Authors: Kia Carrington-Russell
“Don’t touch me,” I said sharply.
“Whaaat, how did you even know I was thinking that… you are too confident in yourself, my golden bird,” he laughed.
“Stop calling me that,” I said, annoyed by his irritating personality. But still, I was not annoyed by his taunts anymore. He was no longer appearing to me as the enemy.
After a long moment of silence Tythian spoke. “I don’t know why you keep her here, you are playing a dangerous game with both of your lives, Chase,” Tythian said, now serious.
“I can look after myself,” I said angrily. Around these three I did not have to pretend to be a defenseless human. I was entirely huntress, and with great pride in it as well.
“Little huntress, you may fight well and in fact I will commend you on being very strong for your age. But you are no match for the vampires here who have lived for hundreds of years training and surviving. Why do you not have your eyes? I have never seen such a hunter.”
“She can’t answer you because she doesn’t know why,” Chase said protectively. I had never exactly told him, simply because I hadn’t the answer.
“I am the only born huntress to have no gift,” I simply said. I was not ashamed of this.
“And yet you are Token, why?” Tythian asked, more stern this time. We were both getting agitated in one another’s presence.
“Because she is super amazing and hot in leather,” Chase said with a childish beam. He was trying to distract us, like he did when confronting Fier. Did he always become immature when trying to dispel tense situations?
“I have worked and lived with you for many years, Chase, which is why I haven’t killed her already, but know and understand the situation you have now put yourself in. I honestly can’t fathom what you are to gain by doing this,” Tythian said seriously to Chase.
“I think Esmore is very sweet, no matter what she is or isn’t,” Whitney interjected. Tythian looked at her for a moment, before apologizing.
“I am sorry to have spoken to your guest in such a way, my love,” he said, kissing her knuckles.
Chase took a mouthful of the blood, his fangs shining as his lips parted for it. I looked away in disgust. They bottled it, how disgusting.
After a few hours of discussion and awkward tension, Tythian asked us to leave as Whitney began tiring quickly. “Besides I think it would be a fitting time for you now to go to this rave you are expected at,” Tythian said, grabbing Whitney out of her wheelchair and placing her comfortably in bed. He tucked her in, feeling the warmth of her forehead and looking over her worriedly.
We excused ourselves and left their room. “Stay close to me this entire time. Don’t talk to anyone and don’t get us into trouble. We are simply going to say ‘hi’ to Fier, and then we will leave. Besides, it’s almost night. I have somewhere I want to take you.”
“It’s already night?” I said, astonished.
“Well, we did get up at mid-day, Esmore,” he growled my name, as if enjoying the taste of it. “Most of us wake at mid-day.”
A thumping noise began irritating my ears as I felt a heavy pound under my feet. I looked around the hallway, assessing where it came from. What vampire could make such noise?
“No Esmore, this is a rave. It was something that was appreciated many years ago by our kind. We have only been able to project this in the past few years. This is how most vampires spend their lives,” Chase said as we stood in front of the large wooden doors where the Council had their meetings. The thumping was louder. If I recalled it was called ‘music.’ But it sounded dreadful and glitchy, like someone kept scratching it and then bringing it back to a loud enormous bang.
Chase opened the door before me. My eyes widened at the enormity in front of me. There must have been hundreds of vampires in the very dark room. Colored lights flashed across the room. The room once seemed so large, but now with so many vampires it was little. There were chairs and couches in certain spots. In these positions some vampires were feeding off humans. The whole atmosphere seemed hormone-driven and intoxicating. Everyone had a sexual tension surrounding them.
Chase grabbed my hand, pulling me into the room. I didn’t want to be a part of such a place, but knew we had to go further in so Chase got to speak with Fier. The music continued to bang and it seemed most of the vampires dry humped one another in sync with it. There were six vampires hanging from the ceiling in what looked to be silky cloth. The oddest part of it was they wore nothing but gold skirts. I was barged left, right, and centre as Chase charged me through the center of the dancers. Some frolicked over their partners as if they were a pole, grinding themselves up their leg and biting into their neck.
“I take it you have never danced,” Chase said loudly over the pounding music. I looked up at where I had once hid. I was staring at the exact same lights once, only now realizing their purpose as an array of green blinded my sight for a moment. “What do you do in celebration for things, like if you just want to have an enjoyable time?”
I looked at him scornfully. I did not have to hide my agitation of being in here. Someone’s hips bumped into mine. Chase tugged me into his arms before I could release some of my tension on the woman who did. She looked at me in disinterest before looking at Chase, who held me tightly in his arms. It was more like he was strapping me in. I tried to use my full strength to get out of his grip. I resisted the urge to smack the back of my head into his just to be free. It was natural for me to do so when he held me in such a way and I had to fight away the urge to defend myself. It was just reflexes. Despite this, I pooled into his arms very quickly, the tension releasing.
“Chase,” the dark-haired vampire said with a velvet voice. She was very attractive and tall. “Is this a pet you now have? Was my blood not sufficient for you or was the sex not fragile enough?”
“Oh Tanya, I didn’t even recognize you with a shirt on,” Chase said with a laugh. “And yeah, she is
my
pet,” he said, stroking the top of my head. His hard chest was tight against my back as his one hand pinned me harder to him, locking in my resistance. He turned me around, leading me further into the dancers, dismissing the vampire.
“Oh, a bit of a tease for the ladies, are we?” I said, trying to provoke him enough so he would let me go. The room made me uncomfortable and every bang of the music seemed to rattle the floor. The darkness within me seemed to stir to the erotic and distasteful music.
“Hey!” someone shouted angrily. I looked to my left where a human lay dead on the floor. The vampire who had drained her completely was spotlighted instantly by the lights. Chase and I stopped walking and he put a hand in front of me protectively, assessing what would happen next. Gardar pushed aside the crowds of vampires.
“You know the rules!” Gardar said. The other vampire pleaded for his life but within moments, Gardar had bitten into his jugular, ripping out his throat. He plunged his hand into the younger vampire’s chest and reefed his heart out. The young vampire slumped, the smell instantly filling the room. Everyone cheered as the vampire and dead human were dragged away.
Chase grabbed my hand, hurrying me toward Fier, who sat in his large wooden chair. Finally we reached the end of the crowd. Everyone began dancing again and the lights were streaking through the room randomly.
In front of Fier two female vampires with very little clothing on were on the ground kissing one another. “Now bite her neck,” Fier called, aroused. The darker vampire bit the blonde-haired vampire’s neck. She gave out a moan in pleasure. Fier watched intently, enjoying what they did. “Now slide your fingers…”
“Fier!” Chase yelled over the music, grabbing his attention before he could proceed with his commandment.
With his head rested on his hand, Fier looked up, his eyebrows raised. “Ah, there you are, would you care to join me?” he asked. As Chase said nothing, Fier’s green eyes rolled over to me. “How about you?”
“She won’t be involved in any of that. I have only come to assert my ownership of this human,” he said seriously. I wanted to drop him on the spot for claiming me as his. But looking around I now understood that I would be in far more trouble. I also knew that although I didn’t like someone claiming me as their property, much like James did, Chase only did it to dispel other vampires’ interests toward me.
“No. I am fond of your human,” Fier said, staring at me intently. “She is so supple and she smells delicious.”
“Have respect for my mother. I won’t let you. She is
mine
,” Chase said, tightening his grip around my hand. I felt tension rise between the two.
“You dare bring your mother into this,” Fier said angrily. “For what, a human?” He paused for a moment, staring at Chase’s hand, which was strongly bound over mine. He now raised a sceptical eyebrow. “You have got to be joking me… this cannot be your familiar?” Fier said seriously. He began to laugh. “A human, truly? My heavens, it is like a second Tythian all over again. Fine, I will accept this, but you have two weeks to turn her or I will claim her as my own.”
Chase and Fier stared at one another. A small breeze blew between Chase and I. Suddenly a harsh wind howled past Chase’s cheek, slicing his cheekbone. A small trickle of blood began to bleed before the wound healed instantly.
“Get out of my sight before I change my mind,” Fier said, waving us away.
Chase took me through the crowd of vampires. My steps staggered over a body on the ground. It was a human who had numerous bite marks all over his body. He must have only been thirty and there would be no justice for him. He was already dead.
Finally we were out of the disgusting room, and Chase slammed the doors behind us. I felt as if I could breathe again. Before I could finally release my rage at him, he spoke. “I won’t let anyone hurt you and I will not turn you against your will.”
“I do not like being spoken for. I demand that you let me go.”
“Give me three more days to convince you to stay. I will show you the way out now and in three days if you do not want to stay by my side, I will escort you out. But you can only go with me, if you go alone you will be chased down,” Chase said seriously. “I want to take you to the large bridge that is still standing. I can show you the way out.”
I stared at him for a moment, trying to guess his trickery. Why would he offer me such things? If he wanted to trap me then why would he show me the way out… unless it was a trap. I was sceptical, but when I looked into his beautiful gray eyes, I only saw sincerity.
“I am not tricking you, Esmore,” he said patiently. His gray eyes were sincere as he dropped my hand and placed his hand on his chest. My eyes followed his movement to his hard chest. I was instantly angry with myself again for being so easily distracted.
“C’mon,” he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me through the hallways. Obediently I followed him, mostly because I was trying to flush out my hotness. There should not be sexual tension. The moral dilemmas of being attracted to Chase were excruciating. But my mind could not justify it; my body wanted action.
We walked past Chase’s room, continuing straight. We then came to an intersection and he pulled me right. He opened a silver door which had very little light in the room. It was dark and secretive. But I realized that was because there was metal stairs in front of us. Two vampire guards were on either side of the door.
“I am taking my human out for a little,” Chase reported to them. They permitted this. Chase walked me up the spiral metal stairs. If I were human I would have not been able to see where I was stepping. Maybe that was why this room was so dark, because only vampires would use this. The darkness for me, however, was no issue. I was not human and could see very clearly.
After a short walk up the spiral stairs, we came across a small ramp connected to a door. It was a very small ramp with no side bars. Humans would fall to their death if they misplaced their feet before even making it to the door. Still holding my hand, Chase pulled me steadily toward the door, as if I couldn’t see where I was going. In front of the guards I had to pretend to be clumsy, helpless, and
very
human. When he opened it, the wind of the night brushed over my skin, like a breath of fresh air. It was refreshing and intoxicating to be outside once again. So this was how I would escape.
“None of that,” Chase said with a smile. “Please, give me three days. And let me take you to the bridge. I know you have always wanted to see it up close.”
It was then Chase revealed to me that he could obviously hear my thoughts. I had never told anyone of my curiosity over the bridge within the city. I felt myself building in anger, but he only smiled sheepishly, rubbing his thumb over my hand. His touch ceased my rage quickly. It scared me how much his touch alone could extinguish my flames. It frightened me that I felt emotional over his touch. What tormented me most was that I had not yet pulled away or fled.