him. The knowledge tore him up inside, even if the fault lay entirely with him. After the way hed treated her
An animalistic cry reverberated in the back of his mind. One hed heard before, one he ignored.
He hadnt gotten to tell Victoria about his encounter with her mother, the dancing woman. He was now certain that was who hed seen, that hed watched one of Victorias memories come to life. A memory of her mother trying to abscond with her, of Vlad catching them. Of Vlad punishing Victoria while her mother watched. A whipping, each of the cat-o-nine tails laced with the same liquid in his ring.
By the time her father had finished, her back had reminded him of tattered Christmas ribbons. Vlad would pay for that.
And Aden would be the one to kill him, for real this time. Soon. He just had to take care of Sorin first.
Aden, Elijah said nervously.
Not another word, he muttered. You guys promised.
Im sorry, but I only just realized. Only just saw. You need to take your pills. Okay? Please.
What? Caleb and Julian demanded in unison.
Saw what?
Just take your pills. As you know, Ive seen this fight end with several different outcomes and each one was worse than the last. Well, I just saw another outcome. The images were disjointed and distorted, and Im not sure I saw things in the proper order, but I think you will walk away from this if you take the pills.
How could that be? I dont have them with me. If he failed to take them, would he have a vision of Victorias past, midpunch? Would the souls distract him too much? Besides, I need your ability. He needed to know what Sorin planned to do to him before the bastard actually did it. Sorin was going for his head, no question.
Justsend Victoria to get them.
Why?
I told you. Theres a very high chance you wont walk away without them.
A very high chance? Thats not good enough.
Okay, lets look at this from a different angle. You know how cold youve been?
Yes. Kinda hard to forget.
Well, thats actually been a lifesaver for you. Right now, strong emotion is your enemy. The pills will help you remain unemotional.
I dont understand.
Yeah, me either, Caleb said.
Just take the pills, Aden, Elijah insisted again. Trust me, emotion is not your friend.
Was anything, anymore? All right. Elijah was never wrong. Or rarely wrong, he guessed he had to say now. If Aden needed the pills, he needed the pills. Ill
Sorin materialized at the edge of the clearing, already marching forward, two of his men holding a banner that stretched over their heads, the rest holding torches of their own. Torches the rain did not affect. They were a collage of shadows and light, menace and redemption.
The wind kicked up, whistlingcloser and closerfootsteps
Its too late. I cant send her now. He would appear weak. Vulnerable. To vampires, appearance was everything, and if he appeared weak and vulnerable, he would lose this fight even if he won. Well have to find another way to bring home the victory. Elijah groaned. I was afraid that would happen. Just try to stay calm. No matter what. Okay?
Okay. Easily said. Probably impossible to do.
Then Sorin and his men were there, standing just inside the ward, and Aden could see each face clearlyas well as the faces of Seth, Shannon and Ryder, his human friends. They were bound with rope. Prisoners.
To their credit, they didnt appear to be scared. Seth, with his red-and-black hair dripping into his scowl, just looked pissed. Shannons darker skin blended into the shadows, but his eyeshis eyes were so green they glowed. And they were narrowed on Sorin, throwing daggers of hate. Ryder was the calmest of the three. Maybe because he looked shocked to his marrow.
First things first. Let them go, Aden demanded. Now.
The rain slowed to an icy trickle. Sorin nodded, as if happy to oblige. Of course Ill let them go. Their freedom in exchange for the crown. Simple, easy, and you dont have to die.
He could accept, but as the new king, Sorin could later kill the boys anyway, and there would be nothing Aden could do to stop him. Only a coward would offer such a bargain.
Is this the part where I erupt into a rage and attack you? Sorry, no rage from me. Call me whatever you like. It doesnt matter. Very soon everyone here will call me King.
Cocky.
Confident. But all right. You dont wish to save your friends. I understand. Callous of you, but lets see if youll relinquish the crown to save your girlfriend.
During Sorins speech, one of his men had snuck through the crowd and closed in on Victoria, grabbing her by the back of the neck and forcing her to her knees. She tried to fight, but her strength was clearly no match for his.
Before you ask, she cant teleport away, Sorin said. She came to see me last night, and I drugged her drink.
Victoria trembled and gave her brother a look of cutting betrayal. Aden felt a twinge of betrayal himself. Shed left him and gone to see her brother, might have even told him secrets about Aden.
After the way you treated her, could you blame her? Elijah said.
Way to help me remain calm, he thought darkly. Not that the souls could hear him. How can you treat her that way? he asked Sorin. Shes your sister.
A negligent shrug. One thing Ive learned over the centuries. Everyone is expendable.
Victorias chin trembled, and Aden knew she was fighting tears. He stiffened. No matter what shed done, no matter what had gone down, he hated the thought of her upset. Strong emotion? Yeah, if anything could cause it, he realized, she could.
Any questions he might have had about his feelings for her were answered in that moment. Aden didnt just like her, he loved her, and he would do anything to protect her. More than that, he trusted her. She might have gone to see her brother, but she wouldnt have done anything to jeopardize Adens health. Just as, even at his worst, he had not jeopardized hers.
Aden, Elijah began, nervous again.
No, he said. No more distractions.
Hes without his beast, Victoria called, the last word emerging on a cry of pain. The man must have increased the pressure on her neck.
Elijah cursed as fury sparked to sizzling life inside his chest. In the back of his mind, he heard the plaintive cry of a newborn. Just like before. Only stronger this time, and as angry as he was. The souls began to argue, Caleb and Julian demanding answers, Elijah refusing to give them.
Aden tuned them out as best he could and focused on Sorin. He would pay for Victorias pain. In blood. Swords? he asked, because that was the method the warrior had chosen in every vision Aden had had of this fight.
A moment passed as Sorin unraveled the meaning of his question. There would be no surrender. They would fight. Surprised flickered in those blue eyes before smoothing into eagerness. Lets make it sort of fair. Hand to hand.
Aden nodded, surprise flooding him. Nothing was happening as hed seen. What did that mean? What had caused things to change? The fact that he hadnt taken the pills?
If anything happens to Victoria or my humans, Ill kill your men when Im done with you, Aden said to Sorin. And he meant it.
Now whos the cocky one, hmm?
I want your vow. No harm will come to them. Now, during or after. No question, no matter the outcome.
Sorin nodded. You have my word.
The ease with which he offered the concession made Aden think hed never planned to hurt the foursome. That wasnt going to save him, not now, but it did defuse the hottest threads of Adens fury.
With a shrug, the black robe draping Sorins shoulders fell to the ground, leaving him as bare-chested as Aden. Difference was, Sorins torso was covered in fresh wards. There was not an inch of pale skin visible. Only black ink on top of black ink, circles on top of circles. Aden briefly wondered what the guy was warded against before clearing his mind. He had to concentrate.
Together they approached the center of the metal ring, then stopped, only a whisper away from each other. Aden had been in more fistfights than he could count, but theyd always been spur-of-the-moment, his mind lost to whatever emotion or insult that had brought him to that point. Hed never coldly, calculatingly planned to brawl like this.
I think I would have liked you in other circumstances, Sorin said. Just before drilling his knuckles into Adens eye socket.
His arm moved so quickly, Aden registered only a blur before tumbling backward, pain exploding through his head. He managed to remain on his feet as the entire world went silent, black. There was no rain, no crowd, no souls. Noanything. Not even time. He was deaf, dumb and blind, his brain completely shut down.
Aden just stood there, lost, barely breathing, until he saw a sudden flash of white. A return to black. Another flash of white, one that lasted a little longer. Black. White. Black, white, as if someone were playing with a light switch inside his head.
Then he heard a little whoosh of noise, the only precursor to the sudden boom as the world slammed back into focus. He heard, he knew, he saw, but there was no time to react. Sorin was on him, fists pummeling like a jackhammer, over and over again, raining down, never stopping.
Come on, come on. Get in this thing. Using all of his strength, Aden kneed him in the balls. And if Sorin had still possessed his beast, the creature would have come roaring out at exactly that moment in a bid to protect Aden from further damage, because Sorin hunched over and screamed with unholy rage.
The down and dirty action gave Aden a necessary reprieveand time to jerk his knee up, slamming Sorin under his chin, sending him soaring to his back.
Aden raced to him, intending to pin the guys shoulders with his knees and just start whaling, but Sorin pulled up his legs, rolling with Adens weight before kicking. This time, Aden was the one to soar to his back. A blink of his swelling eyes, and Sorin was on him.
Punch, punch, punch. Any time you want to give up, all you have to do is kneel before me and proclaim your loyalty.
Go screw yourself, he managed between blows.
Original.
Appropriate.
Punch, punch. Several of the bones in his face shattered. His nose might have snapped in half; some of the cartilage definitely shifted to one side. Adrenaline shot through his veins as if hed injected it, warming him up, strengthening him. But was it enough?
Calm. You have to stay calm.
Elijahs voice.
Ignored.
With a roar that matched the one in his head, the one growing, growing, growing in volume, Aden threw a punch of his own. Then another and another and another, until Sorin stopped hitting him to save his own face from a battering. A golden opportunity. Aden reached up, grabbed him under the arms and shoved, flipping the warrior over him. He didnt release his hold, but allowed himself to flip, as well, so that he was finally the one on top.
He spit blood and what looked to be a Chicleta tooth! Then he held Sorins face with one hand and rained down the fury with the other. Boom, boom, boom, so fast he couldnt see even the blur. Or maybe his eyesight was too cloudy, his lids desperate to glue together and (hopefully) heal.
To Elijahs delight, every punch calmed him.
But Sorin didnt stay down for long and gave another kick. They were thrust apart. Aden slammed into the wall of spectators. Some fell with him, others pushed at him, but he felt the desires of their beasts. The desire to emerge and save him.
No, he yelled. Dont. Stay.
They obeyed, none slipping from their hosts and solidifying. How much time before they forgot his command and did as they wished? Probably not much. End this, he had to end this.
Sorin must have felt the same, because they leaped at each other, rolling together, throwing elbows and knees, going for soft spotsnose, throat and groin. Every new punch Aden threw would have fortified the calm, if every punch he received hadnt fanned the flames back up.
Soon blood was flowing from a gaping cut across Sorins hairline. Blood that snared Adens attention. Maybe because it was a vampires blood. Maybe because it had the same sweet, dark scent as Victorias.
Tastemust taste
As distracted as he was, Sorin managed to knock him sideways. He stumbled into the spectators, and this time he could hear their beasts. Roars, so many roars. Still they remained in their cages, but just barely.
Would have served Sorin right to lose that way. To be humbled by the very beasts hed mocked Aden for taming. But Aden had a point to prove, or Victorias brother would never take him seriously.
Wait. Youre going to let him live? Hed decided to end him, hadnt he?
Taste
Aden shoved from the crowd and dove for Sorin. Again they rolled, again they twisted and fought like animals.
I didnt want it to end this way, but Im glad it did. Sorin bared his fangs and swooped down to bite Adens neck.
Only, he couldnt. His fangs wouldnt pierce the skin. The warrior was shocked, yes, but reacted as if hed trained for such a thing. Before Aden could extract himself, Sorin raised his hand and removed the covering of a ring very similar to the one Aden wore. He dribbled the contents over Adens neck. The burn was instantaneous, sweeping through his entire body in seconds and engulfing him with flames. Felt like it, anyway.
His throat clogged up, cutting off his air supply. His fury was joined by fear and pain, all three consuming him.
With a snarl, Sorin pinned him, his fangs drilling deep into the wound. Suction. So much suction. Taking the flames and replacing them with ice. No matter how much Aden struggled, he couldnt dislodge those teeth.
When his struggles slowed, stopped, he knew. He was going to die.
The roaring inside his head increased so much, became so loud, it was all Aden could hear. Roaring, roaring, roaringquieting now. No, not quieting, he realized hazily. Leaving him. Ripping at his insides. Rising from his head, something sharp shooting from his back. Soon a creature was hovering over him, moving beside him. A black mist, taking shape. A snout, wings, claws. Roaring, roaring, roaring, blending with gasps of terror.
Someones beast had escaped.
Sorin was torn from him, fangs practically taking Adens trachea with them. He lay there a moment, panting, sweating but cold. He could still win this, he thought. He hadnt admitted defeat, and he wasnt yet dead. How could he be, when every muscle and bone he possessed ached? First, though, he had to ensure Victorias safety.
Gingerly he sat up, the wound in his neck pulling, stinging. Blood poured down him, washing away in the steady drizzle of rain. Dizziness was a bitch, and a while passed before he could focus. When he did, he saw Victoria, her face pale, her cheeks wet with rainand tears? Her chin was still trembling. She was no longer on her knees, but her brothers warrior was still beside her.
Relief speared him. She was okay.
Aden, she said, both dazed and frightened. Your beast.
Something whizzed through his line of vision, breaking their connection. He lookedand nearly choked on his own tongue. A baby beast, monster, whatever was chasing Sorin around the circle, nipping at him with saber teeth.
Your beast, Victoria had said. Thats what the mist had been. And it had risen from him. The rending of his insides, the sharp sting at his backyeah, it had come from him.
The beast was smaller than any of the others Aden had seen, but no less fierce. Those wings stretched into razor sharp points. His scales were a glossy gray, like smoked, polished glass. His arms were short and thin but tipped with ivory claws. His hoofed and clawed feet slammed into the ground, disrupting grass and rattling metal.
Hes mine, Aden thought, dazed all over again. He actually came from me.
And hes what I didnt want to happen, what I didnt want any of you to know about, Elijah said on a sigh. Hes been growing inside of you since that last day in the cave. Hes who looked through Victorias eyes before slamming into you and rendering you unconscious.
How? he managed to say despite his wound, having held the torn skin together.
He was birthed to life inside you with the first blood exchange, then entered Victorias mind when we did, growing all the while, then finally stopping the switching altogether.
Why keep him secret? Good. His words were getting stronger, clearer.
I didnt want you or the dynamic duo to panic. Strong emotion was the only thing that could push him out, and yes, Im purposefully using birthing language because thats basically what happened, and he wasnt ready to be pushed out. Hes now, well, a preemie.
Which meant he waswhat? Fragile? Vulnerable?
Hungry. Hes very hungry, very determined, and will never be easily controlled. I didnt want to tell you, but youve been battling his nature, as well as Victorias. You were doing an excellent job, too. Until this.
So what does this crap mean for us? Caleb asked.
Elijah sighed. The little guys had a taste of freedom now. He will never be happy caged.
At least Aden survived the fight, Julian pointed out. You said hed die without the pills.
No, I said he could die. Theres a difference. A lot of new mothers die giving birth too soon, and thats what I saw.
Caleb snickered despite the severity of the circumstances. Congrats, Ad. Youre a mom. Why dont you breast-feed the little guy?
Julian chortled.
Finally the little guy captured Sorin and forced him to the ground, holding him by the stomach. And the funny thing: his own beast could have helped him, but hed come to this fight without the creature.
Now go finish this fight, Elijah said. Youve been given a golden opportunity. Lets use it and end this the right way.