Intertwined

CHAPTER 25

Aden withdrew his daggers, pushed past Dmitri and stalked into the midst of the party. Victoria stayed with him every step of the way, head held high. That strengthened him. She could have been embarrassed to be seen with a human, but wasn’t. She’d even told her fiancé to get lost. A fiancé who trailed just a few steps behind them.

The rest of the vampires reached for Aden, attempting to touch him in some way, perhaps feeling the tug of his energy. He brushed them aside.

The closer he came to Ozzie, the more Ozzie strained against the ties that bound him, hungry for human flesh. Black saliva soon coated the gag in his mouth and dripped from the corners of his lips. Aden knew Mary Ann was watching him, wanting him to free the boy, the innocent human, but he couldn’t. He could only raise his dagger and strike.

Ozzie’s body jerked as the head detached, then stilled.

Mary Ann gasped in horror.

The vampires around him laughed.

What did Victoria think?

“Like I said, my father will punish you for this,” she told Dmitri with quiet fury. At least she wasn’t running from Aden.

Dmitri grinned. “I wouldn’t be too sure. You’ll find that many things have changed this day, princess.”

His amusement gave her pause, destroyed some of her confidence. “What do you mean?”

“You’ll see.”

Aden might have disliked Ozzie, but he wouldn’t have wished such an end for him. For anyone. Even Tucker. He had a feeling Mary Ann felt the same way, despite Tucker’s treachery. But that’s exactly what would happen if this night continued as it had begun.

“First things first,” Dmitri said, moving beside Aden. Aden felt the heat of him, but it didn’t energize him as Victoria’s did. “Your human has to be dealt with. I warned him. Free a meal and become one himself. Guards,” he called, eyes narrowing, humor fading. “Restrain the princess so that I may take care of our guest.”

Several male vampires stepped forward, but stopped when Aden raised his now-dripping blades, placing the tip at Dmitri’s throat. He knew it would not damage the vampire, not there, but a single shift of his wrist and he could nail Dmitri in his vulnerable eye.

“Touch her and this one will die by my hand.”

“And my teeth,” Riley added. He was rushing forward, Mary Ann behind him, not stopping until he reached Victoria. “The princess is mine to protect and I will let no harm befall her. Even at the hands of her betrothed.”

He left his brothers behind to protect your friends at the house and Mary Ann’s father, Elijah said. He is alone. And this, my boy, is the end I always feared for you, the evil you cannot escape. You alone will be forced to fight the monster beside you.

You can’t let yourself be killed tonight, Caleb said. You have a meeting with the witches to attend.

“I’m not going to die. Not like this.” That, at least, he knew. He still lacked those three scars on his side. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t soon be praying for death.

“Your confidence is misplaced, human,” was the angered reply from Dmitri.

Hate to say this, but I think we’re screwed, bros, Julian said. We may not die, but we’ll probably wish we had.

They were on the same page, at least.

Eve would have reassured him of his success, he thought suddenly and wanted to howl. Thankfully, the guards had not moved again. The other vampires were watching intently, even smiling, perhaps thinking this was just another of the night’s entertainments.

“My father—” Victoria began, but Dmitri stopped her with a laugh.

“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” He splayed his arms and turned. “Allow me to remedy my oversight. Everyone, if I could have your attention, please.” All eyes shifted to him. “Welcome, friends, to this magnificent occasion. I’m sure you’re wondering where the guest of honor is. Alas, though I hesitate to cast a pall on this splendid gala, I have tragic news to impart. You all know how weak Vlad has been since his premature awakening.”

No, Aden thought, sensing what was coming. No, no, no.

A tremor rocked Victoria.

“You all know that even weakened as he was, he was still a formidable soldier. Stronger, still, than most of us. Well, most of you. But not,” he said, pinning Victoria with a dark stare, “me.”

She shifted from one foot to the other, looking like the lost princess she was meant to be in that velvet costume. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying his decision to allow your human scum to live was wrong. I’m saying he should have had better control of you, for he who cannot control his own daughter has no business reigning over an entire race of vampires. I’m saying…he’s dead. Dead by my hand this very morning.” His tone reeked of satisfaction as murmurs and cries filled the enclosure. Above the sounds, though, was a whimper from Victoria.

“No. No!”

Yes, Aden thought, and I helped him. I woke Vlad. I weakened him. Would Victoria hate him when she realized that?

“Now, take heart, princess. He fought like the king he was and nearly bested me. But in the end, I won. And as his conqueror,” Dmitri said, smugger than ever, “I claim all that is his. His people. His daughter—who was always intended to be my bride. I. Am. King. I am now in control of you. A new era has begun!”

Victoria gave a violent shake of her head.

“Shall I prove it?” Dmitri clapped his hands and two vampires emerged from the side of the house, carrying a bejeweled lounge. Atop it lay a body blackened by soot, features indistinguishable. There were three rings on the left hand, all similar to Victoria’s, and an intricate crown atop the hairless head.

“No,” Victoria gasped. “Father.”

Shouts of fury rose up, but only a few, to Aden’s surprise. Most of the vampires clapped and cheered.

“I always admired your father,” Dmitri said, “but as any worthy warrior, I admired power more. I saw my opportunity and I struck. I like to think Vlad would have understood. And one day, when you have forgotten all about your human scum, you will even thank me. You need a strong hand to guide you, Victoria, and Vlad was not providing it.”

“You…You…” Nothing else would seem to fit past her grinding teeth. She was angry, yes, and perhaps in shock. How soon until despair hit her and she crumbled?

“Take them, all but the boy,” Dmitri said, and the guards sprang forward. Before Aden could react, Victoria was ripped from his side. Riley, Mary Ann and everyone else who had protested were grabbed, too. There were simply too many soldiers, overwhelming his friends.

Still. He leapt into the fray. Each of them fought with every ounce of strength they possessed. Fought and fought well, and for a moment it appeared that they would win. But no one managed to escape. Not even when Riley morphed into a wolf, biting and clawing. He simply couldn’t cut through that hardened vampire skin.

Aden used his daggers, but again, they simply wouldn’t cut that skin. He didn’t care. Determination was a fire in his blood, burning hot and true. The night would not end in defeat. Not for him, and not for his friends. He wouldn’t let it.

He was panting as he turned to Dmitri. “Let’s settle this. You and me. Here and now. Winner takes all.”

Dmitri grinned slowly as Victoria shouted a denial. Her guards held her immobile or she would have returned to Aden’s side, he was sure. “I was hoping you would say that, human.”

Before Aden could blink, the vampire was on him. Limbs tangled as they propelled toward the table, knocking it and Ozzie’s body to the ground in a loud crash. Aden lost his hold on one of the knives. They rolled, the vampire pinning him down and going for his throat. Thank God for the armor, for it stopped those razor-sharp teeth from hitting their mark.

Arms free, Aden jabbed the remaining dagger into Dmitri’s eye. The action was unexpected, and therefore no attempt was made to stop him. His opponent screeched an unholy sound, blood pouring, glittering and fizzing, and Aden cringed, his eardrums probably bleeding, as well. Some of that blood dripped into his mouth and he spit it out automatically. Some managed to trickle down his throat, anyway. And it burned, oh, did it burn.

Reaching out blindly, Dmitri raked his claws over Aden’s face. Skin and tissue opened, blood poured, and he released a howl. The vampires around them breathed deeply, collectively, probably savoring both his human blood and Dmitri’s vampire blood, and inched closer for a taste.

The blood he’d swallowed, even the minute amount it must have been, must have been working through him, because those wounds soon stopped hurting. But before he could rise, attack, Dmitri was back on top of him, the dagger gone and out of reach, teeth biting at his face, biting at his armor, searching for the weak points. Aden worked his legs between their bodies and pushed. Weak as Dmitri now was, the vampire flew backwards.

Aden stood, lunged. Sensing him, Dmitri swung out his arm, claws moving beneath the armor and into his side. Sinking past skin, into that blistered muscle and bone. Hissing, Aden fell. Spotted the discarded dagger and grabbed it. On his feet a moment later, he dodged to the left and plowed it into Dmitri’s ear. There was another unholy screech, this one nearly causing his head to explode.

Dmitri jerked, flailed, clawing at Aden’s grip. Soon there was no skin left on Aden’s hand, but Dmitri never stilled; he kept fighting, kept flailing. Aden had to end this. Soon. How did one kill a vampire? As Victoria had once told him, the well-known stake through the heart thing wouldn’t work because a stake couldn’t penetrate their skin. Only the je la nune was able—the je la nune! he thought. Yes.

“Victoria!” he shouted.

She knew what he wanted, jerked her arm free and tossed him her ring. There was only a little bit of the liquid left inside, but he managed to slide the blade from Dmitri.

“This all you got?” Aden taunted. “I thought you were strong. I thought you were—”

As he’d wanted, Dmitri backhanded him and he went flying. Even though he’d expected it, though, it still hurt, nearly dislocating his jaw. He didn’t get up, just waited, allowing the liquid from Victoria’s ring to drip onto the metal. He didn’t have to wait long. The enraged vampire flew at him, close, so close…Aden merely raised the knife and allowed Dmitri’s weight and momentum to do the rest.

The vampire’s skin instantly melted, the silver piercing his heart.

There were more screams as Dmitri bucked against him, screams so pain-filled, so agonizing, Aden cringed deep in his soul. Then the screams faded and the body stopped flopping.

As the surrounding vampires gasped in horror, Aden removed the head before the body could rise and fell back, panting, sweating, bleeding. The gasps changed to groans, then to murmurs of disbelief and anger. Then there was only stunned silence.

“Aden,” Victoria called, struggling for freedom.

“Let her go,” he told the guards, not even having the strength to glance over at them. Wouldn’t have mattered, anyway. He was so dizzy he was losing vision with every second that passed.

A moment later, he was the one who was stunned. They obeyed without protest, and Victoria rushed to his side, her face hovering above his. She used one of her still-wet nails to cut her wrist and held it to his mouth. This time, he didn’t even think about refusing. Without her healing blood, he would fall, crash, vulnerable to those around him, leaving his friends equally vulnerable.

Her blood was hotter than before as it joined Dmitri’s, burning through him, consuming him, killing him, helping him rise from the ashes of his former self, new and strong. In a few hours, he would see the world from Victoria’s eyes. What about Dmitri’s? Now that the vampire was dead, there would likely be nothing to see.

Guess he would have to wait and find out. There were more important things to worry about right now.

“I’m sorry about your dad,” he told Victoria, reaching up and thumbing her soft cheek. The dizziness was fading and he could see how pale she was. Paler than normal.

“Thank you.” She was trembling, though not as much as before the battle. “But it’s you I was most concerned about. Dmitri is—was—a vampire warrior and you, well, are not. I’m just glad you’re okay. I thought I had lost you.”

A movement behind her caught his eye. The vampires were now bowing in his direction.

He frowned and whispered, “Uh, Victoria. What are they doing?”

She glanced over at them and grimaced. “With the death of my father, Dmitri was indeed king. But you just killed Dmitri, which means…”

“No way.” Strong now, he pulled himself into a crouch and shook his head. “Absolutely no way.”

“Yes way. My king.” Riley knelt and bowed his head, just like the others. Only Mary Ann remained standing. She was clutching her middle and eyeing the vampires with distaste. “We now live to serve you.”

Ridiculous. “Get up, Riley, and stop acting that way. Go free Tucker.”

“Yes, my king,” Riley said, rushing off to do as he’d been told. This was too weird. Riley was obeying even though he hated Tucker. Aden should have been pleased. Anyone else would have been, he was sure. Instead, he found himself shouting.

“Stop that!” He didn’t want his friends treating him any differently, and he certainly didn’t want to control the fate of these people. People he didn’t know, a race he knew little about.

“Aden,” Victoria said.

His attention returned to her and he cupped her face in his hands. “Be honest with me. Are you okay? I never would have wished a parent’s death on you, even if it meant losing you.”

“I know you wouldn’t have,” she said softly. “I wasn’t close with my father, but I did respect him and I will mourn his passing. But throughout my long years, I have seen death after death. Lost loved one after loved one. I know my sadness will pass.” She brushed a strand of hair from his temples. “The only thing I could not live without is you. And now, you can free my mother from her confinement. You can summon her, bring her here.” Each new word brought a wider smile.

The only thing I could not live without is you. Words he would cherish. As for her mother, absolutely. He wasn’t a king, for God’s sake, but he would do whatever was necessary to reunite mother and daughter. Guess that was a new hobby of his.

He stood, dragging Victoria up with him, then winced and grabbed his side. Clearly, not all of his injuries had healed.

She frowned, instantly concerned. “What’s wrong?”

“I was cut and didn’t know it.”

Frown deepening, she helped him out of his armor. Meanwhile, the vampires remained on their knees. Waiting for his command to rise? He wasn’t about to issue one, not that he believed they would listen to him. Him, king? Please. Until he learned more about them, and how they would treat Victoria—she’d brought him, Dmitri’s killer, to the party, after all—he was keeping his distance.

When he was free of the armor, Victoria raised the hem of his shirt. Her horrified gaze lifted to him. “Oh, Aden. I’m so sorry.”

“What is it?” He looked down, not knowing what to expect—and that’s when he saw them. Three gashes on his right side. Deep, red and raw.

Eyes wide, she covered her mouth with her hands. “Dmitri must have had the liquid on his nails when he slashed you.”

“What does that mean for me, a human?”

She gulped. “Aden, you’re going to scar.”

That was all? He grinned. “That doesn’t upset me, I swear. I have plenty of…scars.” The last emerged as a whisper. Understanding had dawned. Three scars on his right side. Just like in the vision Elijah had given him of his own death.

“Oh, Aden!” She threw her arms around him and held tight. He couldn’t see her face, it was buried in his neck, but he knew she was crying, the warm droplets landing on his shoulder.

His death was that much closer.

“How much time do we have left?” he asked.

I wish I knew, Elijah said.

A year, perhaps? Maybe months. It would be soon, though. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

“It’ll be okay,” he told Victoria, and he wished he believed it. For the moment, though, he would do whatever was necessary to make it true. “We have plenty to do before I die. We have a fairy to kick out of the ranch. Maybe Shannon can help with that. We have a witches meeting to attend—” because there was no way he would allow his friends to die for missing it “—a town to save from flesh-hungry creatures, and souls to free.”

His vampire princess smiled slowly. “You’re right. This will be okay. I wouldn’t have believed it before today, but now I see that anything is possible.”

They stood as Mary Ann and Riley joined them, Tucker propped up by one of Riley’s muscular arms.

“Thank you, thank you, hurt so much, thank you,” Tucker babbled. “Hurt, hurt, thank you.”

“Just make sure you take advantage of this second chance at life,” Mary Ann said as Riley wrapped his free arm around her waist. “It’s time to clean up your act. You’re going to be a father.”

Only time would tell if he would take the advice or not, Aden mused. Only time would reveal what happened to all of them. And only time would tell how Aden’s life would change now that he was supposedly in charge of the entire vampire society. Not that he had any plans to rule.

His gaze roved over his friends and he nodded in sudden satisfaction. In awe.

He had begun this journey in a cemetery, alone except for the voices in his head, and now he was beginning the next with friends at his side. A guy couldn’t ask for more than that.