Chapter 4
“Let’s start with basic history of our kind. We can branch out from there.” Kain starts, and I nod in reply, eager to learn more about myself and my kind.
We were sitting comfortably in velvet-lined chairs in an elegant private jet specially catered for us. I wasn’t sure how such a noticeable luxury jet wasn’t noticed by the Dragos, but it sat well with Gabriel –whom I discovered was the most uptight about security amongst the small gang with me –so I guessed it was alright if I was carted off to somewhere remote in high-class seats.
“We vampires were created by the Moon Goddess, just as how lycans were created by her too. Legends go that Moon Goddess created the lycans by fusing her two favorite animals –human and wolves –together. The lycans bred amongst themselves and there were lots of internal strife. The Moon Goddess thought it was natural for a new species to fight amongst themselves, but soon the fighting began to interrupt with the lives of the other species. Lycans brought their fights into towns, and people were killed as a result.
No one was left to worship the Moon Goddess, and she began to get weaker with the little blessing and prayers she got. As a last resort, she created her ultimate weapons to stop the fighting of the lycans. She took men, and she equipped them with fangs and a thirst for blood –blood of the lycans. She gave them superstrength to manhandle the strong wolfmen. She gave them superspeed to outrun the lycans. She gave them mind control –in hopes to convince the lycans, with conviction, to stop fighting.”
“Let me guess: Vampires.” I added obviously.
“Yes. Vampires.” He confirmed, taking a glass of wine from the passing air stewardess. “She created one, but we bred and amassed our own army. We followed the Goddess’s instructions and tried to make the lycans listen. They wouldn’t; so we killed. But the Goddess’s mistake was repeated. She chose to equip these skills in men, who were the smartest, but the most evil. We massacred the lycans, and enslaved the surviving ones. Then, we began to make our own species thrive. We began to change the humans. It was our time of reign. The vampires began to believe that the Goddess helped to kill the lycans to take over the world.”
“Hey, let’s not forget the mages! We helped.” Ren interrupted, poking his head across the aisle from his seat. He was sitting beside me with the aisle between us, and had been interested in looking at the clouds go past up till now.
A flash of irritancy flitted across Kain’s face, but he calmed down again, taking a sip from the wine.
“Yes, the mages helped. Mages were humans who studied their surroundings carefully and began to manipulate it. They enlisted help from external sources, one of which was the Moon Goddess. The mages knew that the vampires were on the rise, and didn’t dare revolt.”
“Not exactly. We were more of the laid-back kind and didn’t want anything to do with your minor disputes. We could have whipped your ass upside down whenever we wanted to.” Ren interrupted again, seemingly to find enjoyment to know that he was irritating Kain. It amused me quite a bit too, though Kain didn’t seem to appreciate it.
“All the same, the mages joined as our aid. Then, like any species; we began to seek power and control our own way. At that time, there were two vampires who were the best of friends, but also the strongest. Drake and Lucifer. Drake was a mage-turned-vampire. Lucifer could summon demons, spirits and devils to his will. They were raised together, competed on friendly terms, and were like brothers.”
“What drew them apart?” I blurted, getting caught in the story telling.
Kain gave the ghost of a smile. “A woman. You were named in honor of her. Her name was Sephina. She was a human, but she fell in love with both of them. She lay on the bed of Drake, but her heart was with Lucifer. Her lips were on Lucifer, but her heart was with Drake. They found out about her dilemma and forced her to choose between them. When she could choose neither, they agreed to duel to the death. Whoever who survived would take the woman and the rest of the vampire species.”
“Ol’ fashioned fighting in the sunset. Think two knights in shiny armor, lance in their hand, thrusting and parrying.” Ren interjected, mimicking the thrust of a fencer, and I giggled a little at his dramatic gestures.
Kain smiled a little at that, though I could still see he was annoyed at Ren’s interruption.
“Being vampires, they fought for day and night. Neither was tired out. We do not crumble in sunlight, but the sensitivity to light does affect us. However, it affected neither Drake nor Lucifer. They fought gallantly. They fought for their lives, their love and a world that belonged to them. Most importantly, they fought for Sephina’s love. But Sephina could not bear the two men she loved fighting each other. It was the end of the third night, and both Drake and Lucifer were tired out. They had their last inch of strength left, and they stared at each other gripping tightly to their swords. They charged at each other for the last time.”
Ren sat up immediately, clapping his hands in anticipation. Though I was sure Ren knew the story like the back of his hand too, he seemed as engrossed in Kain’s storytelling as I was.
“But before they could impale each other in their hearts, Sephina was there. She stood between them, arms outstretched. But for all their vampire speeds, they could not stop their blades in time. Both swords impaled Sephina’s heart and their tips touched within her heart. Both vampires cried out in their utmost grief as Sephina breathed her last. She tried to explain that she loved both of them, and with a kiss on both their cheeks, she left the world.”
Kain sighed a little, taking another sip from the wine.
“But her death was not the glue she thought it would be. Instead, the two vampires swore that they would destroy each other utterly in vengeance for Sephina. Killing each other wasn’t enough now that they had killed Sephina. They aimed their families. Then, slowly, they began to amass their own supporters and followers. They built their own communities, their councils, and in the end, the created their kingdoms. Lucifer kept his name. Drake changed his name to Dragos. Their legacy of hatred against each other passed down the generations.”
“Up to us.” I continued, finally understanding the feud between my kingdom and the Dragos. At least I understood what the Dragos was now –vampires from another kingdom that was brought up to hate us.
“It is stupid; to fight for generations on end for a lover whose death was contributed on both sides.” Kain admitted, taking another sip. His blue eyes were getting clouded, a sign of what I guessed was frustration.
“But if we know this story, then why can’t our kingdoms get together and make peace? I mean, everyone knows that Sephina’s death was both Drake and Lucifer’s fault, isn’t it?”
“But the problem, darlin’, is that they don’t.” Ren answered my question now, leaning over the arm of his chair to poke his head in our direction, butting into our conversation, where Kain was sitting across me. “The story that Kain told you is the mages’ version of the story. The story in your kingdom that was taught to all young vampires –including you –was that Drake took Sephina as hostage and killed her. Luciferians like you are taught to believe that Dragos are vampires who are backstabbers and barbarians. The same is likewise for the Dragos vampires.”
“Then how do I know if your version is the most accurate?”
Ren shrugged. “The mages’ version was given by their vision of the fight. Moon Goddess must have discovered her two most powerful vampires fighting, and sent a distress signal to the mages in hope that they will help. Of course, we mages don’t like to dab our hands in something so bloody.”
“But you could have stopped a war between the kingdoms!”
Ren shrugged again, shifting so that his head was hanging off the arm of the chair, looking at me upside down.
“If we did, we would start a war between mages and vampires. I know our inaction caused all the tragedy in your kind, but we mage don’t want war. We aren’t afraid to admit; we are sorely outnumbered by vampires. We leave you guys alone, and you guys don’t bother with us. That’s just the way it has been all the while; we don’t want to upset the balance and end up sleeping with a stake under our pillows.”
Much as I hated the way Ren put things, I guess I understood the mages’ point of view. They wanted to be as low-key as possible, letting the vampires kill themselves and attack each other.
“This is why we want you to regain the Luciferian Kingdom again, Seraphina. The kingdom has only recently fallen –there are a thousands, if not millions, of vampires who are still loyal to you and your family. If you can rise above the Dragos and reclaim the Lucifer Throne, you can change the mind of the Luciferians. You throw the stone, you make the ripples. The ripples will eventually reach the Dragos, and hopefully, they will be convinced of the same version of the story.” Kain continued quickly, bringing the topic hastily away from how mages could have been a turning factor in our history.
“And make one happy vampire family.” I muttered under my breath. “This vision is a little too ideal and hopeful for vampires like us, don’t you think? Besides, we’re all working from the Luciferian side of the story. I’m pretty sure Dragos isn’t going to listen to us spouting nonsense about their King Drake being part of the murder of Sephina.”
Kain looked out the window, a faraway look in his eyes.
“We work little by little, Seraphina. If you will work to have the Luciferian kingdom back in shape, then I will make sure things turn out as it is supposed to.” Kain promised with such ferocity that I had to take his word for it. I wasn’t sure what he planned to do, but at least everything he’d planned for me so far seemed to be going just fine.
“What about my family? What can you tell me about… well, me?”
“Your father is the son of Lucifer, Logan Lucifer. Lucifer died two thousand years ago, your father was born a little ways before that –two thousand and four hundred years ago. Your mother was a noblewoman who excelled in studies as well as sports and hunting. Your mother had remarkable talents, and grasped the heart of Logan. You were born five hundred years ago, the crown princess. Your little brother was birthed one hundred after you, and your youngest sister two centuries behind him. Your mother died during childbirth of your youngest sister.”
I was a little surprised to find that I had siblings. I mean, where were my siblings if they were still alive?
If… they were still alive.
“Are they… you know… dead?” I asked weakly, my stomach suddenly churning. If they were alive, they would be here with me, no? We were close siblings? Or maybe we hated each other. Maybe we got on each other’s nerve. Maybe we were the type of siblings who wanted to kill each other for the throne. If so, then I had survived well for five hundred years with two other siblings.
“No… no. Dante and Kelsey managed to escape the kingdom with you. You crashed, and we had to take you somewhere safe where you could recover without your location being compromised. They are safe, but they don’t know where you are. We cannot let you keep contact with them, for they are in a dangerous situation, close to the Dragos. We will arrange for them to come to you soon.”
“Dante… and Kelsey…” I tumbled their names over my lips. Finally, there was something that felt familiar to me. These names were familiar to me; I felt at home calling those names… Finally; something.
“When can I talk to them again? I feel like I remember them…” I asked quickly, and Kain’s face breaks into a gentle smile.
“Be patient, you can call them after we have secured our location.”
“Where exactly are we going?” I asked, looking out the window at my side. Clouds flew by without so much a hitch. I looked back in the airplane, finding Ren sleeping unglamorously beside me, his head lolling over the arm of the chair, his tongue stuck out. Amongst us all, Ren was the only human, but he seemed totally at ease around us. He even had the trust and bravery to let his guards down around four vampires.
Mila and Gabriel were sitting closer to the front of the plane. I got the feeling that there were some unspoken feelings going on between the serious ones, but Kain seemed to ignore it and Ren didn’t seem to pick up on it –which was strange, considering how Ren seemed to notice tiny details for no apparent reason.
“Off the grid. There is an island that I own just off the coast of California. We cannot use your family’s fortune now, we can only rely on what little I have at the moment. At least the Dragos would not be able to track us, given Ren’s cloaking spells over the island.”
I tried not to let my surprise and awe show. Even though I must be a lot richer than Kain was when I was still a Princess, losing my memories meant losing the idea of how rich people lived. An island! Kain had said he was a nobody in my kingdom, and yet he could own an island! Was this private jet coincidentally his too? Not a rental?
Kain’s smile grew a little wider, as if convinced that he could smile outright since no one was around to see it –with Ren sleeping and all.
“This island was meant as a gift to you for your recent five hundredth birthday but I... never managed to give it to you officially. Besides, you had other suitors who gave you countless of other large islands and land.” He admitted, face going a little red.
I felt ready to burst into tears. How could he say that? Even though I hadn’t seen the island, I knew I would have loved it if he gave it to me on my birthday! Even if I had a million other islands to my name, I would always remember this one as the gift from Kain.
“Really, my island is nothing much…” He tried to excuse himself humbly, but I wouldn’t let him. Even if all he gave me was a piece of soil, I would be happy. It was the thought, the effort, the love.
I had the feeling that the atmosphere was about to get really sensitive between Kain and I, but Ren had the perfect timing to jerk awake from his dream with a snort that sounded like a pig. Kain and I snapped out of our haze, and I blushed even though we had technically done nothing at all.
Ren rubbed his eyes, sitting upright again. He blinked, then he grinned.
“Naughty, naughty, aren’t you? No wonder I thought the air conditioning turned off.” He fanned himself, even though the obvious stated otherwise.
“We have done nothing and need not justify ourselves to you. Go back to being a pig.” Kain said dismissively, but I caught a hint of a blush as he looked out the window.
“Alright, alright! I won’t disturb the two love-puppies here. Since Mila and Gabe are probably getting happy with each other in front, I guess I’ll just have to work my handsome charms on the waitress. Have you checked that ass? It’s enough to make a still heart beat again!” Ren jumped to his feet, strangely alive for a man who had just woken up.
Ren didn’t need more encouragement as he disappeared through the curtains to the pantry. Kain and I stayed in uncomfortable silence –curses to the stupid mage.
As if the awkwardness wasn’t enough, pants and ragged breaths drifted from the pantry.
I admit the Ren had a face that was handsome and a body that was built to be a model, but I hadn’t expected them to… get along so fast.
A low sexual laugh came from Ren’s voice, and it was followed by a squeal that couldn’t quite be covered by the sound of the engines. There were grunts and moans, and I felt myself get hotter. I was blushing more than I should, and the sounds of hot monkey sex weren’t helping.
Kain didn’t even seem affected.
“Oh my god, I’m coming!” The sound of the girl’s scream was definitely disturbing.
Couldn’t Ren have taken their… relationship somewhere more subtle instead of doing it in the pantry?
There was no denying, no trying to hide what Ren was doing. Kain raised a brow at my uneasiness, and I glared at him.
Instead, a soft smile drew across his face, and he got up fluidly. Without a second word, he walked towards the pantry.
“Kain! Oh I’m sorry, were we too loud? I can stuff her mouth with something, you know. She says she doesn’t mind a little bondage.” Ren’s ragged voice drifted from the pantry, and I felt myself get a little hot under the collar. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to ignore the need throbbing between my legs.
Kain’s reply was a soft inaudible mumble.
“Well, I have my needs. I’m still a man.” Ren’s reply was indignant, but it turned mischievous quickly afterwards. “Unless you’re proposing for a three-way? Time to let little Kain shine, ain’t it?”
There was the sound of skin-to-skin contact, which I could only attribute to something Kain did to Ren, since the mage howled in pain.
“Oy! That hurt! Fine if you don’t want a three-way, you don’t have to hit me like that! You’re like an abusive mother, Kain!” Ren complained loudly, and I sighed. I decided that there must be no one else in my life quite like Ren.
There was another soft mumble from Kain’s voice, then the vampire walked out from behind the curtains, posture as straight as it had been when he walked in. He surprised me by extending a hand towards me instead of taking the seat across me.
“Ren refuses to move, so we have to. I’m sorry for this… inconvenience, Seraphina.”
I was caught between being embarrassed and laughing at his own awkwardness. All the same, I was all too glad to get away from the grunts that were beginning again.
I took his hand and stood up, but turbulence shook the plane at the wrong moment, jerking me off my feet. I felt someone jerk my body towards him, and I ended up wrapped in his embrace, miraculously still upright.
As if the magic from before descended on us again, I looked into his eyes. The same expression of love was there. It was crazy love, but it was held back by something. But what? What could make him control his emotions for me so tightly? What was he afraid of?
Was it something I did while I was still a Princess?
He brushed his lips against mine. It was not so much a open-mouth, tongue-darting French kiss, but it was enough to make electricity zoom right to my toes, pooling between my legs. Damn it, I was getting the hots for him, bad.
And pressed against him, I could feel his erection, pressing against my navel. Through layers of clothing between us, I could feel his counterpart pressed against the V of my legs. It wasn’t intentional, but we rubbed against each other, bringing more sensations riding up our bodies. Our moans echoed the moans from the pantry.
“Stop.” He said, his voice gruff. “Stop, Princess.”
He was saying such things, but he was the one still desperately kissing me.
“Stop… We cannot do this.” He protested weakly, as if he were convincing himself more than me.
“No… No!” He finally seemed to have suddenly found strength as he held on to my shoulders, pulling me an arm’s length away from him.
Wide, clear blue eyes stared at me, at my swollen lips that had been claimed by him.
“You don’t know me, Princess. You don’t know everything. The reason why we cannot be together, the reason why we had the chance, and we didn’t work out. You don’t know why I couldn’t give you that island on your birthday even though I meant it for you. You don’t know what happened; why things happened the way they did. You… can’t. You can’t love me until you know them. Because what you will find out; you will not love me any longer. No matter how much I love you, I cannot let you do this while you don’t know anything.” He ranted on, eyes looking away fearfully as he rubbed his lips.
The moans in the pantry had no more effect now.
“I’m sorry, Seraphina. We cannot.” He didn’t offer more, but turned away and walked out of our section of the plane.
He left me standing there, feeling stupid.
But he made me wonder to.
What had he to hide?
Especially Kain-Boy here. He bites, but he’s cute and all mushy inside. I know his dirty little secret, you know… He’s…
Ren had been joking, but Kain had spun around to glare at Ren too fast. There was something that Kain wanted very much to hide from me.
I know everyone had their dirty little secrets to hide, but I wanted to know Kain’s, since it was very obviously related to me.
But what?
What is Kain trying to hide from me?