Noel's POV
Helena and Darien stood in the doorway stunned. Darien recovered first and kneeled down.
"Kneel down, show your respect." he hissed to Helena.
She was frozen on the spot and couldn't move. Darien quickly pulled her to her knees, and bowed his head to pledge obedience and service to me.
Helena, Roxy and the other vampires in the room followed.
"Rise. " I said.
Father was dead.
Does this mean that the core has been have been transferred to me? Shouldn't I have felt some pain? Why didn't I notice something?
“The core?" I asked Kieran.
He nodded. "It transferred to you. Didn't you feel anything? Its power is pulsing off you."
I shook my head. “No.”
"It should have been painful. Your father, the late king, was in agony during the transfer." Kieran responded.
"Noah likes pain, he constantly starves himself." Darien joked. Helena smirked.
Great even as king they feel the need to make fun of me. I growled and both of them shut up immediately.
They actually looked scared. I grinned. Finally, a way to shut them up. This king business might not be so bad after all.
"How did my father manage to die? I thought that dying was virtually impossible for a vampire with the core inside him?" I asked Kieran.
Kieran shifted uncomfortably and looked at the floor.
“He was tricked. I’ll explain more after you have seen his corpse.” Kieran responded.
I frowned. Why didn’t he just tell me what happened. I got a bad feeling about this.
Kieran led us out of the door towards my father’s limousine. I motioned Darien, Helena and Roxy to follow us.
Roxy shook her head. “I am not putting Oliver in a limousine full of hungry vampires. I’ll follow you with our own car.”
I nodded my head and said goodbye to her.
She should really make a decision about Oliver. His growing addiction to Roxy was quickly becoming a reliability and I hated to see my sister in pain.
We walked over to my father black limousine. What is it with vampires and their need for shiny stuff? What are we, ravens?
"Kieran, from now on I will drive my own car. Sell this or use it for your own purposes. Just get rid of it."
He nodded and wrote it down. I shook my head in disbelief. He actually writes all my commands down. That is too creepy.
We stepped in the limo and left for the palace. I wondered in what sort of state I will find Father-dear in. I grinned. This was going to be good. God, how I hated that man. And now I had to become the same bully as he was.
Vampires are a tricky and unreliable lot. My father had four attempts on his life in the first week of his reign. To set an example, he publicly ripped each assassin apart. Their heads are still on display in the glass cubes that were build in wall at the main entrance to the palace, serving as a ever lasting reminder for what happens when you mess with the Turner family.
God I hoped that I didn’t need to set an example although I could think of several originals way to dispose of any problem makers.
I had absolutely no interest in the intricate politics of the court. I was wondering how I could wiggle myself out of these dealings, when a thought occurred to me. I now had access to all sorts of information. Maybe Kieran as main adviser of my late father would know about Chloe and her family.
"Kieran, what do you know about Chloe Faulkner?" I asked him.
Helena looked up worriedly, slowly shaking her head to me.
"Ms. Faulkner comes from a family of powerful witches. Mother and grandmother were dangerous hunters, all vampires were warned to steer clear off them."
He nodded his head towards Darien. "Her mother was killed by Mr. Valentine in an act of self defence."
Darien grinned. Self-defence, my arse.
"Your father kidnapped Chloe Faulkner seven years ago.”
Helena gasped in surprise
“She was held her prisoner and we planned to ransom her for a council member that Mrs. Faulkner and Henry Duvall had captured and they were using to experiment on.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Anna.” Kieran responded.
Darien looked up surprised. “What? She didn’t tell me anything about this.”
“What happened?” I asked Kieran.
"The hunter clan send a team of hunters to rescue Chloe. She escaped with their help back to the human dimension. We managed to kill all but one team member. Henry Duvall himself. The three of them have not been reported in any confrontation since but are still considered dangerous and to be avoided at any cost." Kieran responded.
"Why did the king not simply eliminate Mrs. Faulkner and Henry?" Darien
asked.
Kieran turned to him.
"The late king had a history with Mrs. Faulkner and was reluctant to kill her. There is a hit set on Henry Duvall, but nobody managed to kill him so far."
How much I wanted to investigate Chloe Faulkner and her amazing family further, I simply had no time for this. First, I needed to secure my throne.
"What do you want, your highness?" Kieran disturbed me in my thoughts.
"What? Sorry?" I responded.
"Chloe Faulkner, your highness? What to do with her?" he said.
"I'll deal with her later."
Chloe's POV
We drove through the portal and the Mini got launched out of the gate.
I screeched it to a halt. The heat came flooding into the car, making it hard to breath. G*d d*mnit, I hate this dimension.
Why oh why didn't I buy a car with airco? Oh yes. Because I couldn't afford one.
I took off my leather jacket and my hoodie and switched the ventilation a bit higher. I grabbed the map out the back pocket of my jeans and laid it down on the steering wheel to study the route.
I sighed. Roughly a five-hour drive. In this heat. Great.
I heard an angry sounding noise next to me and I glanced at Dravec in the passenger seat.
What I saw made me laugh so hard that my eyes teared.
Dravec was fighting the wind coming from the ventilator. Trying but failing to keep the form of a man and making angry swirls in between conversions.
I quickly switched off the ventilation and fell laughing on top of the steering wheel.
Big bad evil spirit gets ass whooped by ventilator.
Hearing my laughter, Dravec ditched his attempts at staying in human form and whirled angrily through the car.
Uhoh. Big bad spirit pissed off.
Before I could react he entered my body and tried to take over. I fought back to regain control. I thought of releasing Silver to get him out, but thought the better of it. It would be safer to travel like this while being in this dimension.
I felt Dravec transforming me again, but this time it hurt less than it did before. I groaned. That was not good. The former possession had adapted me. If he remained to long within me I would stay changed even if I got him out.
I had expected something like this to happen, but not this quickly. Not at this rate. I started the car. The sooner this whole deal was over, the less changed I would get out of this.
Noah's POV
I felt a change ripping over reality. I turned in my seat. She was back. The pull was much stronger this time. She was within this dimension.
I shifted uneasily. Fighting the pull was painful. Something forced me to her and wouldn't take no for an answer.
Darien looked at me. "Noah, what is wrong? You look sick."
"Chloe. She is here."
As we neared the palace, the pain got more intense. I couldn't take this much longer. My head was ringing.
“She is causing this. I need to go and find out why. Roxy, please go to the palace and start making preparations for the funeral.” I said while opening the door and putting one leg out.
As we were speeding on the highway, I came out running and gradually slowed down to a halt.
I stopped a car on the other lane, threw the driver out, stepped in, and raced back towards Chloe.
In the back mirror I saw Kieran reversing the limo and following me. Great, at least I have back-up this time. Or spectators. Great.
Chloe's POV
I felt weird. There was a pull towards something that I didn't feel last time.
A few minutes ago it felt like my brain was splitting but turning the car on a route towards the source of the pull made it slightly better. The closer I got to it the less the pain became.
Dravec constantly sought to take control but I wouldn't let him. He was screaming her name over and over again in my mind and I think he was inflicting the pain.
The beast growled to let him out, so that he could remove Dravec and end the pain, but I couldn't let him. I would be too vulnerable in human form, especially if the source was what I think it was.
I raced across the desert towards Dravec's mate, leaving a huge cloud of dust behind the Mini.
I looked at my accelerometer and smiled. I didn't know my mini could do 150 km/h.
After a while, the pain got weaker and was replaced by an incessant beating.
Giant drums making the sound of war.
I didn't like this, Dravec was pulling my strings like I was a muppet. I should be in control.
If I was right, I was now speeding towards Noah Turner who had Komár transferred to him after the last king was killed.
Noah Turner. The strongest vampire ever. And I needed to restrain and bite him to get the job done.
God, I hope we don't all die.
Noah's POV
I drove into the desert like a maniac. The pain had subsided but was now replaced by ceaseless drumming.
Drums of war.
I didn't understand, if I was rushing to its mate, why the war drums?
What was she planning?
I sped down the road and left a trail of dust flying high up in the air.
I was going way faster than I normally drive.
The limousine couldn't keep up and I lost them a while ago. I messaged Darien that I was racing towards the gate.
I looked back at the road and I saw a battered old Mini approaching at high speed.
Well, at least she got taste.
I put my foot down on the accelerator, urging the car to go faster.
We slowed down approximately 25 meters from one another. I parked the car and got out.
She was sitting in her car staring at me. Mouth open.
I grinned. She recognised me.
She closed her mouth and a determined look appeared upon her face.
I stopped dead in my tracks. I didn’t like that look.
She got out of the car and I saw her body growing with muscle and her nails turning into razor sharp knives. Her eyes became liquid silver and long metal fangs protruded from her lips.
I backed up.
She started to levitate above the ground and emit light.
The core in me screamed to turn and run.
It all happened in a split second.
She was upon me in an eye blink and shoved those razor sharp nails deep in the flesh of my arms. I screamed in pain.
She released one arm, punched me hard in the face and kicked my legs from underneath me.
She held me down to the ground and put her weight on me.
How much I kicked, shoved and hit her, she stayed on top of me and gave me some staggering blows in return. I couldn't throw her off.
This has never ever happened. She was stronger than me.
She looked breath taking. Like an avenging angel giving me my judgment. Her almost fluorescent hair was flying as she pushed me down on the ground once more after I tried to fling her off. Her eyes flowed liquid silver and her hand on my throat was scorching my skin.
She moved so that she sat across my lap and to my horror I got aroused.
Great going Noah, having the hots for your killer.
She shifted her weight and felt my hardness.
She looked down at me shocked and uncertain. She licked her lips and seemed to hesitate.
I moved my one free hand to her ass and moved my hips up showing how she affected me.
How much I wanted her.
She blinked and stayed still, breathing slowly through her mouth.
I stared at her lips. So pink, so plump.
I moved up, pushing myself against her. Her breath hitched indicating that she was as affected as me. She opened her lips, licking them again. I grunted and moved in to kiss her.
Her pupils dilated and she moved her lips towards mine.
“Chloe” I groaned.
She growled, pushed me back on the ground and grabbed my hand, moving them both above my head.
She bowed down towards my neck.
She was so powerful. I couldn’t have stopped her even if I wanted to.
But I wanted her to dig those sexy extra long fangs in me.
I felt her breath warming my skin and I grew even harder in anticipation.
"I am so sorry, but there is no other way." she whispered before the points of her fangs punctured my skin. I rolled my eyes back in my head.
Chloe's POV
"Chloe what are you doing?!? Stop it!!!" Helena screamed while running out of the car towards us.
I was only distracted for a split second but that was sufficient for Blondie.
He twosted himself free from my grasp, grabbed my waist and quickly rolled over so that he was on top of me. He pinned me down to the ground pulling my hands above me and yelled for the others to help him restrain me.
I recognised Darien, the maker of Helena. But the other, older and serious looking vampire I didn't meet before.
“Kieran, hold her hands. Darien, help me to get her up.” Blondie snarled.
I kicked and screamed, trying to break free.
Darien and Noah roughly pulled me up, whilst Kieran had my hands in a dead lock.
Helena seemed to hesitate but then attacked Kieran from behind.
“I can’t let you do this. I swore to protect her.” She growled to the others.
Her loyalty surprised me, I was sure when she knew my intent she would beat me to a pulp.
Blondie grabbed me from behind, trying to restrain me in his iron embrace.
Noah Turner. He almost had me fooled. I cursed my inexperience with males.
Yet, he had tasted sooooo good. Dravec screamed for another taste so that he could make contact with Komár.
I tried over and over again to repeat the incantations to escape, but with Silver running through my veins loose I couldn't focus long enough.
And the fact that three vamps were attacking him made him furious. I couldn't lock him up again.
Dravec was still pleading for me to get close to Blondie to finish off what we started, but I couldn't fight the others off long enough.
I turned in Blondie’s embrace and tried to get close to his neck, but he twisted from my embrace and moved away.
I hit and kicked Darien and Kieran a few times to get closer to Blondie and did some serious damage to both of them.
I had dislocated Darien’s shoulder and Kieran’s lower leg was standing in an odd angle.
Blondie’s face, arms and neck were almost fully healed from my first attack and when he was fully healed he came closer to finish me off. He dealt me blow after mind-staggering blow. And kept me close by holding on to my hair.
Slowly but surely I became tired. My scalp hurt like hell and I couldn't hold this up much longer. Fighting Darien and Kieran had weakened me, and even though Helena tried to help me, three strong vampires were simply too much. Helena was bleeding profusely from a wound to her arm, one that Kieran had inflicted, as she had tried to protect me by placing herself between me, Darien and Kieran and receiving their blows.
Darien had tried to hold Kieran back, but Kieran was stronger, and he simply shoved Darien off.
Noah was still assaulting me and my responses became slower. I tried one last attempt to sink my fangs in his neck, but he threw me off and swung his leg to kick me. Helena screamed to warn me, but it was too late. I didn't see Noah's foot coming until it connected with the side of my head.
A piercing cry split my mind and everything went black. Dravec forced himself out and a tear slid down my face. We had failed.
Blondie caught me before I crashed down to the ground.