Authors: Kelly Ilebode
“
I know, Amira. Trust me. I know.”
--------------------------------------------------
Chavali watched from the darkened window as the two figures embraced in the moonlight. Feeling jealousy and sadness rip inside of her of what she would never have, she hated Amira for having it all. Pushing her feelings down, she turned back to the room. Aaron would return soon, and he would be expecting her to be as he left her. She didn’t have much time.
Anxious to finish what she started, she felt slight apprehension with what she was about to do and with her heart beating rapidly within her chest, she took deep breaths to steady her nerves. She knew she could not lose it now. She had to stay focused.
Lying back down on the bed, placing her hand flat on her stomach, she could feel his seed moving deep within her; she chanted softly, never giving up as she felt them die one by one. Trying not to lose hope as the panic started to set in, reminding herself there were so many still alive within her, she focused intently, searching for the strongest as it battled its way to the destination that would bring life. A feeling of peace came over her as against all odds she knew this would be the one that would survive.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“
Aaron. A moment of your time?”
Looking up from the ancient book, Aaron scanned his brother’s face. Dragan looked tired and already seemed to be aging. He had come to the patio for solitude, trying to get some answers from the book, again—it seemed this was not to be the time. “Of course, brother.”
Dragan sat down next to Aaron, looking out over the landscape. It was going to be a beautiful morning when the sun finished rising. He loved this time of year where the evenings were cool enough but the sun during the day still provided a soothing warmth. His eyes caught a glimpse of the changing colors in the leaves. Staring through the birch trees, his eyes rested on his favorite place.
The stone chapel stood strong and beautiful. Dragan felt its pull even now, urging him to come meditate and pray inside its walls. It felt like years since he had done so, but even after his resurrection and the current crisis they were in, he still managed to get an hour in to talk to his Father every day, always starting with prayers of gratitude for the second chance.
In speaking with James, he indeed felt that his time was not over and instead of the despair that he felt at being returned to human form, he now knew he was more than obligated to help his brother sort through his own faith issues. Shivering slightly, he pulled the sweater tighter around him.
Waiting patiently for Dragan to speak, Aaron leaned back in his chair as a servant placed coffee in front of Dragan before refreshing his own cup.
“
How is your prisoner?”
Reaching for a croissant, Aaron paused.
“
No longer a prisoner, but you know that.”
“
Somehow I doubt that to be true. You would like me to believe that you have decided to trust her then?”
“
I have. Until she gives me reason not to. If that happens, I will kill her.”
“
You cannot mean that, Aaron!”
Lifting his eyes to meet his brother’s, Dragan watched the red form around the edges. Aaron was always one to be more cautious than his twin in trusting and he could kill quicker with no guilt or hint of compassion holding him back if he felt the kill was warranted. The edge Aaron had, Dragan never did.
“
I told you before, Dragan. I would do anything to protect the people I love. If that means I need to kill, then I will do it without even looking back, knowing that the enemy would do the same. You are human now. As much as I dislike that thought, you will be more vulnerable.”
Tapping the book next to him, his voice lowered. “This has confirmed what Chavali said. Adara will stop at nothing to turn you back into a vampire. As much as part of me would relish having you back in my form, I know that is not what you want, so I need to help you stay human.”
“
Indeed. So what is the plan?”
Aaron shifted uncomfortably. He really did not have a plan. “I will kill her.”
“
Adara!?”
“
Yes, Dragan, Adara. It is the only way.”
“
And how, for the love of God, are you planning to do that?”
“
With my help.”
Both brothers turned in their seats.
“
Good morning, Daphne! Or do you prefer Dita?”
Waving her hand in the air nonchalantly, she pulled out a chair at the table. “Call me whatever you like. It matters nothing to me.”
Looking from one brother to the other, she nodded. “I see you both have finally accepted that it is not a matter of if, but a matter of when Adara will make an appearance. I think that it is time, without the women present, to have a bit of a history lesson.” Wrapping her shawl tighter around her, Daphne settled deeper into the chair. “We will start before time, I think. Before the world was created.”
Aaron’s eyebrows rose and he could not keep the sarcasm from his voice. “I can see already this is going to take a long time.”
“
I will give you the condensed version, Aaron, not for you, but because time is of the essence. There has been one Creator, who for whatever reason decided to design many worlds and beings. In bringing to life this complex universe, there arose one named Satanael, who began to believe that he was stronger, wiser, and better able to lead than the Creator. After convincing a third of creation to side with him, a battle ensued. For the purpose of this conversation, we will call the winners sons of light and the losers sons of darkness. The sons of darkness were banished from their home to a new world.”
“
This sounds more like a Bible story between the fabled God and Devil.”
“
Aaron, please!”
Daphne shot Aaron a look that could have melted butter. “Just because you do not believe does not mean it is any less real. Your ignorance is showing, Aaron. May I continue?”
The sun rose further, spreading its warmth to the three, yet Dragan felt a chill rush through him.
“
When the Creator threw the sons of darkness to the earth, Satanael’s fury could not be contained and he vowed that he would get his retribution. So he waited and watched for the right moment, for centuries.
“
After the war, more worlds were formed. The Creator designed and breathed life into man, giving them all many gifts—the greatest gift, the freedom of will. Satanael knew that this was his moment. Over hundreds of years, he took many forms, convincing the humans that there were many more secrets to the world that were just waiting for them to tap. Knowledge, he told them, was the key to power, not the God that created them. Soon, many factions began breaking off and forming. Some started practicing the dark arts, some the light arts. Some, sensing deception, chose to learn both.
“
Satanael grew his army from the sons and daughters of darkness to also include humans and the freaks of spirits from wrongly cast spells hiding in the bowels of the earth. With such growth came great strength but still not enough to defeat the sons and daughters of light. Deciding to work his own magic, he created what today is called the vampire. Expecting the turning of humans into the walking undead to allow him to collect souls to be placed in soulless warriors that he created, the coven cast a spell to even out his spell. Souls could be harvested, but only after a period of time. This would allow the undead to have the opportunity to find a way to redeem themselves and possibly fight for their soul back since they had not chosen their fate. After centuries, the vampire eventually gave up on redemption, as over time, many succumbed to the capital offenses of the humans, choosing instead the power of the seven: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony.
“
But there was hope. One of the prophecies states that:
‘
Two, who are one, undead yet alive, will defeat evil’s curse only when seeds planted in fertile ground multiplies, embracing and pushing death aside. The scales once tipped will become balanced, as justice reigns once more when harvest comes.’
“
There is a group of us who believe that Dragan and Aaron Reynell are the
two who are one
.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Aaron pushed his chair back, the scraping of metal on stone harsh. “This is the most ridiculous thing that I have ever heard. I am going to prepare for Adara. You two can hash old ghost stories all day.”
“
Aaron! Please.”
“
Dragan, I am done. When you are ready to help, you come find me because I am sure that Hell will freeze over by the time your God helps me.”
Sadness enveloped Dragan as he watched his brother storm off.
“
Let him go, Dragan.”
Turning back to face Daphne, he stared at her wide eyed. No longer sitting in front of him was a heavyset old woman, but a stunning beauty. Her blue eyes, crystal clear, reminded him of the waters in the tropics. Her long blonde hair shimmered in the early morning light, framing a face that was young, skin soft and supple. She was watching him with compassion and kindness.
“
Daphne, who are you?”
“
I am one of the few from the beginning who keeps this game fair. We have not picked a side. The consequence: evil does not want us and we cannot cross to the light, as we will not swear allegiance to either.”
“
What do you need me to do?”
“
First, and most important, you must let Aaron follow his own path, just as you have done.” At Dragan’s protest, she raised a graceful hand. “In saying that, we can help him up to a point. Adara is on her way and is very close with her army. She will seek her revenge on everyone on this property. Some help will be arriving very shortly. They are as I am, and we will do our best to protect you all. You must ask your servants to leave. James and Amira will refuse; we already know this, so we must protect them. Is there a place that we could hide them if a problem should arise with our plan?”
“
Her cottage is one place they would go easily.”
Nodding her head, Daphne looked pleased. “I thought you would say that, so I have already sealed the structure. When they are inside, no one would hear or sense them. Is there another place on the property if that does not work out?”
Dragan stood, holding out his hand. “Yes, absolutely. In fact, no one knows of the place except for me. I built it.”
Smiling, Daphne slid her hand in his. “I knew I could count on you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Dragan stepped out of the office, pausing to listen. The house was eerily silent. Following Daphne’s directions, he had released all of his workers and as predicted, James refused to go. Glancing down at the wolf by his side, he knew it was time to speak with Amira and then to Aaron.
“
Shadow, check on Aaron for me?”
Running to the door, Shadow waited for Dragan to open it before darting out.
Chavali waited for the wolf to be gone before stepping out of the shadows. “Dragan, do you have a minute?”
Nodding his head, he hid his surprise well at seeing the young woman before him. “Of course, Chavali. Please come into my office.”
Dragan waited for her to sit before taking a seat himself. “What can I do for you?”
Chavali inhaled deeply, allowing herself to feel for the first time in years. “Dita recommended that I speak with you, as she said that you would understand the power of the diverging path. How did you overcome your fear to help save Amira?”
“
I never did, Chavali.”
“
You never did what?”
“
I never overcame my fear. I reached the place that I had realized that I could not let fear hold me down. I asked myself a very simple question.”
Chavali leaned closer to Dragan. “What was the question?”
“
I asked myself what I would do if I wasn’t afraid. The second I asked myself that, I was able to see the answer more clearly. I knew I had to do whatever was in my power to save her. So, you see, I never stopped being afraid, but, my faith and love for her was great enough that the fear no longer controlled my decisions.”
“
And in the end, it worked out for you, right?”
Dragan smiled. “Still trying to determine the answer to that one, Chavali, but yes, I guess you could say it has worked out the way it was meant to work out.”
Reaching out, Dragan touched her hand gently. “If you need to talk about something, Chavali, I would be more than happy to listen to you.”
“
No, I think I am good, but I appreciate you taking the time. I do feel better.”
Dragan watched her expression closely, wishing he could read her as she walked away.
Making his way up the staircase leading to his suite, he marveled at the speed in which his life had changed in such a short period of time.
Opening the door, he smiled at seeing his lover as she laid sound asleep on his bed. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, he placed his hand on her hip, squeezing gently to wake her.
Amira woke groggy at Dragan’s touch. Intertwining her fingers within his, she smiled sleepily.
“
Hey.”
“
Hi, Amira.”
“
Are you joining me for a nap?”
Dragan eased down next to her, sliding his hand around her thin waist to her back, tugging at her shirt.
“
Nap? No, not interested in that.”
Amira closed her eyes as he loosened her shirt, bringing his hand around to the front, slowly unbuttoning the fabric from the bottom up. As each came free from their enclosure, baring skin, he kissed, nipped, and caressed the exposed flesh. Within moments, Amira was on fire with desire, squirming under his administrations. Finally reaching the last button, Dragan groaned at seeing her bared before him, dropping his head to the first nipple, sucking hard before moving on to the next.