Betrayal's Gift

Chapter One

Chapter One

Centuries later

On the cold city streets late at night, a well-built man walked swiftly down the cold wet pavement. He heard the burly men on the corner talking as his patent leather boots splashed through one of the many puddles in the potholes and dips on the sidewalk. His breath emerged as a small cloud of disgust.

He looked like the perfect target to these amateurs. Rich, oblivious, and elegant but most of all, he was alone. If you were alone, you were vulnerable in this age of the ruling families. If you weren't one of them, they considered you fair game. And it was very rare for a wealthy and privileged man to dare to walk the streets unprotected.

That's what they didn't understand. He wasn't in need of protection to survive the night. They were.

Easy prey. One of the men thought.

Julius allowed himself a small smile as they started following him down the street. They were right about one thing. Easy prey.

He turned down a dark alleyway with unhurried strides, knowing they would continue the chase, their blood pumping with eagerness. They were predictable really. Boring at times, but he still needed to eat. He could already smell their anticipation. Could almost taste it.

When they rounded the corner, he was waiting for them with silver eyes and bared fangs gleaming in the shadows of the building. The thugs realized then that they had started something that they were far too ill equipped to survive. They turned to run, their shouts of fear like music to his ears.

Swooping over them laughing, Julius picked them off one by one, enjoying their panic. He fed voraciously in midair, dropping each one carelessly as he finished. Their bodies hit the ground with a crunch on those still below.

He watched one fall helplessly towards his friends. They tried to catch him but only fell under his weight. Julius shook his head, disdain in his eyes. He looked at the one that was struggling in his grasp, with a curious look.

"Your family. It's loyal to the end?" he asked in flawless Italian. The man nodded, hope springing into his gaze.

"Yes, it is." he stammered. Julius smiled wickedly, silver eyes dancing with mischief.

"Look at it this way then. You can all die together." Laughing at the man's renewed terror, Julius bent his head and fed from the blood and the fear.

The god watching him sighed and shook his head. Like many times before, Ares watched him attack. He had tried to free Julius from his enchantment countless times but hadn't been able to reach him. Yet.

He had been so close to finding out the cure for him. Then Zeus had interfered and banned all interference with mortals and those who lived among them. After all these centuries, Julius was still single handedly fighting the evil urges coursing through him rampantly. It made Ares hold a fierce hope that someday he could correct his failure.

For the most part, he preyed on those who were as close to evil as a human being could become or those that weren't human at all. Mostly. To Ares that spoke volumes. Satisfied that Julius wasn't a lost cause yet, he left the man to his feeding. Julius was entitled to his fun.

Ares switched to his view of the still, noble features of the sleeping Varagon and closed his eyes as something inside gave a painful twinge. This was yet another he had failed to save. His instincts alerted him to the whispering behind him.

Ares turned, hand on sword hilt. A slip of a woman draped in a shimmering white robe stood there, her crystalline eyes resting on him thoughtfully.