Odyssey (The Vampire Destiny Series Companion Book 1) (2 page)

When I reopened my eyes, another woman sat at my side.  Statuesque with dark blond hair and blue eyes, she scrutinized me with great interest.

Her pale skin gleamed like alabaster in the moonlight and her eyes glittered like sapphires.  “We do not have much time.  I have been watching you for some time, lover.”

“I am dying…” My words faded as she placed a cold fingertip to my lips.

She smiled, her beautiful face appearing gentle as she stared into my eyes.  “You are going to be reborn.  You and I will have everything.”

My brow furrowed and a deep cough racked my body.  Pain coursed through me like lightning as I struggled to breathe.  “I do not understand.”

“You do not have to understand anything now.  I was given a gift by a daemon; a gift I will not lose.”

In a blur she sprang at me, her teeth burying themselves into my throat.  Seizing in agony, they were like knives, tearing my flesh. I watched as the night faded into nothing, pinpricks of light filling my vision.

She pulled away and cradled my head to her wrist.  Thick liquid filled my mouth as she crooned softly into my ear. "I will see you soon, my lover."

Chapter One – Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

1245 AD

The lifelessness in her demeanor stilled me. I moved into her line of sight and tapped at her chin until she looked up at me with an impassive stare. No spark remained, only emptiness. In a human, it is an unnerving sight to witness.  It is the look of someone who has already given up on the act of living.

Even after over 175 years of tutelage with Solveig, seeing that blankness reflect in their eyes was disheartening.  Humans now served two purposes for me: to fuck and to feed.  Very few women captured my attention; they were simply a warm body to lose myself in for a few hours, to sate not only my carnal urges, but to also satisfy my hunger.  Blood and sex.  They were the only things that held meaning for me.

This woman would be no different.  She was one of the nameless, faceless human easily tallied as forgettable.  She was considered a dreg of society, a person that would not be missed.  She was the perfect choice for a vampire’s meal.

That was one of the first rules I was taught when I awoke to this life.  No longer human, I was a newborn immortal.  My ability had carried over, yet all I could see was the future of vampires.  Humans were unreadable voids to me.  Still, my gift came in handy.  Solveig had me watching the decisions of the Council that governed our kind.  She had committed crimes that would call for her death and lived as an outlaw, constantly on the run from justice.

"Take what you need from her, Steafedn.  You are thinking about them as humans again," Solveig scolded.  She had finished with her meal and had returned from disposing evidence of her kill.

Glancing back at my maker, my hold increased on the woman in front of me.  She made no effort to escape; she meekly waited for death.

I said nothing.  Resentment surged through me at Solveig’s cavalier words and the meek acceptance of this human.  I had not asked for this existence.  Truth be told, I should be buried and gone.  Instead, I was given immortality, becoming a never aging, never changing creature with more than a century of killing under my belt to survive.

And that was the crux of my problem.  To survive, I had to kill.  I recall taking no joy in killing during my human life.  Now…now it was a necessity.

My eyes snapped back to the woman, my fangs elongating behind my lips.  Before she could realize what I had done, they were embedded in her throat, taking ravenous pulls of her blood that would sustain me until I chose my next meal.

Drinking from her until she went limp in my arms, I dropped the woman to the ground.  Her glassy eyes stared vacantly into the distance.  There was truly no difference now than there was when she stood before me.  Her soul was already dead, her body only existed.  I simply took care of the latter.

In a matter of seconds I could extinguish a life...her sacrifice would extend my own for another three days, possibly four if I was lucky and remained uninjured.

"Do not question what you need to do to survive, Steafedn.  We all give and we all take.  She is no different than livestock the villagers slaughter for meat."  Solveig draped her arms around my waist, resting her chin against my chest.  "We must thrive.  We are the superior race.  We are faster, stronger and smarter than humans...and we always will be."

“That is what you believe.  I was given no choice in the matter.  If I do not manage my thirst, I could expose us.” I shoved my maker away in disgust, focusing my attention on the task of scanning the woods for a place to bury the woman slumped at my feet.

Hoisting the body over my shoulder, I took off and headed deep into the forest.  I ran until I found the perfect tree, pushing against the bark with one hand.  The tree groaned as the roots displaced, leaving a void behind.  Tossing her body into the small opening, I let it fall back into place.  Studying it critically, it would appear undisturbed to the human eye.  Only I knew of the secret buried under its depths.

I remained by the tree for some time, silently offering my thanks and apologies to the woman I had killed.  It was the least I could do for her sacrifice.

"You are my greatest creation.  You still cling to shreds of your humanity, unwilling to give over to your true nature.  I anticipate the day you realize that they are not your equal."

Solveig's voice resonated from behind me.  She had obviously followed closely behind.  She was growing increasingly more paranoid, petrified that I would abandon her.  It was a rare occasion she was not at my side.

For the first 50 years or so, we were lovers and we easily passed ourselves off as husband and wife as we traveled from country to country, settling into villages and assimilating into daily life.  Yet as my dependence on her waned, so did my desire for her.  Fucking her had fulfilled a need but did nothing to quench my desire.  There was emptiness inside of me that she could not begin to touch.  No one could, human or vampire.

It was ironic.  I had an eternity to live and I would spend it unfulfilled and alone.

My rejection had offended my maker and we now traveled as siblings instead.  We were similar in age when we had both been turned and few, if any would question our familial claims.

Glancing at her over my shoulder, my voice was emotionless when I spoke.  "Why should I abandon the bit of empathy I hold?  It is the only part of my human self I have left. You took everything away from me when you made me into this unchanging creature.  My acceptance of my fate does not mean I choose to grow callous."

She stepped closer, her long blond hair floating around her narrow shoulders.  She placed a heavy hand on my shoulder, her hand tightening around the bone and muscle.  If I were human, the pain would have been excruciating.  "I gave you everything the night I saved you from death," she hissed through gritted teeth.  "You question me...and there is nothing I would not do for you.  Nothing!"

Chuckling dryly, I spun to face her.  I towered over her by nearly a foot; my large body a formidable threat to her even though she was my elder and sire.  "You are nothing more than a liar.  I ask you for one thing: my freedom.  I ask you to release me, and it is the one thing you refuse me."  I shoved her backwards until she was pressed against a tree.  I stared down at her, aware that my face held nothing but disdain for her. "Do not stand before me and claim you would do anything for me.  You would do anything to keep me chained to your side."

She flinched and raised her chin defiantly.  Her dark blue irises flashed with anger.  "You are all I have in this world.  You are my child.  I need you as much as you need me."

It was then that she averted her eyes at her lie.  She needed my talent; my ability of seeing her future.  It was a human ability that had survived my transformation, altering slightly to adjust to read the future of other vampires.  I was perfectly capable of leaving her behind me to pursue some sort of life without her.  She refused to let me go.

My eyebrow raised a fraction as I leaned in closer.  I could feel her cool breath wash over me as we stood face to face.   When I spoke, my voice was filled with contempt.  "It is you that needs me, Solveig.  Remember that."

Turning abruptly, I began to trudge through the heavy foliage once again.  I could hear the light footsteps of Solveig trailing close behind me.  She would try to appease me, make amends.  We were well past that point.  She clung to me out of habit and need, and her attempts to placate me would fall on deaf ears.  They would mean nothing, simply because they would be filled with deception.  Nothing more and nothing less.

"We should head towards Rome.  It is a country we have yet to explore."

My eyes narrowed as I scanned her future.  Solveig always had an ulterior motive to her plans or ideas.  I was surprised to find it strangely blank.

My steady gait did not stop as I considered her offer.  Our entire exchange had made me strangely irritable.  "You ask me my opinion as if I have a choice in the matter."

Solveig sped up and blurred to a stop in front of me.  Her beautiful face was filled with contrition as she stared up into my sullen face.  Her hand stroked the rough material of my tunic.  "Steafedn, you have grown bitter.  Angry.  When did things go wrong between us?  When did the hatred you feel for me overtake you?"

Glancing away from her, I looked into the sky above as if the answer to her questions could be found there.  There was nothing but the green canopy of trees and glimpses of the blue sky.  My hands combed through the hair that swept at my shoulders and I released a heavy sigh.  I made no attempt to meet her inquiring stare or to show any emotion to my maker.

"The hatred and anger that threatens to consume me began the day you attempted to convince me that humans are nothing more than cattle.  Your plans, your schemes…they grow old.  You think of no one except yourself.  Mark my words, it will be your downfall."

Pushing past her, I headed on through the forest.  By foot at top speed, it would take us a matter of days to enter Rome.  I spoke to as we ran, aware she would hear every word. "This is your plan then.  For us to venture to Rome, yes?"