The Vampire's Love (11 page)

She gave a
small, bitter laugh.  “I will be off the menu this evening, even if Faren
wishes to choose me again.”

“How many
slaves does Lord Darius keep?”

“Not as
many as some vampires.  He keeps enough to rotate us every couple of
days.  He enjoys having a variety of humans to quench his thirst and that
of his men, but he does not enjoy having to feed us.  Since he started his
games, we are given even less food to compensate for the food he must give the
slaves who fight.”

“He does
not seem to have many vampires in his household.”  Abby said thoughtfully.

Sienna
shrugged.  “He does not need many.  The vampires he allows to live in
his home are all very old and very powerful.  It would not take many to
protect his home against a threat.  Besides, he has the shifters as well.”

“Would the
bear shifters really defend the vampires against other threats?”  Abby
asked.  “I have never heard of shifters being loyal to a vampire before.”

“Lord
Darius believes they would.  Whether that is true or not, I cannot
say.”  Sienna pushed open a door and Abby followed her down another
hallway.

“Why is it
that you are given so much freedom to move about the castle while the vampires
sleep?”  Abby asked.

Sienna
shrugged.  “Perhaps because I am weak.  They know I will not
leave.  I wouldn’t survive a day in the forest.  I have no skills
with weapons and there are many creatures that lurk in the trees. 
Besides, the only way out is guarded by shifters.”

She paused
in the hallway and gave Abby a nervous look.  “Shifters guard the slave
quarters as well.  These ones are not as easy-going as the shifters who
guard the fighting slaves.  Let me do the talking, alright?”

“Alright.”

Abigail
followed Sienna around a corner.  At the end of a hallway was another
wooden door and two large men, both their faces heavily scarred, were staring
silently at them.  The women approached them and Sienna gave them a
tentative smile.

“I am done
with my chores for the day.”

“Who is
this one?”  One of the men said gruffly.

“The Lord
Joven’s personal slave.  He has two other slaves and he wishes for her to
check on them.”

“Does he
now?  Does that idiot Darius know?”

“I – I am
not sure.”  Sienna stuttered.

“We are on
strict orders not to let anyone pass who does not belong.”  The second man
leaned forward and gave Abigail a long sniff, his nose twitching as he looked
her up and down.

“My master
is a special guest of the Lord Darius.”  She said quietly.  “I would
hate to see how he would react if Lord Joven is denied what he wants.”

“Are you
threatening me?”  The shifter asked quickly.

“Of course
not, my lord.”  Abby stared down at the floor.  “I simply wish to
spare you any unpleasant repercussions you may encounter if you deny me
access.”

He regarded
her for a long silent moment as Abby kept her eyes on the floor between her
feet.  Finally, with a harsh grunt, he opened the door.  Nodding at
him, Abby followed Sienna down the hallway.  The corridor was lined with
doors, most of them shut and Sienna showed her to the final door on the
right. 

“The slaves
will be in here.”  She smiled wearily at Abby and trudged back to her own
room.  Abigail watched until she had disappeared into the room before
knocking lightly on the door in front of her.

“Wesley? 
Evan?”  She hissed lightly.  “Open the door.”

The door
swung open almost immediately and Wesley stared with relief at her. 
“Abigail!”

She stepped
into the room and Wesley shut the door firmly before folding her into his
embrace.  He hugged her tightly for a few moments before kissing her
cheek.  “Are you okay?”

“Yes. 
Are you?”  She asked as she hugged Evan.

“Fine. 
Starving, but fine.”  Evan grumbled.  “They’re not particularly fond
of feeding the humans here.”

Abigail
squeezed his shoulder as Wesley led her to the fireplace.  She sat down in
one of the chairs and looked around the room.  It was very bare, with only
one bed and a couple of chairs, and she gave the two men a look of
dismay.  “This is awful.”

Wesley
laughed as he sat down.  “Believe me, I’ve slept in worse places.”

He glanced
at the door.  “How did you get past the shifters?  We have not been
able to leave this room since the moment we arrived.”

“I’ve made
friends with one of the other slaves.  She helped me get into the slave
quarters.”

“Are you –
are you doing okay?  Has the leech been behaving himself?”  Wesley’s
gaze dropped to her neck and she nodded quickly.

“I’m just
fine, Wesley.  I told you – Val will not hurt me.”

“So this
Darius believes he is Joven?”  Evan asked in a low voice.

“I am not
sure that he is entirely convinced.  Jaxen’s assurance that he is Joven
helped a little but I believe that Darius is still suspicious.  Although,
that may just be his nature in general.”

Wesley
sighed angrily.  “The leech needs to do a better job of convincing him.”

“He is
doing the best he can.”  Abigail frowned at him.

“Your
continual defending of the leech is really starting to get on my nerves,
Abby.”  Wesley snapped.  “He’s a monster and you would be wise to
remember that.”

“Enough,
Wesley.”  Abigail replied sharply.  “Now is not the time to discuss
this.”

“I just
think – “

“She’s
right, Wesley.”  Evan interrupted as he raked his hand through his red
hair.  “Have you seen Michael?  Does he live?”

Abigail
smiled at him.  “Yes, he does.”

“Thank God.” 
Wesley breathed.

“I have
seen him and talked to him.  He is doing well, all things
considered.”  Abigail stared into the flames.  “But we need to get
him out of here.  Darius uses him often during the games and although
Michael is skilled, sooner or later the lack of food and his weariness will
cost him his life.”

“Alright. 
So let’s make a plan.”  Evan said eagerly.  “How heavily are the
grounds guarded during the day?”

“Not
very.”  Abigail replied.  “Darius has remarkably few vampires on the
property.  Although Sienna says that the ones he does have are very old
and very powerful.  However, during the day, the security is quite
lax.  They have a shifter that guards the prison house, two shifters here
in the slave quarters and maybe two or three at the front gates.  It was
difficult to tell.”

“Good. 
So we’ll simply wait until the leeches are in their daysleep, take out the
shifters, and leave.”  Evan answered.

Wesley
frowned at him.  “We have no weapons, Evan.  How do we take out the
shifters?”

“Abby can
do it.”

“She has no
weapons either.”

“Val has
his sword.”  Abby said.  “I can use it.”

“Abby can
kill the shifters that guard us and then the three of us will rescue Michael
and make our escape.”  Evan replied.

“And what
of Val and Jaxen?”  Abby asked.  “They cannot leave during the
daylight hours.”

Wesley
sighed harshly.  “Jaxen will be fine.  He has been living with Darius
for the last three months.  He can simply slip away later that night.”

“And
Val?  It will not take Darius long to realize that it was the three of us
who released Michael and the other prisoners and – “

“The other
prisoners?”  Wesley interrupted.  “We cannot take the others with
us.  It’s too dangerous, Abby.”

“We are not
leaving them behind!”  Abby snapped.  “Not Neil or Maria and not the
others.  Once we are free of the estate, they can go their own way but I
will not leave any of them in those cells.  And that includes the house
slaves, as well.  We give them the chance to leave with us.”

“Abby – “

“No!” 
She stood and paced back and forth in the small room.  “We are not leaving
them, Wesley.  I won’t discuss it further.”

He slumped
back in the chair and stared moodily into the flames.  “Of course. 
You’re right, Abby.  We can’t leave them.”

“I won’t
leave without Val either.”  Abby said firmly.

Wesley’s
eyes widened and he nearly jumped out of his chair.  He grabbed her
shoulders and shook her roughly.  “Now you’re being completely
ridiculous.”

“I am
not.”  She pulled herself free and stared calmly at him.  “If it
weren’t for Val, we wouldn’t have even been able to get into Darius’ estate.”

Wesley
snorted dismissively.  “The only reason he’s here is because he killed
Joven.  If he hadn’t – “

“If he
hadn’t, I would most likely be firmly under Joven’s spell.”  Abigail said
softly.  “I can deny it all I want but I would not have been able to stop
Joven from biting me.  Nor would I have been able to resist him once he
had.  Our plan was a desperate and foolish one born of our need to rescue
Michael no matter what the cost.  Val intercepting us and killing Joven
was the best thing that could have happened.  You know it, Wesley.”

“Is
it?  You say he isn’t biting you but you won’t leave the leech
behind.  That does not speak of someone who isn’t being controlled by the
leech’s bite.”

She scowled
at him.  “I have told you repeatedly that Val isn’t biting me.  I’m
not going to have this argument with you again, Wesley.  Either you
believe me or you don’t.  But for the record – I’m not leaving without Val
because he’s saved my life numerous times, and because he’s one of the reasons
we even have a chance at rescuing Michael and perhaps making it out alive.”

“Abby – “

“No.” 
She shook her head.  “There will be no discussion on this, Wesley.  I
will not leave without Val.  Nor do I think we should just leave.”

“What are
you talking about?”  Wesley gave her a startled look.

“Once we’ve
killed the shifters and released the prisoners, we’ll kill Darius and the other
leeches.  If we don’t, even if we manage to escape their clutches, Darius
will simply start again with new humans.  It’ll be dangerous.  The
vampires sleep in rooms blocked from the sun.  If they wake from their
daysleep while we are in the room, we’ll be in trouble.”

“It takes a
lot to wake them,” Evan pointed out, “and we’ll simply be very quiet.”  He
grinned at her.

“If we miss
even one,” Wesley said tightly, “it could kill all of us.”

“We have
Jaxen and we have Val.”  Abigail pointed out.  “Besides, all of us
have killed vampires when they were not in their daysleep.”

“I do not
like this.”  Wesley sighed.  “It was never part of the plan to kill
them all.”

“I don’t
like it either but we don’t have a choice.”  Abby replied.  “The odds
that they would catch up to us in the forest when they woke and discovered
their slaves missing is very high anyway.  Besides, I didn’t count on so
few leeches living on Darius’ estate.  Now is our chance to end the games
once and for all.  We must kill them.”

Wesley
sighed.  “When are we doing this?”

“In the
next few days.  The sooner we do this the better.”  Abby said
grimly.  She leaned forward and pecked Wesley on the cheek before hugging
Evan.  “I need to go before the shifters become suspicious.”

Val sat by
the fireplace and stared at the flickering flames.  Abigail was sleeping
in his bed and he sighed heavily before adding another log to the fire. 
After tasting Abby’s sweet cream last night, after seeing her lips wrapped
around his cock, he was nearly desperate to take her.  He clenched his
fists and controlled both his desire and his blood lust with an almost painful
ferocity.  Every day he grew weaker, at this point he wasn’t entirely sure
he could even use the sword he wore around his waist, and if he didn’t feed
soon he would be completely useless to Abby if there was trouble.

Violet
crawled out from her bed on the windowsill and, after stretching delicately,
flew to him.  She sat on his shoulder and kissed his cheek before resting
her head against his neck.

“I have no
dried meat left for you, bug.”  He said softly.  “I will have Abigail
bring some food to you tonight, alright?”

She nodded
and kissed him again as he returned to staring into the fire.

It would be
nearly impossible to escape the grounds and feed on the forest animals without
Darius discovering him.  He licked his lips and sighed again. 
Perhaps he could sneak to the barn and feed off one of the few horses Darius
kept.

He snorted
to himself and felt a thread of dismay at how far he had fallen.  He had
once drank from any human that caught his eye, and now he couldn’t stomach the
thought of feeding from anyone but Abigail.  He was acting ridiculous,
considering drinking from a horse rather than –

There was a
soft knock on the door and Jaxen stepped into the room.  He glanced at the
sleeping Abigail before joining Val in front of the fireplace.  He dropped
into the chair across from him and studied Val closely.

“I know who
you really are.”  He said abruptly.

Val stiffened. 
“I am no one.”

“That isn’t
entirely true, is it, Valkyn?”

Val shot
across the short distance, Violet tumbling from his shoulder, and grabbed the
old vampire around the throat.  He squeezed mercilessly as he glared at
Jaxen.  “How do you know that name, old man?”

Jaxen made
a gurgling noise, his hands pulling at Val’s, and Val released him with an
angry shake before returning to his seat.  He smoothed his hair back as
Jaxen coughed quietly.

“Many years
ago, I spent nearly a century in the north.  It was my father’s birthplace
and I wanted to experience it for myself.”  Jaxen cleared his throat
hoarsely.  “At that time, your father was still a powerful and formidable
King.  There were many who shuddered at his name.”

“With good
reason.  He was a cruel and unforgiving tyrant who ruled his people with
bloodshed and without mercy.”  Val said quietly.  “And lower your
voice.  If she wakes and hears you speaking of this, I will kill
you.  Make no doubt about it.  I am, after all, my father’s son.”

Jaxen gave
him a nervous look before glancing over his shoulder at Abby.  “So she
does not know that you are royalty and that you are the next in line for the
throne?  That your father, King Maridus, was responsible for saving our
kind during the sickness?”

“No, she
does not.  And if you wish to keep your head firmly on your shoulders, it
will remain that way.”

“Before I
joined Darius’ estate, I kept up-to-date on news from the north.  Do you
know that even now, so many centuries later, your father still searches for
you?”

“I’m
aware.”  Val said shortly.  Violet had returned to his shoulder and
she stroked his long hair soothingly.

“Did you
know that he is ready to step down from the throne?”

Val laughed
bitterly.  “My father will never relinquish the throne while he still
lives.”

“That’s not
the rumour I’ve heard.”

“It is
nothing but rumour.  Trust me, Jaxen.  I know my father better than
anyone.”

Jaxen gave
him a curious look.  “I do not understand why you would not accept this
gift.  Your father is one of the most powerful vampires in the land. 
He has turned thousands of humans to vampires and yet, out of all of those he
turned, he chose you as his son.  He chose
you
to be the one to rule
his people.  Why would you walk away from that?  You do not strike me
as a coward.”

“Watch your
tongue, Jaxen.”  Val said sharply.  “Especially when you speak on
matters you know nothing about.”

“Then tell
me.”  Jaxen replied quietly.  “Tell me why the vampire chosen to be
the king’s son would disappear instead of claiming what is rightfully his.”

“It is no
more my right, then yours.”  Val answered.  “This so-called line of
royalty is a complete farce.  My real father was nothing more than a
baker.  I grew up working in his shop, smelling of bread and yeast and
always covered in flour.  My father was a good man, a kind man who wished
that I would take over his business, but I longed for more.  I wasn’t
satisfied being just a shop owner and when the war broke out between the
humans, I immediately joined the battle.  When King Maridus grew tired of
the human’s petty fighting and brought his army of vampires to wipe us out, I
don’t know why he spared my life.  I was already dying when the vampires attacked. 
A sword had pierced my chest, and I was moments from death when the King turned
me.  He kept me by his side for over a century before declaring me his
son.  I – the son of a baker – was now the son of a king.  It could
have easily been any other man on that battlefield.”

“He must
have chosen you for a reason.”  Jaxen replied.  “Even now, after two
hundred years, he still searches for you.”

Val
snorted.  “He does not search for me out of any type of fondness.  He
simply wishes to find me so that he can remove me of my head.”

“Why?” 
Jaxen prompted before taking another quick look at Abigail.  “And why do
you have such hatred for the vampire who gave you life?”

Val
sighed.  “You spoke of the sickness that the king saved his people from.”

“Yes. 
He discovered a cure just as we were on the verge of being wiped out.” 
Jaxen replied.

“Yes, I am
well aware of that.”  Val said bitterly.  “The king was nearly
frantic to find a cure and you can imagine his surprise that the key to our
survival was living in his very home.”

“You?” 
Jaxen gave him a surprised look.

Val shook
his head.  “No.  I was dying from the sickness myself.  It was
one of the reasons the king was so anxious to find a cure.  He had
appointed me as the next ruler and, for whatever reason, was unwilling to
accept that I would die and he would be forced to choose another.”

“Then who?”

“There was
a young woman who lived in the palace.  A vampire, not particularly pretty
or special, and she spent her days cleaning the castle.  At that point,
there were so few left of us that we could no longer keep humans as
slaves.  There were not enough of us to keep them under control.”

“I
remember.”  Jaxen replied.  “Do you remember the vampire in the
south?  Leanus was his name.”

“I remember
him well.  He sought out every remaining healthy vampire in his city and
urged them to band together.  They went through the south, turning nearly
every human they could find in an attempt to continue the vampire line.”

“Fools.” 
Jaxen snorted.  “The humans they turned fell prey to the sickness more
easily than those of us who had been vampires for centuries.  He
accomplished nothing but angering the humans and leaving a trail of dead or
dying vampires in his wake.”

“My father
had him killed.”  Val said suddenly.

Jaxen
stared at him in surprise.  “I had not heard that.”

“It was
kept quiet.  Despite his obvious failure, there were many desperate
vampires who believed it might work so the king kept his assassination a
well-kept secret.”

“Fascinating.” 
Jaxen stared into the fire before turning back to Val.  “Go on.  You
were saying about the girl.”

“Her name
was Karena.”  Val, the glow of the flames highlighting the paleness of his
face, said softly.  “And I loved her.”

When Jaxen
didn’t reply, Val stared briefly at him before continuing.  “We kept our
love hidden, obviously.  The son of the king in love with a chambermaid
was not something my father would have tolerated.”

He ignored
Violet’s soft petting.  “When the sickness finally descended upon the
palace, I was one of the first to fall ill.  The king grew frantic to save
me but I was dying, just like the rest of them.  The sores had covered my
body and the blood I drank did not sustain me, no matter how healthy or
well-fed the human was.”

He glanced
again at Abigail.  She hadn’t moved and he relaxed a little.  “Most
of the palace fell ill very quickly.  But my Karena did not.  She
used to sneak in and visit me as I lay dying in my room.  The illness had
progressed to the point where I was throwing up any blood they tried to feed
me.  One night, after watching me vomit up the human blood, in desperation
Karena cut her wrist and urged me to drink.  I didn’t want to but I loved
her and wanted to please her so I drank.  It was only a few mouthfuls, I
was very weak, but it made her happy.”

“What
happened then?”  Jaxen asked.

“In the
morning, I was completely healed.”

“Her blood
– she was one of the immune.”  Jaxen whispered.

“Yes, she
was.  When she realized what she had done, Karena immediately went to my
father.  I begged her not to.  Even then I knew what he was like, but
she would not be stopped.  She was very,” Val stopped and a brief smile
crossed his face, “stubborn.  She told my father what she had done and
brought me in to prove it to him.  My father, who had fallen ill himself,
was rather pleased, as you can imagine.”

“Where is
Karena now?”  Jaxen had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“When my
father realized that her blood was the key to healing the sickness, he had her
drained dry.”  Val said dully.

“Why would
he do that?”  Jaxen asked.  “It would have been more beneficial to
him to keep her alive, to only drain her of a bit and allow her to feed and
recover before – “

“He killed
her because I loved her!”  Val suddenly snarled.  “I made the mistake
of letting him see my love for her.  She is dead because of me!  He
couldn’t stand the thought of his
son
being in love with a vampire like
her, and so he drained her dry without considering the consequences of his
actions.”

“He is
mad.”  Jaxen said with soft wonderment.

“You have
no idea.”  Val said bitterly.  “Once he realized his mistake, he
began the search for other vampires who were immune.  He believed that if
Karena existed, there would be others who would too.  And he was
right.  He found others and used them to save the vampire race.”

“You left
after that?”  Jaxen asked.

“Yes. 
While he was busy hunting down the immune, I disappeared.  I will never go
back to the north and I will never take his place on the throne.  He can
choose another or let his kingdom fall.  It matters not to me either
way.  He searches for me now only to kill me for my cowardice in
leaving.”  Val answered softly.

Jaxen took
a deep breath.  “If I recognize you, the odds are that there will be
others within Darius’ walls who recognize you too.  You’ve put Abigail and
the others in terrible danger by accompanying them here.”

“Do you
think I don’t know that?”  Val hissed at him.  “I had no
choice.  Abigail was going to Darius’ estate with or without me and I
could not leave her to her fate.  She is mine and I will destroy anyone
who tries to take her from me.”

His voice
was rising and Jaxen made a shushing gesture with his hands before glancing
nervously at Abby.  “We must carry out our plan of rescue quickly. 
The sooner we can get you out of here, the better.  I do not believe that
Darius is completely convinced you are Joven.”

“I
know.”  Val said grimly.  “I will speak with Abigail about her plans
for rescuing this Michael.  I am sure she has something up her sleeve.”

Jaxen
grinned ruefully at him.  “I have no doubt of it.  She is quite
remarkable, isn’t she?”

“Yes, she
is.”

Abby, her
face pale and her eyes wide, struggled to keep her breathing slow and
even.  She had woken shortly after Jaxen had entered the room, and it had
been all she could do to stop herself from rising and going to Val when he had
spoken of Karena.  The pain in his voice had pierced her heart and she
wanted desperately to soothe him.  She forced herself to lie still and
when she heard the sound of Jaxen rising, she closed her eyes and continued to
feign sleep.  Val did not want her to know of his love for Karena and she
fought bitterly against the jealousy.  He still loved Karena, she could hear
it in his voice, and she was unprepared for the hurt that was flooding through
her.  She knew that Val desired her only for her blood, but to hear of his
love for another was shattering her heart.  She cursed herself
inwardly.  She was in love with Val.  She could deny it all she
wanted but it didn’t make it any less true.