Chapter 5 Chapter Five
Briar watched from the railing high above Brooke by her side,Vampire nobles filing into the throne room one by one.
“That's Kieran.”said Brooke gesturing to a vampire male with white hair as he sat sipping from a cup that Briar knew contained blood. The metallic smell was everywhere. In fact the whole castle positively reeked of it.
“He’s dangerous.”
Briar gave her a look.
“I'm serious,”Brooke said. “He's not your regular vampire. He's one of the only few vampires that can hear thoughts. Even the other nobles know to steer clear of him.”Briar’s eyebrows raised and in that moment Kieran looked up at them smirking.
“Hello, ladies." said a sultry male voice in her head.
"See?”
They jumped back startled.
Brooke had been giving her a little history of the nobles that had been coming in. Her and Brooke had spent a lot of time talking and catching up. She told Briar all about the curse–how it made them age like mortals and die. How the things that affected them before were useless against them now. How it was harder to control their bloodlust.
Briar huffed a breath. She had to admit she was nervous. She had spent most of her life training on how to hunt them and five years of actual killing. She was hardly ever at the mercy of anyone. Now she had to stand before them and watch them decide her fate. Screw Brooke for making her do this.
Alaric came up beside her his hands gripping the railing. Azriel went to Brooke and kissed her. Briar felt a surge of revulsion she was fighting so hard to hide. Brooke had told her she fell in love with Azriel when he was helping her as a newly turned vampire. Briar took the story in with as much acceptance as she could muster. She wondered if she should spill that Azriel had tried to kill her knowing who she was.
“Are you ready?” Alaric said.
She nodded burying her apprehension. It was just a meeting with a few of the undead. How hard could it be?
Briar was seated next to Alaric at the head of the table. They were sixteen in total–twelve vampires representing each vampire clan including Alaric, the head of all the clans with a clan of his own then her, Brooke,Azriel and Tobias who she learned was Alaric's right hand.
A female vampire clad in red,breasts nearly spilling from her corset, set her gaze on her. Briar could see the black veins from the curse. They all had it. For some it had already spread to their faces and arms. She remembered Brooke telling her the female's name was Velina.
“Thank you human for agreeing to help us.” Her voice was smooth, husky.
“My name is Briar and I'm doing it for my sister.” she said stiffly.
Kieran chuckled blood dripping down his chin and Velina gave a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
“That's enough. Tobias, tell Briar what needs to be done.”said Alaric.
Tobias looked to her from where he sat opposite her. He leaned forward as he spoke.
“To break the curse, we would require your living blood. That's why we can't kill you. We also need you to be willing else we would have coerced you. Believe me we've tried.” Alaric shot him a sharp look which he pointedly ignored.
“The only way to break the curse is through a blood ritual at Kora's tomb and for that we'll need three other things besides your blood. An ancient spell, ashes of one of the first vampires to be affected by the curse and a moonstone.”
“The ancient spell can only be performed by witches but centuries before, vampires and witches used to live in harmony. They gave us this realm of eternal night and in turn we protected them. Which means we know some of their old practices. Well some of us.”
“And by some of us, you mean you I presume?”
“Precisely.” He said with a grin his fangs catching the candlelight.
“Anyway, we do not have their magic and that's where the moonstone comes in. We'll need a source of power to break the curse. We do not have it. It's kept safe in the heart of the witches’ fortress. Of course we've been trying to get it for a while now but they've been successful in keeping us out. And with the curse weakening us, we decided to leave it be.”
“But now that I'm here, you want me to help you to get it.” She said carefully.
“Not alone of course. But yes. You're human, making it easier for you to get past their defences and get us inside. When we get the moonstone, we'll go to Kora's tomb and break the curse.”
The entire table was silent watching her. She looked at Alaric, his red eyes burning with something she couldn't quite decipher and didn't want to dwell on.
She shrugged. “When do we leave?”
“As soon as possible.” A male on the far side of the table said. “I'll give a few of my soldiers.”
“Thank you, Cenred"Alaric said, tilting his head
“I should come with you guys.”Kieran said, propping his legs on the table.
“What for?” Tobias said, visibly annoyed.
Kieran raised a shoulder elegantly. “My powers will be useful in an ambush such as this.”
“We don't need…”
“He's right.” Alaric said, cutting Tobias’ words. “As much as it pains me to say, we'll need him.
Tobias said nothing more but Briar could sense he was seething.
“It's settled then. We'll leave in two days. This meeting is adjourned.”
That night as Briar lay in bed, she was woken from her slumber by her door creaking open slowly. Her heart jutted but she remained still pretending to be asleep. Her nostrils caught on a scent, musk but with a tang of rot. Her eyes flew open to see red ones staring back at her. It was Kieran.
“Hello pretty bird.”
She screamed and he held his hand over her tightly. “Hush. We wouldn't want anybody to hear us now would we?” His voice was laden with compulsion and Briar found herself not being able to make a sound.
He licked her neck, slowly sucking on it.
“You smell so good.” He said as his fangs grazed her neck. Alarm spiked through her. She started kicking and struggling wildly wanting to get him off.
Kieran thrust her neck roughly to the side and bit her. He groaned. She let out a soundless cry,feeling his venom weakening her.
Before she knew what was happening, Kieran was yanked off her and thrown across the room, his back hitting the wall with a sickening thud.
Alaric, shirtless, carried stalked over menacingly and pinned him to the wall, choking him.
“Are you mad!” He snarled.
Kieran only laughed, coughing and clawing at Alaric's hands.
Tobias rushed in.
“Sire, stop!”
Alaric growled before letting Kieran drop to the floor.
“Sorry Alaric I couldn't resist.”
Tobias rushed to his side to pick him up.
“You’re an idiot you know that?”
They left the room leaving only her and Alaric.
“Are you alright?”he asked, walking back to her bed. She held her neck,trying to stop the blood from seeping out too much. Alaric sat cautiously on her bed. “Let me see.”
Every human instinct in her told her not to bare her bloody neck for him but she did anyway. He stared at her neck, nostrils flaring, throat bobbing.
He placed a hand over her neck and muttered something she didn't quite catch. She felt the wound closing up and when she touched it, she could only feel a slight bruise.
“How did you do that?”
“It's a simple spell the witches taught us to use whenever we fed. But…it's not used often.”
She scoffed, shaking her head.
His chest was heaving slightly and the veins on them caught her eyes. They flickered softly.
“Do they hurt?”
“Why don't you find out?”
She smirked and placed a palm on his chest. He grunted in pain. They did hurt.
“They faded when you drank my blood the last time. Now it looks like they've multiplied.”she said, tracing them softly.
Briar knew she was pushing her luck teasing him like this but hell if she wasn't enjoying it. And from his heated gaze he looked like he was enjoying it too.
“That was only temporary. It'll always come back unless the curse is completely broken.”
“Hmm. Have some.” She said parting her neck to the side and baring her neck.
“Briar…”
“I insist. Besides, you look like you need it.”
Alaric swallowed, looking conflicted. His fangs so much it looked painful. Then slowly, he lowered his mouth unto her neck giving the bruise Kieran left a small lick. That was the only warning she got before he sank his teeth in her. He let out a sound of pleasure and Briar let out one too. Alaric drinking her blood was the most erotic thing she'd ever felt in her life.
Aside from the pain in her neck, her body singed with pleasure. Her nipples hardened and she had to clench her thighs to quell the pleasure coursing through her. She was already soaked and he hadn't even touched her properly. He sucked on her neck like a man starved, small noises of pleasure coming from the back of his throat. This was different from Kieran's. This was something else. His teeth sank further, completely latching onto her skin and pain warred with pleasure in Briar's body.
She whimpered , tugging on his shirt as she began to feel lightheaded. He pulled back, a dazed look in his eyes, panting softly with blood trickling down his chin. The darkened veins on his chest looked almost completely gone.
“You okay?” he asked, wiping his mouth.
Briar had just experienced one of the most pleasurable moments of her life. She was practically aglow with it. Briar was more than okay.
“Yes.
” Was all she said even though she didn't want it to end. This was going to be a problem. A very big one.
