The Darkness Within, page 3
ON SUNDAY, IT RAINED—A rarity for the immortal world on Etherya’s Earth. They lived in a mostly temperate climate, filled with warm, sunny days and soft breezes. Darkrip liked to jog around the Vampyre compound of Astaria, usually charting a path through the open meadows that separated the cabins by the walls. Today’s weather wouldn’t afford him that, so he decided to convey to the gym inside the barracks at the main castle.
Immediately, he gritted his teeth when he materialized. The scent of innocence and purity threatened to choke him. Goddamnit, he was extremely annoyed with this almost daily occurrence of being forced to be in her presence.
Arderin was off to the side, her bare feet on a purple yoga mat that sat atop a larger blue gymnastics mat. The wall mirror beside her showed her reflection, and he clenched his jaw. Just what he needed. The ability to see her gorgeous body from multiple angles. Mentally cursing, he stalked toward the treadmill.
Eyes closed, her legs were stretched wide and straight as she bent at the waist, showing him a front-and-center view of her vagina, had her black yoga pants not been covering it. Earbuds hung from her ears, and he assumed she was listening to some human garbage. She must have sensed him because her body tensed, and she opened her eyes. They locked onto him through the V of her outstretched legs, her head hanging upside down, her black curls held into a messy bun that almost touched the floor. Ice-blue eyes pulsed with anger.
Straightening, she turned and pulled the buds out of her ears. “What in the hell are you doing here? Are you watching me?”
“I came to use the treadmill,” he said, gesturing to it with his head. “It’s pouring outside.”
“Well, it looks to me like you came to gawk at me while I do yoga. You scared the crap out of me.”
Slowly, he approached her, closing the ten-foot distance between them. “Good. You should be scared of me. It worries me that you’re not more so. I’m extremely dangerous.”
She rolled those dazzling eyes. “Oh, please. My brothers would gut you if you touched one hair on my head.”
He smiled, loving how she always threatened his slaughter at the hands of her hulking brothers. Although they were fierce, his powers were far superior. “Would they? I imagine I’d snap their necks before they even had time to try.”
Fury crossed her features, and her nostrils flared. “Don’t threaten me or my brothers. I’ll tell Miranda, and you’ll be gone so fast you won’t even remember you were here.”
Breathing a laugh, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t think so, princess. You all need me a lot more than I need you. Let’s get that straight.”
“I don’t need you for anything, you son of a bitch.”
Lifting an eyebrow, he contemplated. “Hmmm. I actually think you do. I need to find my sister and convince her to kill my father. Without that, none of you will ever have peace. So, yeah, I think you need me, you ungrateful brat.”
“Don’t call me names,” she said through clenched teeth. “I’m so tired of you treating me like shit.”
Inhaling a deep breath, he studied her. Little splotches of red darted the smooth skin of her cheeks. She had a few tiny freckles across her nose, and he wondered why he’d never noticed them. “I don’t mean to,” he said after a pause, “but you drive me insane. You’re always so combative with me.”
Her mouth opened in shock. “I’m combative with you? You’ve threatened to rape me and shove your...thing...in my mouth. That’s extremely fucking rude. Are you serious right now?”
Feeling the corner of his mouth turn up in a mischievous smile, he chuckled. “I guess you’re right. That is pretty rude. You’re just so infuriating.” His eyes darted over her face. “I also told you that you were one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met, and I think you could rule the planet. Or do you only remember the bad things?”
“I remember,” she said, her tone sullen. “But I didn’t believe you when you said them. I thought you were trying to trick me into leaving you the hell alone.”
“I was,” he shrugged, “but that still doesn’t make what I said less true.”
They stared at each other, two wary opponents deciding whether or not to let down their guard.
“I have ten minutes of yoga left. Do you want to come back when I’m done?”
The thought of someone as powerful as he changing course for someone like her equated to capitulation in his mind. He would never let her win like that.
“No, I’ll just jog now if you don’t mind sharing the gym with me. I’ll leave you alone.”
“Fine,” Arderin said, replacing one of her ear buds. “But don’t watch me. It makes me uncomfortable.”
“I won’t,” he lied, knowing he’d never be able to keep his eyes from darting to her perfect, yoga pant-clad body. “What are you listening to?”
“Hailee Steinfeld. She’s awesome. Her songs are so empowering.”
“Never heard of her.”
“Well, you probably didn’t get much exposure to human pop music in the Deamon caves.”
Laughter bubbled up and he shook his head. “No. My father was too busy torturing and raping to get his jam on.”
She gave a sad smile, a subtle compassion shining in her sky-blue eyes. Not wanting her to feel any sort of emotion for him, he harshened his tone. “Go on. I’ll leave you alone.”
Giving him a proper scowl, she replaced her other earbud and resumed the yoga. Hopping on the treadmill, he set the pace on the electronic screen. Beginning to jog, he noticed that he could see her out of the corner of his eye. She was now balancing on one leg, her opposite foot placed on her inner thigh, her hands together in prayer in front of her chest.
Good. She’d better pray he never acted on his ridiculous attraction to her. If he ever did, he was afraid for her life. Touching one cell of her body would render him unable to let go, and the consequences would be disastrous. Of that, he was sure. Picking up the pace, her scent surrounded him as he ran, wishing he could so easily run from her.
Chapter 3
Monday morning, Arderin rose, thankful for the gorgeous sun after yesterday’s downpour. Wanting to stretch in the sunlight, she threw on her yoga clothes and headed to the barracks. After grabbing her mat from the gym, she headed outside to the hill that sat under the elm tree. She knew it to be Sathan’s favorite place, beautiful and serene, and offering a nice view of the main castle.
Opening her mat, she sat cross-legged and closed her eyes, straightening her spine. She’d started doing yoga a few years ago, spurred on by the energetic and inspiring human yoga instructors she followed on Instagram. It filled her with a sense of calm—a good thing for someone as dramatic and passionate as she. Inhaling deeply, she reveled in the warmth of the shining orb above. The glowing sun shone on her skin and Arderin basked in the simmer. After living in the darkness for so long, it felt magnificent.
Vampyres had only regained the ability to walk in the sun recently. Etherya had cursed them to live in the darkness for a thousand years due to the War of the Species and their raids on the Slayers for their blood. Now that Sathan and Miranda had united the tribes once more, Slayers freely banked their blood, and huge barrels showed up daily. Smiling, she thanked Etherya, showing her gratefulness.
Vampyres needed to drink what equated to ten pulls from a vein every two to three days or they would perish. Since drinking directly from a Slayer’s vein would afford the Vampyre the ability to read that person’s thoughts and feelings, as long as the Slayer’s blood coursed through them, Arderin’s father had outlawed direct drinking before the Awakening. Sathan had continued the ban, now that the species were reunited, although she knew he drank from Miranda’s vein when they mated. Her fiery sister-in-law was possessive of her brother, and Arderin was pretty sure she wouldn’t let any blood inside him but her own.
Arderin was so proud of Sathan, although she was slightly annoyed with him at the moment. It was the usual pattern they’d fallen into since Arderin longed to be a doctor. She’d always been fascinated with healing, feeling it a noble profession. When Nolan, Astaria’s physician, had come to live on their compound over three centuries ago, she had become his student, her curious and eager mind soaking up everything he could teach her.
It was hard for Sathan to understand her desire to heal since Vampyres possessed self-healing abilities. She understood that. But now that Slayers lived at Astaria and more would be moving to their satellite compounds in the future, there was a need to have more than two physicians in the land of immortals. She’d been begging Sathan to let her train in the human world for centuries. They were extremely proficient at medicine, and the Slayer doctor, Sadie, had trained there throughout the past few centuries, off and on.
Arderin smiled as she thought of Sadie. She’d become one of her best friends. She was extremely kind and always up for learning about all of the human pastimes Arderin loved. Although humans were pretty much useless, and unaware of the immortals’ existence on Etherya’s Earth, they produced some amazing music and technology. She always enjoyed helping Sadie use Instagram or find an awesome filter on Snapchat. Since her friend was badly burned on half her body, she was self-conscious about her appearance. Wanting to cheer her up, they always snickered when they found the filters that made them look so cute in their selfies.
Standing, Arderin reached to the sky, beginning her half-moon poses. Her brothers, Lila and Miranda would all be on the train to Uteria by now. They had called a meeting of the combined Slayer-Vampyre council to discuss what Sathan and Latimus had discovered in the archives at Valeria. The Vampyres kept separate records there lest Astaria be raided by the Deamons, although the chance was small. Etherya had erected a protective wall around Astaria, wanting to safeguard Sathan after their parents had been killed. Also, Latimus was a kick-ass warrior who would never let those bastards in.
Shifting into a dancer’s pose, she stretched toward the sky, looking toward the hills in the distance. Darkrip’s cabin sat out there, and her face scrunched into a scowl. Bastard. He’d scared the crap out of her when she’d found him watching her in the gym yesterday. As was always the case when he was near, her heart had slammed in her chest and proceeded to pound as she verbally sparred with him.
She didn’t know why she was so affected by him. He was evil, the child of the Dark Lord, and she tried her best to hate him. But he was also Miranda’s half-brother, Slayer blood coursing through his muscular body along with the vile Deamon blood. Although she felt his darkness, he also possessed a pulsing energy that sizzled. Drawn to it, she was always enraged by their vocal scuffling and, if she was honest with herself, a bit aroused.
Lowering to her knees to begin camel pose, she cursed herself, hating that she was attracted to someone so contemptible. But he was exceedingly handsome and always so well-dressed. How someone raised in the Deamon caves could develop a love for Italian loafers and expensive, tailored clothing was a mystery to her. Yet, his firm body was always draped in attire that accentuated his toned frame.
Deep green eyes, the color of olives, always seemed to melt as he chided her. His lips were thick and full, and she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t imagined them nibbling on her own. Or maybe somewhere else. Hmmm. Dark, buzzed-cut hair sat atop his pointed ears, inherited from his father. They should’ve disgusted her, reminding her of what he was, but she always had the urge to lightly clamp on them with her teeth for some insane reason.
She’d never told anyone of her attraction to him. It was pointless, as she’d never act on it. He was a monster, regardless that Miranda believed his good side overrode his malevolent one. Arderin would never believe that, considering the way he treated her.
Knowing that she wanted to train in the land of humans, he’d offered to transfer her off the compound many times...for a price. He had the ability to transport her to the ether, and once through, he could convey her anywhere in the human world. Until now, she’d rejected his offers. She was pretty sure what his price would be and vowed that he would never touch her.
Sitting, she stretched her legs in front of her, grabbing her big toes with her two longest fingers and pulling. Finishing her set, she leaned back on her arms, breathing in the blue sky. It glowed with stripes of ocean blue, ice blue and every shade in-between. The streaks formed a gorgeous tapestry that she hadn’t seen since she was so very young. Only three years old during the Awakening, Arderin had grown accustomed to only seeing the daylight sky in her dreams. The splendor above her was remarkable.
Sighing, she watched the clouds. Loneliness threatened to choke her, and her eyes welled with tears. Everyone seemed to have a purpose but her. They were all so happy while she struggled with her inability to get Sathan’s blessing or assistance to travel to the human world.
He wanted her to focus her efforts in the Vampyre kingdom, since she was royalty and had a responsibility. Sathan felt that her duties should entail helping him and the governors of the other compounds mobilize their people. Being quite social media-savvy, he wanted Arderin to organize the younger subjects of the kingdom and enroll them in projects that would better their world. But she truly felt in her heart that the path to helping her subjects would be through medicine. What if Heden wanted to go to the land of humans? Would Sathan forbid him? Anger simmered as she stewed, contemplating the answer.
A red bird landed on the grass beside her mat, and she called to it. “Hey, little bird. Are you enjoying the sun?”
It studied her, shifting its tiny head back and forth several times.
“Me too. Although I wish I had someone to enjoy it with. Maybe we can enjoy it together.” The bird flew away, symbolizing her inability to be anything but alone.
Arderin wanted to be in love so badly. Seeing her brothers in love was amazing and she longed to feel the same. Sadly, very few men of the kingdom had ever expressed interest in courting her. Narrowing her eyes, she contemplated why. She was attractive—this, she knew to be true. The belief didn’t stem from arrogance, just a knowledge of the basics of bone structure and general appearance. Her features were perfectly placed, her nose angular and pert, her cheekbones pronounced. Ice-blue eyes formed a pretty contrast with her raven-black, waist-length curls. Looking down her body, she admitted she was lucky in that she was lithe and slender. So, why in the hell was no one interested?
She’d had a handful of suitors in the past. All aristocratic men, none of whom she’d even come close to falling in love with. Being a passionate person, she’d had some epic make-out sessions, but had never let anyone get past second base. Eventually, each man had tried to push her toward bonding and having children, neither of which she’d been ready for. Perhaps that was why she had so few prospects. The men of the kingdom who wanted to start a family had figured out that she was a waste of their time.
Or maybe they were scared of her brothers. After all, Sathan was king, and Latimus was the most powerful soldier who had ever walked the planet. Pretty intimidating for a would-be suitor. Seeing her brothers so happy had her reconsidering her desire to settle down and she hoped some of the handsome men of the realm would grow a pair and court her. The prospect of finding someone to love and start a family with didn’t seem as daunting as it once had.
Her friend Naran, whom she’d known forever, had been trying to court her lately, although his attempts were so lame. He always asked her to dance at their royal parties, so formal and meek. Feeling the corners of her lips turn up, she found herself wishing he would spar with her like Darkrip did. Now, that would be interesting. Instead, the man just bored her to tears. Too bad. She was so tired of being a virgin, and thought she might do the deed with him, if she wasn’t so afraid of falling asleep right in the middle.
Snickering to herself at the thought of drooling in slumber while her dull friend attempted to bone her, she rolled up her mat. Strolling back to the main house, she deposited it in the gym and showered in her chambers. Once dressed, she plodded down the grand spiral staircase from her second-floor bedroom and through the now-unused dungeon. Once past the cells, she found Nolan, looking through a microscope, clad in his always-present white lab coat.
“Hi,” Arderin said, approaching him. “Whatcha got today? Are we close?”
Turning, he smiled at her, the ever-present twinkle in his kind brown eyes. “We are. The skin seems to be regenerating to about eighty percent with our current formulation of Vampyre self-healing blood, saliva, Slayer blood, CBD and essential oils. It’s a huge advancement but the last twenty percent is elusive.”
“Hmmm,” she said, bringing her fingers to tap on her chin. “What else could we possibly need?”
Nolan leaned back on the counter, crossing his arms. “As we’ve discussed, I think the only way we can get to one hundred percent is by getting the cell regeneration formula from the genetics lab that we identified in Houston. Unfortunately, I can’t go to the human world to get it, and if we send Sadie, we’ll blow the surprise.”
Arderin nodded, the wheels in her mind turning. Nolan was an anomaly. A human that lived in the immortal world, he’d tried to save Sathan from an injury over three centuries ago and accidentally discovered their hidden part of Etherya’s Earth. The goddess had given him a choice: immortality in the land of Vampyres and Slayers, unable to ever rejoin the land of humans, or death. He’d chosen immortality, something that Arderin was grateful for. Although she suspected he was lonely in their world, she cared for him immensely and ingested the medical knowledge he gave her like a parched traveler in a dry desert.
“I really don’t want to ruin the surprise,” she said, feeling her eyebrows draw together. “Sadie is such an amazing person who does so much for everyone else and never thinks of herself. I want us to be able to give this gift to her so badly. But the formulation has to be perfect.”
“I agree,” he said with a nod. “I’m excited to do something nice for her too. It’s been wonderful to work with another physician, and she’s phenomenal.”
Immediately, he gritted his teeth when he materialized. The scent of innocence and purity threatened to choke him. Goddamnit, he was extremely annoyed with this almost daily occurrence of being forced to be in her presence.
Arderin was off to the side, her bare feet on a purple yoga mat that sat atop a larger blue gymnastics mat. The wall mirror beside her showed her reflection, and he clenched his jaw. Just what he needed. The ability to see her gorgeous body from multiple angles. Mentally cursing, he stalked toward the treadmill.
Eyes closed, her legs were stretched wide and straight as she bent at the waist, showing him a front-and-center view of her vagina, had her black yoga pants not been covering it. Earbuds hung from her ears, and he assumed she was listening to some human garbage. She must have sensed him because her body tensed, and she opened her eyes. They locked onto him through the V of her outstretched legs, her head hanging upside down, her black curls held into a messy bun that almost touched the floor. Ice-blue eyes pulsed with anger.
Straightening, she turned and pulled the buds out of her ears. “What in the hell are you doing here? Are you watching me?”
“I came to use the treadmill,” he said, gesturing to it with his head. “It’s pouring outside.”
“Well, it looks to me like you came to gawk at me while I do yoga. You scared the crap out of me.”
Slowly, he approached her, closing the ten-foot distance between them. “Good. You should be scared of me. It worries me that you’re not more so. I’m extremely dangerous.”
She rolled those dazzling eyes. “Oh, please. My brothers would gut you if you touched one hair on my head.”
He smiled, loving how she always threatened his slaughter at the hands of her hulking brothers. Although they were fierce, his powers were far superior. “Would they? I imagine I’d snap their necks before they even had time to try.”
Fury crossed her features, and her nostrils flared. “Don’t threaten me or my brothers. I’ll tell Miranda, and you’ll be gone so fast you won’t even remember you were here.”
Breathing a laugh, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t think so, princess. You all need me a lot more than I need you. Let’s get that straight.”
“I don’t need you for anything, you son of a bitch.”
Lifting an eyebrow, he contemplated. “Hmmm. I actually think you do. I need to find my sister and convince her to kill my father. Without that, none of you will ever have peace. So, yeah, I think you need me, you ungrateful brat.”
“Don’t call me names,” she said through clenched teeth. “I’m so tired of you treating me like shit.”
Inhaling a deep breath, he studied her. Little splotches of red darted the smooth skin of her cheeks. She had a few tiny freckles across her nose, and he wondered why he’d never noticed them. “I don’t mean to,” he said after a pause, “but you drive me insane. You’re always so combative with me.”
Her mouth opened in shock. “I’m combative with you? You’ve threatened to rape me and shove your...thing...in my mouth. That’s extremely fucking rude. Are you serious right now?”
Feeling the corner of his mouth turn up in a mischievous smile, he chuckled. “I guess you’re right. That is pretty rude. You’re just so infuriating.” His eyes darted over her face. “I also told you that you were one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met, and I think you could rule the planet. Or do you only remember the bad things?”
“I remember,” she said, her tone sullen. “But I didn’t believe you when you said them. I thought you were trying to trick me into leaving you the hell alone.”
“I was,” he shrugged, “but that still doesn’t make what I said less true.”
They stared at each other, two wary opponents deciding whether or not to let down their guard.
“I have ten minutes of yoga left. Do you want to come back when I’m done?”
The thought of someone as powerful as he changing course for someone like her equated to capitulation in his mind. He would never let her win like that.
“No, I’ll just jog now if you don’t mind sharing the gym with me. I’ll leave you alone.”
“Fine,” Arderin said, replacing one of her ear buds. “But don’t watch me. It makes me uncomfortable.”
“I won’t,” he lied, knowing he’d never be able to keep his eyes from darting to her perfect, yoga pant-clad body. “What are you listening to?”
“Hailee Steinfeld. She’s awesome. Her songs are so empowering.”
“Never heard of her.”
“Well, you probably didn’t get much exposure to human pop music in the Deamon caves.”
Laughter bubbled up and he shook his head. “No. My father was too busy torturing and raping to get his jam on.”
She gave a sad smile, a subtle compassion shining in her sky-blue eyes. Not wanting her to feel any sort of emotion for him, he harshened his tone. “Go on. I’ll leave you alone.”
Giving him a proper scowl, she replaced her other earbud and resumed the yoga. Hopping on the treadmill, he set the pace on the electronic screen. Beginning to jog, he noticed that he could see her out of the corner of his eye. She was now balancing on one leg, her opposite foot placed on her inner thigh, her hands together in prayer in front of her chest.
Good. She’d better pray he never acted on his ridiculous attraction to her. If he ever did, he was afraid for her life. Touching one cell of her body would render him unable to let go, and the consequences would be disastrous. Of that, he was sure. Picking up the pace, her scent surrounded him as he ran, wishing he could so easily run from her.
Chapter 3
Monday morning, Arderin rose, thankful for the gorgeous sun after yesterday’s downpour. Wanting to stretch in the sunlight, she threw on her yoga clothes and headed to the barracks. After grabbing her mat from the gym, she headed outside to the hill that sat under the elm tree. She knew it to be Sathan’s favorite place, beautiful and serene, and offering a nice view of the main castle.
Opening her mat, she sat cross-legged and closed her eyes, straightening her spine. She’d started doing yoga a few years ago, spurred on by the energetic and inspiring human yoga instructors she followed on Instagram. It filled her with a sense of calm—a good thing for someone as dramatic and passionate as she. Inhaling deeply, she reveled in the warmth of the shining orb above. The glowing sun shone on her skin and Arderin basked in the simmer. After living in the darkness for so long, it felt magnificent.
Vampyres had only regained the ability to walk in the sun recently. Etherya had cursed them to live in the darkness for a thousand years due to the War of the Species and their raids on the Slayers for their blood. Now that Sathan and Miranda had united the tribes once more, Slayers freely banked their blood, and huge barrels showed up daily. Smiling, she thanked Etherya, showing her gratefulness.
Vampyres needed to drink what equated to ten pulls from a vein every two to three days or they would perish. Since drinking directly from a Slayer’s vein would afford the Vampyre the ability to read that person’s thoughts and feelings, as long as the Slayer’s blood coursed through them, Arderin’s father had outlawed direct drinking before the Awakening. Sathan had continued the ban, now that the species were reunited, although she knew he drank from Miranda’s vein when they mated. Her fiery sister-in-law was possessive of her brother, and Arderin was pretty sure she wouldn’t let any blood inside him but her own.
Arderin was so proud of Sathan, although she was slightly annoyed with him at the moment. It was the usual pattern they’d fallen into since Arderin longed to be a doctor. She’d always been fascinated with healing, feeling it a noble profession. When Nolan, Astaria’s physician, had come to live on their compound over three centuries ago, she had become his student, her curious and eager mind soaking up everything he could teach her.
It was hard for Sathan to understand her desire to heal since Vampyres possessed self-healing abilities. She understood that. But now that Slayers lived at Astaria and more would be moving to their satellite compounds in the future, there was a need to have more than two physicians in the land of immortals. She’d been begging Sathan to let her train in the human world for centuries. They were extremely proficient at medicine, and the Slayer doctor, Sadie, had trained there throughout the past few centuries, off and on.
Arderin smiled as she thought of Sadie. She’d become one of her best friends. She was extremely kind and always up for learning about all of the human pastimes Arderin loved. Although humans were pretty much useless, and unaware of the immortals’ existence on Etherya’s Earth, they produced some amazing music and technology. She always enjoyed helping Sadie use Instagram or find an awesome filter on Snapchat. Since her friend was badly burned on half her body, she was self-conscious about her appearance. Wanting to cheer her up, they always snickered when they found the filters that made them look so cute in their selfies.
Standing, Arderin reached to the sky, beginning her half-moon poses. Her brothers, Lila and Miranda would all be on the train to Uteria by now. They had called a meeting of the combined Slayer-Vampyre council to discuss what Sathan and Latimus had discovered in the archives at Valeria. The Vampyres kept separate records there lest Astaria be raided by the Deamons, although the chance was small. Etherya had erected a protective wall around Astaria, wanting to safeguard Sathan after their parents had been killed. Also, Latimus was a kick-ass warrior who would never let those bastards in.
Shifting into a dancer’s pose, she stretched toward the sky, looking toward the hills in the distance. Darkrip’s cabin sat out there, and her face scrunched into a scowl. Bastard. He’d scared the crap out of her when she’d found him watching her in the gym yesterday. As was always the case when he was near, her heart had slammed in her chest and proceeded to pound as she verbally sparred with him.
She didn’t know why she was so affected by him. He was evil, the child of the Dark Lord, and she tried her best to hate him. But he was also Miranda’s half-brother, Slayer blood coursing through his muscular body along with the vile Deamon blood. Although she felt his darkness, he also possessed a pulsing energy that sizzled. Drawn to it, she was always enraged by their vocal scuffling and, if she was honest with herself, a bit aroused.
Lowering to her knees to begin camel pose, she cursed herself, hating that she was attracted to someone so contemptible. But he was exceedingly handsome and always so well-dressed. How someone raised in the Deamon caves could develop a love for Italian loafers and expensive, tailored clothing was a mystery to her. Yet, his firm body was always draped in attire that accentuated his toned frame.
Deep green eyes, the color of olives, always seemed to melt as he chided her. His lips were thick and full, and she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t imagined them nibbling on her own. Or maybe somewhere else. Hmmm. Dark, buzzed-cut hair sat atop his pointed ears, inherited from his father. They should’ve disgusted her, reminding her of what he was, but she always had the urge to lightly clamp on them with her teeth for some insane reason.
She’d never told anyone of her attraction to him. It was pointless, as she’d never act on it. He was a monster, regardless that Miranda believed his good side overrode his malevolent one. Arderin would never believe that, considering the way he treated her.
Knowing that she wanted to train in the land of humans, he’d offered to transfer her off the compound many times...for a price. He had the ability to transport her to the ether, and once through, he could convey her anywhere in the human world. Until now, she’d rejected his offers. She was pretty sure what his price would be and vowed that he would never touch her.
Sitting, she stretched her legs in front of her, grabbing her big toes with her two longest fingers and pulling. Finishing her set, she leaned back on her arms, breathing in the blue sky. It glowed with stripes of ocean blue, ice blue and every shade in-between. The streaks formed a gorgeous tapestry that she hadn’t seen since she was so very young. Only three years old during the Awakening, Arderin had grown accustomed to only seeing the daylight sky in her dreams. The splendor above her was remarkable.
Sighing, she watched the clouds. Loneliness threatened to choke her, and her eyes welled with tears. Everyone seemed to have a purpose but her. They were all so happy while she struggled with her inability to get Sathan’s blessing or assistance to travel to the human world.
He wanted her to focus her efforts in the Vampyre kingdom, since she was royalty and had a responsibility. Sathan felt that her duties should entail helping him and the governors of the other compounds mobilize their people. Being quite social media-savvy, he wanted Arderin to organize the younger subjects of the kingdom and enroll them in projects that would better their world. But she truly felt in her heart that the path to helping her subjects would be through medicine. What if Heden wanted to go to the land of humans? Would Sathan forbid him? Anger simmered as she stewed, contemplating the answer.
A red bird landed on the grass beside her mat, and she called to it. “Hey, little bird. Are you enjoying the sun?”
It studied her, shifting its tiny head back and forth several times.
“Me too. Although I wish I had someone to enjoy it with. Maybe we can enjoy it together.” The bird flew away, symbolizing her inability to be anything but alone.
Arderin wanted to be in love so badly. Seeing her brothers in love was amazing and she longed to feel the same. Sadly, very few men of the kingdom had ever expressed interest in courting her. Narrowing her eyes, she contemplated why. She was attractive—this, she knew to be true. The belief didn’t stem from arrogance, just a knowledge of the basics of bone structure and general appearance. Her features were perfectly placed, her nose angular and pert, her cheekbones pronounced. Ice-blue eyes formed a pretty contrast with her raven-black, waist-length curls. Looking down her body, she admitted she was lucky in that she was lithe and slender. So, why in the hell was no one interested?
She’d had a handful of suitors in the past. All aristocratic men, none of whom she’d even come close to falling in love with. Being a passionate person, she’d had some epic make-out sessions, but had never let anyone get past second base. Eventually, each man had tried to push her toward bonding and having children, neither of which she’d been ready for. Perhaps that was why she had so few prospects. The men of the kingdom who wanted to start a family had figured out that she was a waste of their time.
Or maybe they were scared of her brothers. After all, Sathan was king, and Latimus was the most powerful soldier who had ever walked the planet. Pretty intimidating for a would-be suitor. Seeing her brothers so happy had her reconsidering her desire to settle down and she hoped some of the handsome men of the realm would grow a pair and court her. The prospect of finding someone to love and start a family with didn’t seem as daunting as it once had.
Her friend Naran, whom she’d known forever, had been trying to court her lately, although his attempts were so lame. He always asked her to dance at their royal parties, so formal and meek. Feeling the corners of her lips turn up, she found herself wishing he would spar with her like Darkrip did. Now, that would be interesting. Instead, the man just bored her to tears. Too bad. She was so tired of being a virgin, and thought she might do the deed with him, if she wasn’t so afraid of falling asleep right in the middle.
Snickering to herself at the thought of drooling in slumber while her dull friend attempted to bone her, she rolled up her mat. Strolling back to the main house, she deposited it in the gym and showered in her chambers. Once dressed, she plodded down the grand spiral staircase from her second-floor bedroom and through the now-unused dungeon. Once past the cells, she found Nolan, looking through a microscope, clad in his always-present white lab coat.
“Hi,” Arderin said, approaching him. “Whatcha got today? Are we close?”
Turning, he smiled at her, the ever-present twinkle in his kind brown eyes. “We are. The skin seems to be regenerating to about eighty percent with our current formulation of Vampyre self-healing blood, saliva, Slayer blood, CBD and essential oils. It’s a huge advancement but the last twenty percent is elusive.”
“Hmmm,” she said, bringing her fingers to tap on her chin. “What else could we possibly need?”
Nolan leaned back on the counter, crossing his arms. “As we’ve discussed, I think the only way we can get to one hundred percent is by getting the cell regeneration formula from the genetics lab that we identified in Houston. Unfortunately, I can’t go to the human world to get it, and if we send Sadie, we’ll blow the surprise.”
Arderin nodded, the wheels in her mind turning. Nolan was an anomaly. A human that lived in the immortal world, he’d tried to save Sathan from an injury over three centuries ago and accidentally discovered their hidden part of Etherya’s Earth. The goddess had given him a choice: immortality in the land of Vampyres and Slayers, unable to ever rejoin the land of humans, or death. He’d chosen immortality, something that Arderin was grateful for. Although she suspected he was lonely in their world, she cared for him immensely and ingested the medical knowledge he gave her like a parched traveler in a dry desert.
“I really don’t want to ruin the surprise,” she said, feeling her eyebrows draw together. “Sadie is such an amazing person who does so much for everyone else and never thinks of herself. I want us to be able to give this gift to her so badly. But the formulation has to be perfect.”
“I agree,” he said with a nod. “I’m excited to do something nice for her too. It’s been wonderful to work with another physician, and she’s phenomenal.”
