Eternity is Only A Lifetime Away

Secrets and Destiny

“You did what?!” Darien had never been angrier than he was at the moment that Tristan revealed that he had drunk the blood of Aleka.

“I did not intend to feed off her, but I was not given any other options. I was extremely weak and the warrior thought it wise to sacrifice her own blood to satisfy my thirst.” Tristan explained darkly, not liking the tone in Darien’s voice or the look in his eyes.

“Wait, start from the beginning, what happened?” Lilia stepped between the two males and took control of the situation.

“A newborn attacked us and I used the last of my energy to help Aleka slay him. After he was dealt with, I could not move. I was close to falling into a coma from my stupidity for not feeding earlier. I told your sister to leave the area but she refused, choosing to slice herself open, knowing that if she did that, I would lose the last bit of control that I had and feed. She is going to be fine. I didn’t drink enough to cause her any harm. She just requires rest.” Tristan turned to Darien and narrowed his dark eyes. “You can hardly play the big brother when she has been able to take good care of herself away from here. I think sometimes you blur the line of ally and enemy when you look at our kind.” With that note, Tristan moved towards the stairs, Kaleb following a few seconds later, leaving Lilia to deal with Darien and his unnecessary mood.

Kaleb was intrigued by the incidents that had taken place away from the immortal realm and he wasted no time in probing Tristan for details. “So, you really bit her? How did she taste? I mean, her scent has been divine since the moment she came here. Then again, I always did have a weak spot for the teenage girls.” Tristan rolled his eyes at the hyperactive vampire following him like a lost puppy.

“Yes, I drank from her. She tasted like perfection, but I was close to death. A corpse probably would have probably seemed like bliss to me.” The older vampire said in hushed tones.

Tristan was beginning to regret bringing Aleka back to the castle after he fed on her. He thought it would be safer to bring her here, rather than having to deal with her curious housemate prying into why she was so exhausted, how she had gotten in the night earlier and, of course, what the marks were on her neck. No, it would be a lot better and less suspicious if Aleka returned to the house the following evening, once she was fully rested and once the marks on her neck would have faded considerably thanks to the warrior blood in her body. That way, the young warrior could think of a boatload of excuses to use that would throw Georgie off the trail of vampires.

Kaleb was still pressing Tristan for details.

“Do you think she’s going to be the one to fulfil the prophecy? Do you think she’ll kill Sullivan? How’re the attacks on the outside world now?”

Tristan finally reached the edge of his patience and turned supernaturally quickly to face the smaller, younger vampire. “Kaleb. It has been a long night. Don’t you understand? I could have killed her tonight. I could have continued to drink until there was no blood left in her veins.”

“But you didn’t. There may have been that possibility, but you wouldn’t have done it. Besides, Aleka has the ability to push you away.” Kaleb shrugged like it was no big thing and popped a stick of gum in his mouth.

Tristan sighed and looked around, making sure that there was no one nearby who could overhear him when he spoke next.

“She didn’t push me away.” He whispered to Kaleb, watching as his friend’s eyes widened in shock.

“But that means-“

“Don’t say it. I know what it means and it’s the worst thing that a mortal could do.”

“What if Sullivan finds out?”

“I have no doubt that she’ll be able to repel him.” Tristan said, confidence evident in his voice.

“You’re going to need to keep on top of your lunch.” Kaleb said, shaking his head in wonder.

Tristan sighed and turned into his chamber, staring at the stone wall that separated him from the sleeping warrior.

This is exactly why you don’t trust a vampire.

“I am going to kill him!” Darien roared throwing a plant pot at the wall, not caring when it smashed.

“Killing him will solve nothing. Why are you making such a big thing out of this? Aleka gave her permission for him to drink from her.” Lilia said, her voice still calm.

“He still shouldn’t have done it!” Darien’s anger was out of control now and he couldn’t refrain from punching a wall.

“Calm the hell down before you cause yourself an injury. Look, Tristan has explained that he had no control over the matter. It’s been an era since we had a young mortal woman living in the castle and you’ve heard the tales of how enticing the blood of one is to them boys. Aleka made her choice and it could be said that she forced Tristan into feeding from her, by tempting him with her blood.” Lilia stepped in front of Darien to stop him from storming out of another room.

“He should have had more control!”

“When will you give up? Aleka is an adult now and you can’t run her life for her anymore. She chose to let Tristan feed and you can ask her about it when she wakes up. There was no harm done and as much as you hate to admit it; your baby sister doesn’t need you to play the hero anymore.” Lilia looked directly into Darien’s eyes. “She’s her own hero now.”

Upstairs, in a dark chamber, Aleka slept silently. She didn’t toss or turn and only soft sighs passed her red lips. She was in a blissful slumber that no one could disturb, no matter how hard they tried to. The bite mark on her neck was already healing over, the bruising around the puncture holes already fading, but what she didn’t know was that allowing Tristan that one bite, would change her destiny forever and suddenly, the prophecy had a new meaning to it, one that no one had ever considered...