Varian
The air hummed with antediluvian blood; blood far more ancient than his own, and far more powerful, a power that could render you utterly senseless like a shock wave that set every nerve-ending aflame.
The elders were here? It stalled him where he stood.
The elders never ventured from their lairs below the city and the very notion that they had come out of hiding meant only one thing entirely; death.
If a mortal were to look upon an elder they would know instinctively that they were not of the modern world. Their very aurora bespoke of old age, when things were done eloquently so in a polished, refined manner, but beneath the pristine image harbored a deadly and unfathomable creature. They were unworldly, strikingly so with their dark sapient eyes and pale white skin.
He felt their presence like a shattering in the air and caught their shadows swiveling amongst the room.
And suddenly they were there, materializing in the center of the scattered bodies.
Varian straightened, squaring his shoulders as he leveled a hardened gaze upon the ancient two.
Alessandro and Pearly had dared exposure and their power radiated in the room like a shock of electricity, streaming the roughened walls and marbled floors.
They stood erect and significantly sharp though Pearly was small in stature and strikingly pale in all aspects from the silken cloth she wore to the curls atop her head, where as Alessandro was in every sense of the word dark.
Varian eyed Alessandro with simmering distaste. The two were not on likeable terms and had on frequent occasions, their disagreements brought to the brim.
Talon and Blanch had straightened rigidly with Ruby standing at their backs, clearly puzzled but sensing the discernable power.
The mutt had disappeared altogether Varian noticed keenly, probably having sensed their power before appearing, fled at first chance.
Good. He thought. He certainly didn't need the elders realizing their somewhat correspondence with the wolves. It wouldn't set well with them.
Alessandro eyed the number of bodies, his mouth twisting with displeasure, "What a disorderly mess of human-" he chided, "-Seve will not approve." He raised his sharpened eyes and they settled curiously on Ruby, "Who is the fledgling?"
Ruby stiffened beneath that shrewd, black gaze.
Marguerite stepped forward, "She is my protégé."
Alessandro's gaze wavered as he arched a blackened brow at this, "You are not one to condone a dependent, Marguerite."
"She knew too much." Marguerite explained, "I had to turn her."
"Why not kill her?" Alessandro suggested with a twisted grin, "That notion is far more appealing especially for someone as cold as yourself, yes?" he met her gaze unflinchingly.
Marguerite raised her chin, undaunted, "It is already done." She was startled to feel somewhat defensive and a sharp instinct to protect her protégé came into play.
Alessandro sensed this but said nothing further.
"There is another." Pearly interjected sweetly, placing a small hand in the crook of Alessandro's arm as she peered at nothing in particular, her senses tuning keenly to the presence of another newly made vampire.
Varian stiffened knowing Pearly's ability to sense others and anything peculiar about them.
Alessandro stared at Pearly with intrigue.
Pearly turned toward Varian and eyed him curiously, "Have you a mate, dark one?"
Alessandro appeared seemingly startled and raised his dark gaze to where Varian stood, rigid, rightfully tense.
Sensing his unease, Talon stepped forward, "Should we not make haste and leave before other humans come?"
Alessandro turned to meet Talon's worried expression, "You have made certain to dispose of those who've already made that error, yes?" he motioned to the array of bodies spread amongst the floor.
Talon's face hardened, "You don't suggest I enjoyed that?"
Alessandro smirked, "Why not ask the monster that resides in you?"
Talon took a threatening step forward as did Alessandro, his grin fading all at once.
Blanch interrupted, "Enough." She commanded, her eyes flashing daggers as she peered at the two heated vampires. "I don't think my father would take your jesting so lightly, Alessandro."
Alessandro averted his heated stare to Blanch and his eyes softened a fraction, though faint the glimmer was she had noticed it, instinctively aware of his attraction to her, now under that penetrating stare, her bravado wavered and she stepped back.
"What say your father once he learns of the half-breed turned mate?" Pearly stepped forward, catching Blanch unaware and peering at Varian, added, "And that you were to destroy her when she was human and failed to do so?"
Varian said nothing, the muscle at his jaw growing tauter as their eyes connected powerfully.
Pearly inclined her head, her senses pulling and tugging, "I feel the sun, it won't be long now."
Alessandro tilted his head upward, his nostrils flaring wide at the distinct smell of something other, "I smell wolf."
Talon and Varian exchanged glances.
"We must go." Pearly announced, dismissing the matter, gliding smoothly to Varian's side she said, "You will fetch your mate." It wasn't a request, Varian knew, but a command.
Varian knew nothing good would come of their intentions for Lily but he would see to laying bodies to the ground, even an elder if need be, to ensure her wellbeing.
Lily
Her world had been flipped upside down since turned. She couldn't possibly compare her once semi-boring, very routine-like life, to the sudden chaotic turn of events that's taken her completely and unsuspectingly for a loop.
She clung to Varian's arm, comforted by his presence and feeling that distinct thread that bound them as one. How could she have not wanted this? She had longed for love but having never dreamt it came with a set of fangs. She nearly laughed aloud at her musings. Did she not dream about Varian? Had he not sought her through her dreams; seducing her with that irresistible, dark enchanting charm that was all him?
She couldn't imagine being anywhere else but at his side. Even if it meant coming face to face with the oldest and strongest bloodline known to vampires? Or so that was the impression she was getting and most certainly feeling. She felt their power; it was unlike anything she'd ever encountered. The small female was beautiful, all else paling in comparison to her extreme loveliness. The man was dark and just as frightening. They moved gracefully with an air of certainty.
Her grip tightening on Varian she called mindfully.
Where are they taking us?
Varian
He could smell her fear, sense it rippling through her. You must shield your emotions, the elders cannot see any weakness they will prey on it. He warned.
She stiffened, her fingers digging into his forearm. Will they kill Jackson and my father?
He hesitated which gave her reason to be alarmed before he said matter-of-factly. We are creatures of habit; we kill and cannot ignore that instinct.
Varian, I can't let them die.
His eyes sought hers in the dim light. You would defend that man after all he has done to you, his wickedness and betrayal of you?
She lowered her head, shielding her eyes from his dark, penetrating stare.
Despite what he's done, he's the only father I've known and had, Varian. I can't just stand aside and watch him die.
His face hardened. I can.
Her eyes narrowed shrewdly and she asked – why didn't you then when you had the chance?
He shut his thoughts to her. She made a moot point. Why hadn't he killed Ward McDermott? Had that not been his sole purpose to begin with?
He was supposed to destroy Ward McDermott and all his work including Lily. He had faltered in his purpose but in doing so found his reason for living.
He peered down at her, lovely and every bit the woman that fascinated him. She was his mate; now sworn to darkness by a compulsion to drink the life sustenance of humans. He couldn't imagine an eternity without her and was prepared to do whatever necessary to ensure it intact.
Will they kill me? She asked a mere whisper along the walls of his mind.
Lily
She felt his muscled body stiffen suddenly with an anger deemed impenetrable. I will kill them first before I let them hurt you.
Her mouth went incredibly dry at the fear that ensued.
She feared the outcome of what was to come. She could feel the pressing sun on the surface and though they were beneath ground and well protected, her skin still tingled with its awareness.
They were below the city and she could feel and hear the hum of morning as humans started their day.
They trailed the two elders as they led them further below ground, treading a corridor that seemed to carry on forever, lit with flickering candles braced upon sconces.
She peered over her shoulder at those following closely behind and caught eyes with Ruby. Her green eyes were alight with a meaningful, determined gleam. Ruby had always been far braver than she and even now, as creatures bound to eternity, she was blessedly the same, willful and strong-minded. She knew Ruby well enough to assume that whatever awaited them, Ruby would fight tooth and nail to survive.
Marguerite strolled smoothly at Ruby's side, appearing undaunted with that cool, icy exterior but she detected a slight glimmer of fear just beneath that unwavering resolve.
Talon followed at the rear, clutched in his iron grip was her father. He said nothing, nor had he glanced her way. He appeared transfixed, fascinated with the turn of events. Her heart lurched for did he not know his impending doom was upon him?
Jackson was unconscious, lying dispersed like a sac of grain over Alessandro's shoulder. Pearly and Alessandro. She had known their names through the mind connection she and Varian shared. She also knew the danger they presented.
Finally they came to a large wrought-iron door. Standing guard at its forefront was a large, commanding man with deep, uncanny eyes.
He straightened as they approached and moved to unlatch the heavy lock. He stepped aside and allowed them entry.
Lily glanced at the vampire but he remained as such, unresponsive and peering unto the darkness that shadowed his face.
The heavy door swung wide into a blackened hall that broadened beneath the underground. Pearly led them further into the underpass, her silken white skirts billowing about her like a splash of white within the darkness.
Eventually they came to another room, this also lit in numerous amounts of candles with a slight musky scent clinging to its airiness. Lily also detected the strong smell of blood and it evoked immediately the vampire in her.
Standing amongst the room, dotting it variously, eying them in a manner that made a tremor ripple through Lily, were others, standing in rows on either side of them, their eyes alight with a shimmering, undead light.
She sank deeper into Varian.
They won't hurt you. He vowed as he swept a deadly perusal about the room. Lily noticed the immediate withdraw of stares, the sudden wary looks that caused several to shrink away from Varian.
She frowned and as if sensing her sudden confusion he said. I am the Death Dealer of our people. They will not challenge me or defy me.
But the others? She asked, referring to the elders.
I answer to them. He said darkly and not too lightly.
She pulled her eyes from the others that backed away from them, some ducking their heads to avoid the intense, dark stare that met them head on. Lily stared ahead, noticing particularly a dais and suspended above it, a type of velvety red banner, stitched of intricate embroidery with a distinct, ancient emblem in the center. She was enthralled by it, suddenly curious of its history and meaning but it was the vampire standing below it that drew her fixated stare.
He appeared young at first glance but his eyes beheld that aged soul dwelling within. He stood tall, a chiseled, handsome face that implanted itself infinitely to the mind and not so easily forgotten. He inclined his head at their approach and she noticed his eyes were a peculiar blue.
He stepped down from the dais, his steps deliberate, almost calculated though few.
Those blue eyes unnerved her as they swept sharply over her face, compelling her to step further into Varian despite her willingness to remain firm. He noticed it keenly, a tiny flickering of his sharpened depths sparking of its awareness.
He approached her father and her heart skipped a faltering beat.
Ward straightened, eyeing the vampire with sheer amazement, intrigued and tugging most pressingly onto the strings of his wayward curiosity, "I can't believe it-" he said breathlessly, his eyes straying, sweeping the underground and the pale faces watching him sternly, "Vampires, underground."
A ghost of a smile filtered onto the vampire's face as he surveyed Ward with slight, wry amusement. "So, you are the scientist that created a half-human, and half-vampire, using that of my blood-line?" his voice struck an unwavering chord of fear in Lily, deep and yet engrossing, pulling strongly on ones senses.
Ward's brows drew together, growing puzzled, perhaps even alarmed.
"You've managed to travel the decades on borrowed blood-" those blue eyes brightened fiercely with a feral gleam, betraying the unimaginable power within, "-you've succeeded in your attempts at creating a half-breed, I applaud you."
He fell silent, shifting his head to better observe the human before him, "But you want more? You want to be that which you've created yet your body rejects the change?" the vampire stepped around the human, eyeing him with a hardening resolve, "You want vampires to come abroad, and you-" he swept Ward from head to toe, "-the center of it?"
"Imagine what we could do for one another-" Ward chimed, "If we could co-exist together?" his hands began to tremble, beads of perspiration working a path across his forehead.
The vampire smirked, "Did you know that the bite of an ancient is far more potent?" his mouth widened, revealing the tips of his fangs, "It can even wipe clean the sickness that destroys you from the inside out." Those blue eyes flared luminous, almost white but Lily hadn't noticed, for she caught the sheen whiteness steal over her father, the sudden pallor that befell him.
She gasped sharply and it drew some immediate stares. Sickness? She eyed her father, having detected no indications of an illness but she now noticed the frailness in him that she hadn't before.
Ward hardened his features, "What are you talking about?"
The vampire leaned forward, his nostrils flaring wide, "I can smell it in you."
Ward leaned back, somewhat unnerved and a bit wary, "I feel nothing."
The vampire grinned and said assertively, "You will." He sauntered around Ward, eyeing him with a slight wry gleam. "Your body rejected the change because you must be bitten." Those blue eyes met Ward's mockingly, "Do you not read your folklore?"
Ward raised his chin, his gaze sharpening intensely, "Yet in doing so I risk losing all that I have worked hard for."
Those blue eyes strayed to where Lily stood, unnerving her wildly. "What of your unjust actions towards your own daughter?"
Ward's face remained elusive and his disregard of her was still wounding though she attempted to appear unaffected. He said nothing, in fact he avoided her stare altogether. She wasn't expecting a heartfelt apology.
She thought of her mother and wondered what sort of man had he been then to have captivated her mother? Had he tricked her too? Or had their love been true?
Lily would never know.
The vampire continued, pulling her from her thoughts. "What you fail to realize is that as you continuously injected our blood into your vein, you've simultaneously counteracted a stream of unnatural effects. "
Ward frowned, appearing for the first time uncertain. "What are you saying?"
Blue eyes met his sharply, "You should have considered the blood you put into your own body." He fell silent, letting his words digest, "Our blood has allowed you to reside through the years but a human cannot survive on vampire blood. You may have slowed your aging process considerably but in doing so have enhanced other extreme considerations."
Ward shook his head, "I don't understand-"
"Surely all your research would have forewarned you?" the vampire grinned once more, a curling of the corners that portrayed the cruelty there, "Our blood is far too potent for that of a human to simply inject into its bloodstream. Though slow the process, it's like acid eating away at your organs, your stem cells, and every little thread that pieces you humans together."
"No-" Ward said vehemently, "Your blood works wonders-cures!"
The vampire chuckled, a sound almost grating. "It can yes, but the considerable amount and the numerous times you've injected it, your body can withstand it no more. You are dying slowly from the inside out."
"Impossible!" Ward exclaimed, "All my research opposes as to what you say!"
The vampire's face grew taut. "If you are uncertain and eternity is what you seek?" he raised a dark brow and extended a pale hand between them.
Lily's heart lurched. He was offering immortality to her father?
She knew there was nothing that could be said or done to deter her father. This is what he had sought for centuries.
The vampire pulled him close, opening his mouth to bare a full-set of fangs but when he lowered his head to deliver the bite that would forever change Ward McDermott into the very thing he longed, the vampire hesitated, pulling back and releasing him all at once.
"No." he said flatly, and the simple word resonated within the room and soundly to Ward's ears.
"Why?" Ward demanded fiercely, almost panicking.
Blue eyes leveled intensely on Ward's face, all traces of humor vanishing and hardness settling, "You have hunted my kind, have destroyed your own-" blue eyes flickered fleetingly to her, propelling her heart tenfold its beat, "-you have lost your way in your means of obsession. You are undeserving, even for the undead. I shall let the illness sweep your body and you will die of causes you have brought upon yourself."
He raised a hand and motioned to a man standing in the corner that Lily hadn't noticed until now.
Ward's chest began to rise and fall with a panicked breath. His eyes grew round like saucers as he scrambled away from the vampire that approached him.
"N-no!" Ward shouted, alarmed, his face growing red with anger. "You have to turn me! Damn you!" he whirled about as strong arms seized him, his eyes connecting sharply with Lily's, "Lily!" he commanded of her. "Turn me, Lily!"
Lily's heart wrenched but Varian stepped before her, blocking their train of sight. She clenched her eyes against the sheen of tears that surfaced. His cries tugging at her heart as they carried him away.
Varian...she cried softly.
He cannot be helped, my love. Let it be.
She felt tears slipping from beneath her lashes and couldn't fathom why, perhaps because after all he'd done, had failed to do as a father, whether under pretense or not, he was her father. Whether his actions had been unjust or just downright wrong, it all seemed irrelevant in that moment and befitting to cry for him.
And so she did.
She averted her tearful eyes and stiffened as she met the cold onslaught of icy blue eyes peering intently at her, soulless and bereft of life.
"Leave us." The vampire commanded of the others among the room and they hastened to do his bidding.
Lily breathed in a steadying breath, watching as Jackson disappeared, noticing particular that even Marguerite was leaving, motioning Ruby along after her.
Once they were alone, the vampire approached them, his eyes never straying from her. It wasn't until he loomed before her that she felt compelled to step further into Varian.
He was silent, peering intensely at her, passing those icy-blue eyes between the two of them until finally resting once more upon her.
"She is beautiful." He said quietly, his voice surprisingly void of any unnatural thing. His blue eyes flickered to Varian, "I see the attraction."
That attentive gaze sifted back to Lily and that pale hand now hovered before her.
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