Chapter 1
~Tony’s POV~ 5 years later
“Over sixteen casualties sir!” the private called out to me and upon my nod he ran over to the others to help them unload the bodies. I turned away from the sight to glance down at the map I held in my hands. Sixteen casualties in twenty minutes. It was time to move out.
I shoved the battered waterproof paper into my uniform pocket and made my way over to the corporal.
“Moving out in two minutes.” I issued and he was quick to act.
“Yes sir!” then he was off. I finished suiting up, gathering what I would need for battle, before turning to view the bodies once more. I knew every man lying lifeless in the dirt. I had spoken with and helped to train each and every one of them and now they were nothing more than corpses to be boxed up and sent home to their families.
“Sergeant, awaiting your orders sir!” the corporal called out to me and with a silent prayer to whomever had the decency to listen, I was tearing across the dirt and into the leading Humvee.
“Let’s go!” I banged the palm of my hand onto the metal door of the vehicle and we were off; once more trudging head first into a war we probably had no business fighting, but one we would risk it all to win.
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~Rien’s POV~
He was a brave one; my Tony. Having finally grown into the man he so desperately needed to be. I watched his grace, his poise, his now muscular frame which had once been wispy and the scars that ran haphazardly over his arms. He was perfect; just as I remembered. He issued orders like that of a king and the men followed them without question. He had changed as I had hoped he would.
I smiled even though I regretted the ancient sadness I saw etched in his expression as he gazed upon the fallen men, but as he always had; he would learn from it and eventually move on.
He’d become strong, responsible, dependable; finally someone I could take to my coven and be confident to announce as mine. I continued to watch him as he geared up for his war; ever diligent; ever ready. I had missed him dreadfully, but now it was time to take him home with me; where he belonged.
I threw myself from the rooftop, landing perfectly on another as I proceeded to follow the vehicles that were tearing up the old soil as they made their way to the front. All the while my eyes remained glued to his face; the determination set in his features fueled my own and I ran faster; aching to once again hold him in my arms and to hear him whisper the words of love that had been absent for half a decade.
“It’s time.”
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~Tony’s POV~
“Fifteen miles” the driver announced and the conversation quietened.
The closer we got to the sight, the tenser the men became and I urged them to make the best of the time we all had left before we were dropped into utter chaos.
I’d chosen to ride with them in the back; wanting to offer them my strength and direction. Some of the faces before me had never performed in actual combat and I could see the nervous excitement as well as dread on some of their faces.
I looked out onto the filthy streets; glancing at abandoned homes with rusted zinc roofs and taking in the sight of the meagre dogs hunting for any leftovers. Every now and then we would pass by a soldier’s broken body or a lone civilian’s empty expression and my heart would go out to them.
It was a crazy time. This place that was once a beautiful city now an unfriendly war zone. I straightened my helmet and held on tighter to my weapon. An war zone that I hoped my men survived. I looked back, taking in their faces and nodding to each of them that glanced my way
“Ten miles”
Not long now.
“When this is all over, I’m buying my girl that ring she always wanted.” Private First class Rusty announced and a few of the men chuckled.
Rusty had been saying that for over a year now. After every particularly difficult drill, every time he got an injury and whenever he had upcoming leave, but he still had yet to get her the ring.
“I’m serious this time. A man’s gotta settle down, we can’t go on like this forever.” He trailed off and the others went silent.
“Well then when we get outta here, we’ll make sure you get her that ring.” Private O’Donnell said, patting him on the back with a grin and I turned to look outside once more.
It wasn’t hard to keep going on like this when there was nothing else to live for. Some of us would be at it until the day the soil decided it was our turn. We would die fighting for our country because that was all we knew, the only thing we loved and I was fine with it because that’s what I signed up for and I always lived up to my responsibilities.
“Five Miles”
“Make sure you’re ready men, there’s no turning back now.” I told them and as they fidgeted I pulled the map from my pocket once more, turning it over and over in my hands.
Five miles, five miles, five miles.
I shoved the paper back into my pocket and straightened.
The vehicle dipped and shook as we traversed the rough terrain and the men allowed their bodies to bob along with it. I spotted more corpses along the way and of course the ever present blood.
It was a gruesome battlefield yet in the height of destruction, I managed to spot a small child playing in the rubble and the disorder; left alone to his own devices in a time like this and I shook my head; wondering if at any moment his life would be snuffed out like all the rest.
“Two Miles”
I stood then and the others followed, holding on to the overhead latches as we prepared for our destination.
“See you when it’s over sergeant?” Rusty asked and I nodded.
“See you all when it’s over.” I corrected before offering them a small salute which they easily returned.
We rocked with the vehicle, our feet planted firmly against the metal floor with our necks bent in the small space. The dusty air rose up and coated our faces and uniforms and my eyes watered. None of the others had any words left to speak as we moved closer and closer to our destination and I was glad for it.
I needed the silence to think; about the upcoming conflict; not the life I may or may not have after today and certainly not the numerous lives that were sure to fall at our feet.
Another mile in silence and the terrain became rougher, jerking us about so that we bumped our heads and other body parts against each other and against the inside of the vehicle.
“Do what you have to in order to stay alive, watch each other’s backs, heads low and weapons raised. We have no time for error. I’m not dragging any of your bodies back to be buried…die on your own watch.” I told them firmly and it was when I turned back to look at their faces one last time before we departed the Humvee, that I saw the unwelcome flash of light, then the shocking feeling of the blaze as it consumed our vehicle.
I didn’t have time to blink before I felt the lick of the flames and myself being thrown from my perch. I heard a sickening snap and felt the pain erupt throughout my body when I landed in the dirt.
I tried to suck in a breath but felt the hot metallic taste of my own blood rise to my throat and seep through my lips. I couldn’t move my limbs, I could only feel the pain ripping through me as I gasped for air. Then I felt nothing at all as my world went black.
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I woke to a dream and I imagined I was in heaven. I felt the softness of a million tiny feathers cushioning my body and the fresh smell of something wonderfully spicy in the air. Not an ounce of pain; not a feeling of discomfort or the heat of the dessert.
I remembered the explosion; I remembered the pain, I remembered the horrifying sounds of my men screaming in agony and the intense ringing in my ears, but I felt none of that now. I could feel only a strange calmness around me and I smiled, snuggling closer into my fluffy feathers.
So this was what heaven felt like. I breathed in the cool air through my mouth grateful for the breath of fresh air that had eluded me for what had felt like an eternity as I lay battered on the battlefield.
I wondered what would greet me when I opened my eyes; would it be the welcome sight of a dozen glorified angels? or the breathtaking beauty of a new world? I couldn’t imagine it and so I cracked my eyes open only to be greeted with a surprising sight.
It wasn’t feathers that I laid upon, but a bed twice the size of my own body with about half a dozen pillows propping my head up. I groaned in disappointment and in awe as I looked around the room.
Disappointment because it wasn’t paradise as I’d hoped and awe that I was actually alive and pain free after my ordeal. I turned my arms this way and that, searching for bandages or new scars, then lifted my legs one at a time to test their effectiveness.
I was fine; as healthy as I could imagine, but I knew for a fact that I’d been thrown from the Humvee and suffered injury. I pushed up from the pillows and rotated my neck, checking for even the slightest pain but I felt nothing and I frowned in confusion.
“I gave you my blood. You’re fully healed.” I heard a deeply accented voice say and I froze in shock because even after all these years that voice was one I remembered well. The voice that had tormented me as I slept; praying to be rescued from my own personal hell when I’d first enlisted in the army.
A voice I’d held onto whenever I’d felt lost or lonely. A voice that had once held only love and comfort. A voice I’d missed and cried for night after night in my barracks until I grew to know better. A voice I now despised with every ounce of my being.
I turned to look upon the owner, dread cursing through my body and though I knew exactly what I would see, a surprised gasp still escaped me as my eyes landed on him. I was out of bed in an instant, my back plastered onto the wall furthest from him as my brain began to process the scene before me.
There he sat; the long ago object of my obsession, in a plush one seater, backed up against the opposite wall just under the large windowpane. He looked the same as I remembered him. The long, silky blue black hair pulled back in a tight ponytail at the base of his neck. The regal state of dress and the same intense grey eyes that had made me weak with need in another lifetime.
He sat with his legs crossed, his back straight and his posture as perfect as that of a monarch. Large and powerful with a slight air of hostility that I had long ago learned had nothing to do with me.
It was breathtaking seeing him after so long. I never expected that day to come when he appeared before me once again and I felt my throat constrict and my palms gather sweat as my gaze remained purchased on his still frame.
He wore a slight smile; one that I failed to decipher and I became uneasy as he watched me boldly. It took a while for it to stir inside me, but the hate I’d bore for him and his kind finally bubbled up within me and I clenched my fists and squared my jaw as I took a step forward.
“Why?” I gritted as my eyes narrowed and he raised an eyebrow in obvious amusement. It only spurned my anger.
“Do you mean why did I heal you? Why wouldn’t I? you were hurt.” He said simply as if I was stupid for asking and I bristled.
“Why am I here? Why did you take me from the war? Where are my men?” I questioned, looking around the room as if I expected one of them to suddenly appear, but the devil only tilted his head slightly, taking in my expression.
“Your men are dead, I took you from battle because you were hurt and I needed to heal you without prying eyes. As for why you are here…you are mine and you belong by my side.”
His words shocked me and for a moment I stood there gaping at him at a loss for words, but when he pushed up from his seat and took a step toward me I stepped back, finally finding my voice.
“Why didn’t you heal them? You could have saved them, why didn’t you?” I whispered brokenly as I thought of all the lives lost but he only shook his head.
“Why would I? they are but mere mortals, they mean nothing to me.” He said simply.
Heartless beast
“Then why me? Why didn’t you leave me there with them?” I hated how broken my voice sounded as the pain of the loss flowed through me and I turned my head away as I awaited his answer.
“You’re questions are getting ridiculous Tony, maybe you haven’t fully healed after all.” He took another step toward me, reached out a hand to touch my brow and I roughly batted it away.
“Don’t touch me.” I said in disgust, then moved around him towards the door. My mind whirled with the thought of the war, the thought of the creature standing behind me and the thought of what I now needed to do.
I didn’t understand why he was back and I didn’t care. As I’d been taught to do, I shoved the matter from my mind as I reached the only door in the large room. I would focus on the most important thing; my duty to my country and to my men. I would go back to the front, do what I had to in order to aid the living, then help gather the bodies of the fallen and I wouldn’t cast another thought to the beast.
I jerked the door open and stepped into a wide hallway. It wasn’t difficult to find the staircase after that and I descended quickly, failing to take in the opulence of the place. When I came upon a door that could only be the exit, I pulled that open as well but just as I was about to step through I stopped in my tracks as I came face to face with a bloody-mouthed vampire.
“You’re not going anywhere friend.” The creature drawled, his pointed, stained teeth dripping from his latest kill. I drew back in horror reaching automatically for my weapon only to remember I no longer had it.
“You’re thousands of miles from the dessert Tony, that life is now behind you. It’s time we lived ours; just as you’ve always wanted.”
I swiveled to face Rien who was leaning casually against the banister at the base of the staircase, then back to the smaller, dripping creature on the other side of the door.
“You’re fucking insane.” I spat poisonously and rammed into the vamp at the door. I shifted him only slightly though before he gathered his wits and lifted me off the ground, slamming me into the wall by the doorway. I fought against his hold as he added pressure to my neck but he wasn’t fazed by my struggles.
“Still flighty I see, but brave…I’m glad.” Rien, who had appeared by the other vamp’s side, reached over to trail a finger down the side of my face as I struggled, then his expression softened and I was gazing into gentle eyes; eyes I remembered from long ago. Eyes that I didn’t want to see.
I twisted harder, trying to get away, sickened by their presence, then the fingers around my neck loosened and I fell to the ground panting.
“Fuck you.” I hissed at the smaller vamp and I stiffened when Rien’s laughter filled the air.
“And a filthy mouth.” he laughed, “You’re going to be just as much of a handful now as you were then.” He continued, his face alight with pleasure.
He held out a hand for me to take but I pushed up from the ground without his help and he retracted the offer; still looking amused. If the little vamp at his side hadn’t been glaring at me as if he’d rip my throat out at any sudden movements, I’d have found a way to wipe that smile off his face.
“Listen” I began, looking between the two. “I don’t give a shit who you are or why you’re here, so let’s make one thing clear: I don’t belong to you, I can’t even stand the sight of you and if you think you can keep me here then you got another thing coming.”
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~Rien’s POV~
He was angry with me.
I suppose I should have expected it, after all I had left him for years in a place he hadn’t even wanted to be. I folded my arms before me as I leaned against the tree, watching him pace the upstairs balcony while trying to ignore my drudge who had a clear tendency to talk quite a bit more than he really needed to.
I looked away from the sight of them, turning my attention to the sun setting between the trees. He had changed just as I’d hoped. I’d stopped by on a few occasions over the years to see how he was getting on and learned a lot about him in the process. He was loyal to his cause, strong-willed; a fighter.
He’d gained a level of maturity that far surpassed his younger self of five years. He was responsible and his bravery had grown along with his determination to succeed but along with it, he had lost that youthful charm that had first captured me.
Those trusting eyes that had once looked up at me with love and admiration now looked at me with disdain, hatred and disgust. You couldn’t wish for change and expect it all to go the way you chose I suppose.
I shifted my gaze back to the balcony. He was sitting now, looking out over the trees; his expression contemplative; no doubt he was planning his escape and I smiled. He would be a challenge; my Tony, but as it now stood; things were clearly not the same. He wanted nothing to do with me nor the life I could provide for him so I had three options.
I could allow him to leave; to go back to his war and hope that one day he would seek me out of his own accord. I could drag him back to my coven despite his unwillingness; in the process asserting my dominance as was expected of a master class Vamp, or I could use our time together to remind him of how it once was between us. Ignite the passion I knew had to be buried deep and allow him to remember everything we’d been through together and what it had once meant to him.
I pushed up from my spot and turned to face the trees; my decision made. It was time to hunt and I would need to drink my fill for what I was about to do.
AUTHOR'S NOTES
FIRST CHAPTER: DONE!
HOPE YALL ENJOYED THAT! I'LL UPLOAD AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
KEEP SWEET!
-DoUbLe.A
-unedited.