Chapter Twenty-Five (Storm)
"I think Alex is upset."
I had been staring up at the intricately designed ceiling above, my arms folded behind my head as I lay beneath the silky sheets on the bed that I was currently sharing with Mark. I tilted my head to glance at him as he lay staring up at the ceiling. I could stare at him all day, I discovered.
His gorgeous deep black hair fell in short, lightly wavy locks against the pillow with bright, brilliant blue eyes that gazed up at the ceiling, studying it intensely before he sighed and rolled over onto his stomach a bit closer, propped up on his elbows. He looked at me, waiting for a reply before I smiled lightly, rolling onto my side, reaching out to let my fingertips touch his bare back. The way the light hit his skin made it look like porcelain and he resembled a China doll the way his cheeks flushed at my touch.
"He'll be upset until we bring Nicholas back to him. Once that happens, everything will be just fine." I assured him in a murmur, scooting closer until my legs tangled with his. Mark's cheeks darkened and he slumped down on the bed, his face buried against the pillow and his arms folded over his head on the pillow. He finally tilted his head to the side to look up at me as I ran my fingers lightly over his skin, watching the goose bumps rise on his smooth flesh.
"I have a bad feeling about this, though," Mark said quietly, making me frown a bit as I traced his shoulder blades, "What makes you so sure this is gonna go smoothly?" I paused, then rested my hand on Mark's back before brushing my fingers through his hair, almost shivering at the way his silky hair ran between my fingers.
"Because my father said so." I answered honestly, watching Mark study my expression as I stroked his hair.
And that was answer enough. I'd seen what my father could do. Everyone around him, even myself, could feel the power rolling off him in heavy waves that made a tsunami look like ripples in a puddle.
I was there when my father destroyed one of the many clans that threatened his power. Most people had armies set up, their most highly trained combatants, prepared to fight my father off. That first battle had only lasted seconds. My father flipped them all onto their backs, either dead or dying, with just the wave of his hand.
He was becoming what God was to humans.
His power was steadily rising at an alarming rate and all that power could only lead to his madness and maybe that's why he had changed so much over the years. He'd gone from strong and business-like to powerful and confident. His pride had pressured his ego through the roof, like lava exploding from a volcano.
And as much as I hated to say it, all of it was well placed.
My father had every right to call himself King.
Because no one else was as strong as he was and when we made our arrival known at Red Field tomorrow, Newell would know that and sorely regret his decision to start a rebellion.
"You're making a scary expression." Mark's voice cut into my thoughts, making me blink and look at him to see him looking at me uneasily. I blinked a few times, then smiled lightly as I reached out again, brushing the hair back from his face, my knuckles sliding against his soft, rosy cheeks.
"Don't be scared of me," I told him gently, watching him study me as I continued to touch him lightly along his cheeks, hair, and shoulders, "I've done so much to make this work. I would die before letting it fall apart." I brushed my knuckles down his shoulder, pleased as he slowly rolled over onto his back and I shifted so I was leaning over him, putting one leg on the other side of him as I trailed my knuckles to his nipple.
He watched me intently, as if waiting for me to go back on my words, which didn't surprise me. I placed my hand flat on his chest, savoring the way his heart pounded in his chest. I waited until his heart beat fell in time with my own before I pulled Mark around on top of me. He gasped a little, surprised as I pulled him into my lap so he was straddling me. I stayed flat on the bed, holding his hands against my chest as I stared up at him.
"You'll be on top of me. You can watch me and if I do something you don't like, order me to stop." I commanded gently, stroking his knuckles. Mark's face lit up like a Christmas bulb as he squirmed a little, glancing uncomfortably towards the door, then towards the window before looking back at me.
"Yea, but you're the boss... I mean. Your dad's practically king of the," Mark paused, scrunching up his nose before shrugging his shoulders sassily in a way that made me smile, "Druids. Doesn't that make you the prince or something like that or does it not work that way?" I hummed gently, running my hands up his arms before placing his hands on my chest. I put my hands on his hips, his body stiffening in more ways than one.
"If I'm a prince, you're a prince too." I pointed out, brushing his hip bones. Mark shivered a little, clenching his fists against my chest and biting his lower lip nervously.
"We're not... like... married yet... or anything, though."
"Marriage is just a label. Inside, we're already one."
"You should write poetry." Mark mumbled. I smirked, lifting my hands along his bare skin, watching him bit into his lip even harder until I reached one of his nipples, giving it a light little tweak so he gasped.
"Right," I said aloud, rubbing my thumb against the hard nub, watching Mark squirm on top of me, clenching his fists tightly, "But vampires don't write poetry, do they?" Mark bit hard into his lip, then gave up fighting and just moaned as I rolled his nipple between my fingers, smiling up at him.
"I thought-- Mmph! Vampires didn't call themselves... hahh... Vampires..." He managed, breathing hard as I left one hand behind to pinch his nipples, the other grazing down his torso and his flat stomach before I fingered the waistband of his boxers.
"Most vampires don't call themselves vampires. Right now, the word seems extremely attractive." I commented, studying Mark's expression as he writhed on top of me, arching his back as I dipped my hands into his shorts, seeking him out easily and cupping him in my hand. Mark's cheeks flushed dark with color, his lips parted as he moaned sweet little sounds.
He couldn't speak anymore and it only made me smile at how cute he was. He could portray himself as tough as he wanted, but he melted like putty in my hands. I stroked him gently, listening to him whimper and watching grind against my hand. It didn't take long for him to gasp in release, making me laugh quietly as I withdrew my hand, brushing my tongue against my fingers to taste him.
Mark just watched me, still breathing hard and blushing even more, right to the tips of his ears before he averted his eyes shyly, but I reached out, taking his chin in my hand before I pulled him down to kiss him hungrily on the mouth. I ran my hands over his shoulders and down his back to grasp his ass firmly in my hands, giving him a harsh squeeze that made him gasp against my lips.
I waited for him to get shy and pull away, but he reached up, running his fingers through my hair before kissing me back roughly. His teeth pulled at my lower lip, his fangs scraping my skin and giving it a pin prick before he sucked hard, drawing my blood out. I growled low in my throat, tugging him closer to me as I slid my hands up and down his back, savoring his warm skin against mine.
We ground our hips together, both moaning harshly into each other's mouths as a string of saliva broke between us, sliding down my chin as Mark pulled back to look down at me, panting against my lips.
"I feel like I'm on fire." He breathed, the sound of his heart pounding making me shiver as I tilted my head up, kissing him gently on the lips.
"Good. Let me be the gasoline." I replied, making Mark moan as I reached up to cup his face, capturing his lips.
Just when I thought I was going to burst right there, someone knocked on the bedroom door and I winced. Mark immediately withdrew just as the door open and he rolled off onto his side again, still breathing hard. My father paused in the doorway with a book, looking up with a smirk as I sat up, frowning at him.
"Ah, sorry, did I interrupt something?" He asked politely, glancing at Mark, who coughed a little, pulling the blankets up around him and rolling with his back to me. My father smiled, then looked back up at me as my frown deepened in irritation.
"What did you want?" I asked calmly. My father paused for a moment, glancing at Mark again before looking back at me.
"Just making sure you get some sleep. Busy day tomorrow and I don't want to take all the credit for destroying one of our world's worst terrorist groups. Now, lay your head down and sleep or else I'll drug you." He added sternly, making me grimace before he walked out the door, shutting the lights off behind him and leaving Mark and I in the darkness.
"Drug you?" Mark's voice asked in a whisper. I sighed and flopped back down into bed, pulling the blankets over me and reaching out to tug Mark against my body. I was pleased when he didn't squirm and just huddled up closer, shivering a little as I felt the goose bumps on his skin.
"He's done it before." I admitted.
"What a great dad."
"It was mostly my fault," I assured, stroking Mark's hair back from his face as my eyes adjusted to the dark so I could see Mark staring up at me, "I was an obnoxious teenager and never went to bed on time, especially before parties. I was too anxious, so he slipped something into my drink one night and I slept for hours on end. I woke up feeling refreshed, though."
"Do you love your dad?" Mark's voice sounded smaller now and I was mildly surprised by his question. I went to look at him, but he was looking at my chest now, his hands resting against my chest.
It made my chest ache. Mark's parents were dead and half of that was my father's fault. I hadn't really stopped to think of it, probably because I didn't want to. I'd feel guilty, even if it wasn't my fault. It was my father's fault for being intimidated, but I'm sure my father felt some kind of remorse knowing that I was engaged to Mark now. That his actions held no real effect now. At the same time, I'm sure Mark didn't accept my father.
No matter what nice things I had to say about my father, which could be very few sometimes, Mark wouldn't cave in and like my father. I didn't expect him too and I'm sure my father didn't either.
It was very obvious that my father liked Alexander for several reasons, some of which could be borderline perverted, but the main ones weren't. Alexander was from a powerful clan and he had been brought up for the sole purpose of being my fiance.
Other than that, Alexander had no future beyond that and I'm sure my father felt sympathy for him, maybe even empathy. At least, that's what I picked up on. I honestly didn't know what went on in my father's mind half the time. He was so secretive when it came to our past especially. One topic that I knew was taboo was the topic of my mother.
I had only mentioned her once my entire life to him and my father locked himself in his office for weeks, without speaking to me or anyone else. I couldn't tell if that was from guilt or hatred or sorrow because when he finally emerged, he was all smiles and ready to take the next step in dominating the Court of Seven.
All I knew about my mother was that she had died shortly after I was born. My assumption was the pregnancy had wiped her clean of energy. We survived on blood. And pregnant vampires needed at least three times their normal intake. She probably couldn't handle it.
But I didn't like to dwell on that.
It took me a moment to realize I had been lost in thought long enough for Mark to have slowly drifted off to sleep, his eyes closed and his lashes creating a dark curve against his pale cheek as he slept quietly. I smiled lightly and brushed the hair back from his face, resting my head on the pillow as I watched him sleep.
"Yes, Mark," I murmured tiredly, "I do love my father. I can't help it..."
I fell asleep shortly after and woke up several hours later to my father knocking on my door, calling my name and Mark's to wake us up. Mark moaned and rolled over against me, burying his face in the crook of my neck, curling up. I sighed sleepily, my arms still around him before I forced my eyes open, yawning tiredly. I slowly sat up as Mark hid his face under the blankets from the sunlight that was shining into the room.
I frowned, watching the way it fell across my arm, blistering the skin. I scowled and got up, throwing the curtains shut before turning to my wardrobe, forcing my stiff limbs to open it up and take some clothes out. I listened to Mark squirming on the bed, complaining about the noise. I just smiled lightly and took my clothes into the bathroom to shower and change. I pulled on a pair of leather black pants and a black v-neck before shrugging my leather jacket on. I came out to pull my boots on, seeing Mark slowly rising out of bed, rubbing at his eyes sleepily.
"Where're we going?" He asked drowsily, then flopped back into bed. I smiled and came over, leaning down and giving Mark a gentle kiss on his temple, brushing the hair back from his face.
"Get up soon. We're going out." I whispered. Mark mumbled something inaudible, but seemed to be trying to wake up fully, so I left him to his attempt as I went downstairs. I peered into the kitchen to see my father was already awake, leaning on the counter as Amber poured large cups of O positive blood that filled the air with a warm, powerful scent.
I then spotted Alexander standing near the sliding glass door, holding a cup of blood. His expression was tired and judging from his expression, he didn't sleep well. A bit of guilt ate away at my gut as I stepped out of the hallway, my father giving me a nod before he went back to talking to Amber about nothing in particular.
"Good morning." I greeted Alexander, who looked up with a forced smile.
"Good morning. Sleep well?" He asked politely. That was one thing about Alexander that made it very difficult to hate him. He was polite. It didn't surprise me. His parents had raised him like that and despite the fact that he was wearing a rumpled t-shirt and worn out jeans, his hair still a wild bedhead, he still looked like the perfect little doll that his parents had sculpted him into.
"Yes," I responded just as politely, "How about yourself?" Alexander kept that fake smile up and it was mildly irritating, but understandable. He was trying to act like nothing was bothering him.
The fact that his parents were basically saying they had no use for him anymore.
The fact that a vampire terrorist group had stolen his boyfriend.
Alexander was a lot stronger than I gave him credit for; and I was the cause of some of his stress. I hadn't meant to blow up on him on our escape. It was my first time breaking rules and obviously Alexander's too. Not to mention, I loved Mark. The moment I saw him I knew I did and I hated myself for it because I knew what my duty was and that was to marry a pureblood. Little did I know that Mark was a pureblood. It worked out in the end, for myself anyway.
Alexander was still struggling and I wasn't going to make it easier by being angry with him, so I just smiled.
"Pretty good. Shouldn't you be getting dressed?" I added. Alexander blinked and looked down at himself before blushing lightly, averting his eyes.
"I probably look awful." He murmured, trying to brush his hair down with his hand. I smirked, reaching out and ruffling his hair, watching some locks fall back into place.
"No. You look fine." I answered. Alexander glanced up at me, his blue eyes studying me intently. I remembered that about the first night we met. Even as a child, he had been watching me intensely as if trying to figure me out. He had been scared, sure, but curious nonetheless.
Alexander then departed for his room to shower and change while Amber left to tell her parents that everyone was awake. I walked over, picking up a cup of blood and taking a huge gulp. I sighed into the cup, relishing at the thick, smooth flavor. To me, it was like a human drinking a warm cup of coffee in the morning. The taste was refreshing and I felt the blisters from the sunlight across my arm slowly fading.
"I hope you slept." My father commented as he drank down the last of his cup before tossing it into the toxic waste basket under the sink. I glanced up from my cup, licking the blood off my lips before responding with a slight nod.
"Yes, even Mark slept." I responded. My father smiled, pleased. Of course he'd be pleased. So long as he got what he wanted. But then, I suppose all parents were like that, I thought as Alexander's parents made their appearance in the kitchen. Alexander's father, Kornelius, was decked out in expensive Armani leather and his blonde hair was slicked back from his face as he huffed on his glasses, smoothing out the fog to clean them. Beside him, his petite, but tempermental wife walked with almost the same confidence as my father. She wore dark brown jeans with Prada leather boots to match her turtleneck under a beige leather jacket.
"My, my. You look wonderful this morning." My father commented, although, I could hear the mocking tone directed at Mrs. Grey. She'd always been shrilly and demanding. She easily overshadowed her quiet and obedient husband. Kornelius could be strict and maybe even cruel at times, but it was nothing compared to his wife's.
"You look prepared." Mrs. Grey answered past a tight, plastic smile. My father just smirked, leaning against the kitchen counter. And it was a lie to say my father wasn't attractive. He was still young for a vampire as he was about fifteen when I was born. His hair was still deep black, now cut short and modern like a model with eyes like blades of ice. He wore a snug black jacket over a gray cord sweater and black leather pants that hugged his muscular figure well.
"Now we're just waiting on your son and my son-in-law." He said aloud, probably hoping they could hear him from upstairs and judging from the sound of a thump, they had heard him. Mrs. Grey's expression became pinched, but she said nothing as my father looked at Kornelius.
"Why are you wearing your glasses?" He asked kindly. Kornelius smiled.
"Just until we're out of range of humans. I can't risk being seen. The humans think my eye sight is just awful." He responded. My father grinned.
"I say you keep them. Very fitting for your face." He commented. Kornelius blushed and looked like he wanted to accept the compliment, but his wife elbowed him hard in the ribs and he fell silent, just giving a short nod. My father smiled lightly, his eyes locking on Mrs. Grey in a threatening manner, but Mrs. Grey pretended to look away as Alexander came into the room, looking cautious as he came around his parents.
He definitely fixed up, his blonde hair perfectly straight and clean, his bangs brushed across his forehead over pretty blue eyes. He wore snug black jeans, a blue plaid shirt on under a dark green jacket with a hood. He didn't say much as he entered, picking up a cup of blood and drinking it steadily.
"You look wonderful this morning." My father commented in a tone that told me he was about to break out the flirting. I rolled my eyes and drank my cup as Alexander blushed hard.
"Thank you. You too." He answered respectfully. My father smirked, then glanced at me with a look that asked how I could ever give up Alexander and I knew he'd do this every time we came in contact with him.
It's not my fault I didn't love Alexander. I loved who I loved and that was Mark, who made his entrance with Amber next.
Mark's black hair was still a bit damp from his shower, his blue eyes peering past his dark bangs that he flipped out of his face. He wore black skinny jeans and a black t-shirt under a matching loose sweatshirt. He went straight to me and I openly took his hand in mine, giving it a squeeze because I could practically hear his heart pounding in his chest from across the room. He smiled lightly, before we looked at my father, who sighed.
"Ah, now that everyone's arrived, we'll finish up drinking before we head out. I'll have William drive us halfway to Red Field. From there, we'll walk, but we must move quickly. Newell's smart and probably set someone up on the high way to make sure no one suspicious is on their way. Once we get the house in sight, I'll give each of you a job and you will do as I tell you, unless you want to end up with Zephyra at the bottom of Hell." My father tacked on with a friendly smile that made everyone in the room shift uncomfortably. We downed our cups of blood, tossing them into the toxic waste basket before we headed out to the limo.
William was waiting with the door open, staring straight ahead, just like the good servant he was. My father got in first followed my Alexander and his family, then Mark and I. William shut the door and went to the driver's seat while we got settled in. I sat to the right of my father and Alexander to his left, his arms thrown out on the seats behind either of us.
"Once we all get settled in," My father began in explanation, everyone listening intently, "I'll just need to take a look at the house before we can take action. And seeing as I'm all for team players, I want two people to be helping each other at all times, or three depending on how difficult your opponent is. If you need help, let me know and I'll do what I can. I'll be taking Newell myself, and trust me, he won't last very long. I've known him since he was... a child." My father had paused about ready to say this big, but he stopped to laugh.
"What if Newell is hiding more than just bodyguards?" I asked. My father shrugged.
"No problem. I can handle them. You just worry about the bodyguards." He informed me sternly, in a less obvious way of saying you better be careful. I nodded and sat back, linking my fingers with Mark's. His hand was squeezing mine tightly out of anxiety and I squeezed back to reassure him, making him smile uneasily.
"And Nicholas?" Alexander spoke up, making my father smile at him. He reached out, brushing Alexander's hair back from his face gently in a very obviously romantic manner.
"You can go after your human. The rest of us will be busy enough, but be careful," My father warned, pulling back his hand to hold up a finger at Alexander, who blinked, "He's been with Zephyra for who knows how long, but any time is long enough for them to convince him to join them. Don't provoke him. Once we destroy Zephyra, he should be free of his contract and can join you." Alexander looked a bit nervous, but relieved when my father smiled at him.
I almost smiled until I caught the look on Mrs. Grey's face. It was an expression that told me she wasn't going to let this go as easily as we had hoped. I narrowed my eyes in irritation and her eyes glanced at me before quickly looking at her husband, who just sat there and seemed to try and ignore useless conversation.
The rest of the ride was awkwardly silent save for my father's perverted attempts to flirt with Alexander, who squirmed, but tried to be as polite as possible. I made a mental note to make sure my father never followed me to visit Alexander again, especially if Alexander planned to get together with this Nicholas.
The limo pulled over near a rest area between Red Field and Wolf Creek, dropping us off. William and my father spoke quietly as we walked off near the woods by the children's park equipment. Mark plopped down in a swing beside Alexander, both of them just swaying.
"I'm exhausted already," Mark complained, looking up at me, pausing to yawn, "Why'd we have to get up so early?"
"It's almost noon." Alexander scowled, digging the toes of his shoes into the dirt. Mark huffed, pouting a little as he pulled back on his swing and let go to swing forward.
"Exactly. I usually wake up at, like, one. Or two. Four at the latest." He added. Alexander raised an eyebrow, but said nothing and merely shook his head as he swayed gently. I smiled, watching Mark swing.
"You can sleep whenever you like after this is over." I told him. Mark smiled comfortably at the idea, but kept his eyes down as he blushed lightly. Alexander glanced at me with a faint smile before looking away.
"All righty," My father announced, coming over and making us all look up as Alexander and Mark ceased their swinging, "Let's get going. Alexander, you know where this place is so do us the honor of leading us." Alexander nodded and slid off the swing to follow my father as I took Mark's hand, both of us walking behind them.
The woods were still rather quiet for an October afternoon. Still cold with a few leaves crusted in frost that was beginning to melt under the heat of the sun that rose overhead, disappearing every so often behind gray clouds. Twigs snapped under our shoes and small forest animals scurried to escape the aura of destruction that was at our heels.
No one said a word as we moved quickly through the woods, following Alexander as he weaved his way through the tall oaks and pines that towered over us, thankfully blocking out the sun most of the way. It would be a pity to waste all the blood we'd drank on protecting us from the sunlight.
It didn't take long before we reached a familiar trailer park, where I had previously gotten us a living meal. It made my stomach churn. I wasn't fond of draining a human, which is why I had worked hard to find a human that didn't have much time left.
Alexander led us along the road, still sticking near the woods as he scanned the streets and paused to glance at signs. We ducked into the woods again, straying from the road. We fell deep into the woods again until I spotted something just up ahead.
A large white boarding house that looked like it was ready to fall apart, or at least needed some remodeling. A couple of trucks and cars sat in the horseshoe driveway that went around the house and by a padlocked barn out back.
We didn't go any closer as my father raised his hand for us to stop. We went still, watching as my father scanned the house and the surrounding area before turning to us. We came in closer to avoid raising our voices because surely they could hear us if we spoke loud enough.
"Surround it," My father spoke quietly, pointing a finger at Mr. and Mrs. Grey, then Amber and Alexander, "I'll make my entrance. Alexander, once everyone is busy with someone, go inside and find Nicholas. Don't stop after that. Just get out as soon as possible." Alexander nodded. My father looked at the rest of us and we nodded as well before my father turned around, smiling lightly.
"Excellent. Time to make my entrance." He announced rather loudly. Everyone glanced at each other, surprised, but I knew what my father was going to do. Most military officers or combat experts would be in disbelief at the way my father walked through the woods, picking his way to the sidewalk. We quickly broke off into our places. I pulled Mark along with me as we hid near the side of the house, just barely getting a view of my father walking along the sidewalk and to the front door.
"Is he crazy?" Mark whispered against my ear, his voice very soft and almost hard to hear. I held a finger to my lip and pointed for him to watch. Mark looked at me quizzically, but obediently went silent as my father cracked his knuckles before knocking on the door.
There was silence.
A long silence before my father knocked one more time. The second time he knocked, the door blew off its hinges and flew into the house so hard, it flew through the back door as well. We snapped our heads to see both doors explode out of the house, landing on two of the cars outside.
Mark looked at me, his eyes wide in surprise. I nodded and looked up as my father went inside the house. I pulled Mark up with me as we started to creep onto the yard, ready to go inside after him when there was a strange sound.
A click that made my eyes flash. I grabbed Mark and whipped him around behind me, making him gasp in surprise as a spiked ball shot out of the woods at my face, but I pulled Mark down with me, dodging it. The spiked ball smashed into the side of the house. I jerked my head up, glaring as a man stepped out of the woods near the other side of the street. He crossed the street, waving a chain with spiked balls on it. He wore outrageously large lace up boots and a black jumpsuit under a vest. His cat green eyes were lined so thickly with eyeliner that he almost looked like a raccoon, his platinum blonde hair falling in straight locks to his shoulders as he smirked.
"Gooood mooooorning!" He sang, then swung the chain out. It ripped forward, aiming to hit my legs, but I leapt to the side and pushed Mark to the other side as the chain shot past us and the man reeled it back in. Mark was breathing hard, looking at me in disbelief as I whirled to glare at the man.
"You're going to die whether you think so or not, so we can do this the easy way or the hard way." I announced, making the man laugh as he kicked up a foot behind him in a girly fashion as he twirled the chain, the spiked balls clicking as they spun through the air.
"Nope! My job is to completely pulverize you. Not kill, but crush. And that's what I'm good at," The man called, then swung the chain into the air, revealing that it was connected to a brace on his wrist, "The name's Jasper, but you can call me Master!" The chain shot into the air, the spiked balls trembling before disconnecting. My eyes flashed as one of the balls shot toward me. I ducked to the side as it slammed into the ground. Another one went for Mark, but he spun out of the way just in time.
Jasper swung the chain around in a wide cirle, like a lasso. Another spiked ball trembled loose and shot toward me, but I ducked low to the ground as it flew over my head and into one of the cars. The sound of metal crunching against metal squealing before I looked up. Jasper swung the chain down into the ground between Mark and I, both of us taking sharp steps back to avoid the impact, rocks and dirt flying up into the air.
I cursed under my breath, narrowing my eyes.
Hurry up, Alexander.