Broken (29 page)

My dearest Genny,

It's a girl. She was born this morning; I didn't bother to hold her and didn't care about the name though I'm told it is Melinda. I've yet to reveal that I know the child isn't mine. That is my secret to have and when the time is right, I will use it.

May 23
rd
, 2064,

My dearest Genny,

It has taken over a thousand years but Anna has been removed from my life, hopefully forever…

Anna looked up at him as he closed the door between their rooms and leaned against it. She straightened away from the crib where Melinda lay, curled up on her side with her thumb in her mouth. She was a beautiful child with her mother's golden hair and dove gray eyes. Atticus barely glanced at her though as he focused on Anna.

He'd seen the troubled look in her eyes often since he'd begun to exert his presence over those within the palace more forcefully. He still progressed cautiously with his plans but with his age, and the fortress he had created, he'd risen further into the role of
the
leader. He'd been nominated the head of The Council just last month. There were still more steps to take but the biggest one stood across the way from him now.

She was well loved by everyone; her death would be a blow to them all, when it came, but for her death to occur she couldn't be within these palace walls. It
had
to be the humans or at least it had to appear to be the humans that ended her life.

The apprehension in her eyes grew as she folded her hands before her and continued to stare at him. He imagined that part of her unease around him was because he hadn't touched her since she'd revealed her pregnancy to him. They'd kept up their pretenses in public but in private there was nothing between them anymore, finally.

"Milord?" she asked hesitatingly.

"It's time for you to leave the palace." The color drained from her face so rapidly that even her lips paled. It felt freeing to be able to talk to her so bluntly. She wasn't his wife and she never had been. His fingers brushed over the ring tucked into the pocket of his shirt, when Anna was gone he'd be free to wear the ring of his true wife.

"Milord," she squeaked. "I don't understand."

"Oh but I think you do. You are going to leave here, you are going to take that child with you, and you are going to do so without protest."

She looked as if he'd slapped her but fire began to burn in her eyes as she glanced at the toddler staring at them from her crib. A mother bear protecting her young. "I will do
no
such thing. You have no reason to cast me aside in such a way. The people will turn on you, they'll see you for the monster you are!"

Atticus released a harsh bark of laughter. "They haven't seen for over a thousand years and neither have you. The people love you, I'll admit it, but they won't be able to blame me when they learn of your infidelity."

Her eyes flickered with fear but her jaw remained thrust forward. "Such a baseless accusation will not stand."

He advanced on her so quickly that she never saw him coming until he was pushing her against the wall and pinning her there. "I
cannot
abide a liar Anna." Those words seemed so strange coming from him, the biggest liar of them all, but there had always been a reason for all of his lies. "So why don't you just drop this charade of yours. That child is
not
mine."

"That's not…"

Atticus slammed his hands against the wall beside her head, causing her to jump in response. "Do
not
lie!" he bellowed.

Tears formed in her eyes as she shrank away from him and the child began to cry. "I'm sorry! It was only one time!" she gushed out. "Please, you must forgive me milord!"

She grabbed hold of his arms. A ripple slid over his skin, his stomach turned as bile surged up his throat. He threw her hands away from him. "Don't
ever
touch me again!" he snarled at her.

Her eyes widened, her lower lip began to tremble. She grabbed for him again but seemed to change her mind as her hands fell limply back to her sides. "Atticus please forgive me, I was just so lonely. All of our children were grown, we barely speak anymore, my father is dead, my sister is dead. I had
no
one else!"

Jane had been killed in a plane crash five years ago while going back to visit Italy. He'd expressed his condolences to Anna but he hadn't spoken to her about it since then.

"I don't care," he said flatly and straightened the edges of his jacket. "If you take that child and leave without complaint I won't reveal that she isn't mine. I'll allow her to come back one day to take her place amongst the court. She will have a life, but you will not continue to have one amongst these walls. If you put up a fight or deny the truth, I will kill the child." Anna's hand flew to her mouth; she shook her head in denial. "Do not doubt it for a second."

It was a lie. If his plans went right neither of them would live long enough for the girl to be able to come back to the palace, but he wasn't going to reveal that to her. "Atticus…"

"Pack your things; you are to be out of here before nightfall."

He turned on his heel and walked toward the door separating their rooms. "Where will we go?" she whispered.

"I've had a home set up for you in the woods, far from here. You will be taken care of and you will have servants, but you will not be welcome amongst your peers again."

"Like you haven't lain with countless others over the years!" Her voice, shrill with terror, caused him to wince.

A cruel smile curved his mouth when he looked back at her. "I can assure you that
every
woman I've lain with over the years has always been the same one in my mind, and it wasn't you. Nor are there any women walking around with my bastards."

There was still no color in her face but she thrust her shoulders back and lifted her chin defiantly. "You're a heartless prick to throw us out like this."

He released a chortle of laughter and turned to walk back to her. She stepped protectively in front of the crying child. Atticus grasped hold of the crib rail on either side of her and leaned closer. His nostrils flared as he savored in the distress wafting off of her in acrid waves of sweat.

"I'm a
soul
less prick dear, get it right," he informed her before turning and walking back to the dividing door.

"Aren't you even going to ask who the father is?" she blurted as he opened the door.

"I already know and if you tell him that I know, I can assure you they will be the last words you ever utter." He closed the door between them and threw the lock into place.

It was three hours later when he escorted her down the stairs and into the grand entranceway. Anna kept the child pressed against her chest and her head held high as she was paraded past everyone. Gideon stepped forward first; his hazel eyes narrowed as he looked from Atticus to Anna.

"Do you not want a trial?" he inquired. Anna shook her head and glanced down at Melinda. "Are you not going to deny these accusations?"

"No," Anna said quietly. "I'm not."

Gideon's jaw clenched, his eyes flickered between him and Anna, but though he looked like he wanted to protest further, he shook his head and stepped away. They continued down the main entranceway past Braith, Caleb, Natasha, and Jericho but no one else offered a protest. The vampires within may not like the way she was being treated but infidelity wasn't to be tolerated from a still married woman that had no open understanding with her husband. He handed Anna over to the waiting contingent of guards that were to take her out of the palace. The crowd that had gathered began to disperse, he heard the whispers growing amongst them, the disbelief, but Anna had offered no protest against his accusations.

Could it be true
? They all speculated and not so secretly.

Atticus refrained from smiling, though inwardly he was alive with pleasure as he turned and walked back to the stairwell. He could already feel the interested gazes of the women following him but he'd just gotten rid of one woman he'd never wanted in his life, he wasn't about to pick up another one.

***

March 20
th
, 2075,

My dearest Genny,

It is done; Anna is dead and the child is presumed so. I feel no compunction about having had Anna or the child slaughtered. There are always sacrifices to be made and it is such a relief to have her out of my life forever.

The time for war has come. There were some on The Council that voted down the idea. They'll pay for that when the war is over, but the rest have decided that they've had enough of being held down in this world, enough of being slaughtered due to the human's ignorance and stupidity. They've also agreed that for the war there should only be one leader. Due to my age, lineage, and the stronghold of this palace they have agreed that I should be king for the time being.

I will not be giving that position up.

I've made many strategic moves over the years to acquire an armory that could shatter this world. I have established a number of humans amongst positions of power over the past fifteen years throughout the world. I financed their campaigns, made them what they are, and even placed one in the White House. It's amazing how quickly they were willing to sell out their beliefs and principles for a chance at more wealth and power. They didn't know they were making a deal with the devil, that they still are, but they will push the right buttons and make the right moves when they are told to do so.

Though some of them know what I am, they are still willing to help me in this war in exchange for a position of even more power and money after it is over. I will fulfill my promises to them; they will after all be needed as food when all is said and done. As much as I'd like all humans dead, even I am not insane enough to think that could be possible, we would all starve.

My goal is so close at hand that I can taste it, I'll finally have my revenge. It will finally be over. The first of the massive bombs will go off today; there will be nothing left except for what I have chosen there to be, which are certain colonies within this nation. I sent men to look for Camille last year, I haven't heard back from them as I told them not to return. They were to stay with her if she was located and take her to a safe location. I hope they found her but even if they didn't, I must move forward.

December 29
th
, 2082,

My dearest Genny,

It's finally over. The blitz attack we leveled upon the humans didn't give them much of a chance but for a weak and spineless race, they lasted longer than I had expected and there are still some stragglers living like the vermin they are, in and amongst the surrounding forests. We had many casualties too. Some lines were completely eradicated, including the Champon line. It was a big loss but we will recover.

Other humans have become our servants and slaves, and some have positions of power within the town. They are foolish enough to think they are important but if they are willing to help keep the other humans in line then let them act how they will. I'm sure they know their necks could be snapped on a whim.

Due to the technological leaps and bounds the humans had made over the years, I was able to have a series of chains made that will keep the humans enslaved to us for as long as we have a use for them. Which won't be long. I have also established places where the rebellious ones that are not claimed as slaves will be taken to be drained immediately of their blood. There is no reason to keep them alive if no one wants them, but it would be foolish to waste their blood by just killing them outright.

I thought I would feel better after this war ended. I thought somehow winning this war would help to appease this monster inside of me now that you have finally been avenged. I think I feel even more hollow inside now than I ever did before. There is nothing left for me to fight for; I have no reason to continue. Everything, every horrific, unforgiveable thing I have ever done has brought me to this moment of absolute nothingness. What do I do now?

I feel like such a fool. I thought I'd feel you around me more when I finally succeeded, I thought somehow…

I don't know what I thought but I am consumed by the nothingness even more now than when I was working toward avenging your death. I'm unraveling unbelievably fast. I think they can all see the insanity in me now but then I am barely trying to hide it anymore. What is the point? I am the king, my laws will be obeyed, and those that have stood against me will pay.

It's all I have left to live for, there is nothing more. I am no coward though; I will not end my own pathetic existence. I will continue on until everyone that has ever wronged you or I have been punished.

***

"Merle," Atticus greeted.

His cousin looked up at him as Atticus stepped into the room with him. At the far end of the hall sat a massive gold throne he'd had created and positioned on the dais. Merle stood by the table that took up nearly the entire length of a room that was easily half the size of a football field. He had big plans for that table and this sparkling, pristine room.

"Your majesty," Merle greeted with a brief bow of his head.

Atticus closed the doors behind him before moving leisurely into the room. He didn't smile at his cousin; there was no reason for pretenses anymore. "You didn't think I should have my position though, did you?"

Merle's jaw clenched. "I saw no reason for the war and the slaughter just because of a woman. You did not even care for Anna."

"It was the principle of it. Humans have driven us from every land; they've hunted and persecuted us at every turn. They've taken more from us than I am willing to give anymore. They took the only woman I ever
did
care about from me."

Merle's jaw clenched, his nostrils flared as his gaze ran over him. "Has this always been about Genny then?"

Before the war he would have denied it, he didn't bother to do so now as he walked to the end of the table closest to the throne. He turned back to Merle when he reached the end. "Of course it has. Every move, every action, every
thought
has been about her. Just as it will be for the rest of my existence."

"You
have
gone insane over the years," Merle breathed in realization.

Atticus laughed and rested his right hand on the table. "I've been that way since the day she died, cousin. I've just been
extremely
good at hiding it. Actually, I never bothered to hide it from any of the countless humans and vampires I've slaughtered over the centuries. Those years in the desert, oh those years," he said in a savoring tone of voice as he tilted his head back to stare at the thick wood beams above him. "Some of the best years of my life, after Genny of course. The things I've done, the things I've
seen
. They'd make even the most hardened of vampires cringe."

"You're admitting to crimes that are punishable by death."

"Not according to my rules," Atticus said with a laugh. "Anna is dead because of me; that was another part of my plan."

This part of the confession rattled Merle enough that he took a cautious step back. "You're heartless."

"Me?" Atticus said with a snort of laughter. His fingers trailed across the smooth surface of the table as he began to approach his cousin. "You allowed Anna to walk out of here with
your
child and you didn't even offer a word of protest. You sat and voted not to go to war even though you thought it was the humans who attacked your only heir and her mother."

Merle took another step away, he glanced toward the closed doors but they both knew he would never get to them in time. "And let's not pretend you didn't know Melinda was yours," Atticus continued. "Blood knows blood; it's how I knew she was yours. She couldn't
possibly
have been mine but I sensed a piece of my own blood within her. It didn't take me long to realize that the difference in her blood was a piece of my
cousin
. My own children wouldn't recognize the difference in her blood unless they were looking for it and they would have no reason to. Not when she has her mother's blood in her too and they share blood with you too, not when I didn't disavow the child like I could have. You allowed your lover's death to go unavenged, and have done nothing to find out if your daughter is still alive. Who is more heartless now?"

Merle stopped retreating when Atticus stopped five feet away from him. "If I had come forward and claimed the child as mine you would have had us all killed."

"So you just let them walk away to save your own hide?"

"To save
them
," Merle shot back.

Atticus released a harsh bark of laughter. "Are you going to pretend you cared for them?"

Merle's eyes flashed red; Atticus could hear his teeth grinding together. "It was
one
night Atticus, it was a mistake."

"Those were Anna's words too."

"Because they are true!" Merle cried in frustration. "We both regretted it after, but she was lonely and you know my weakness for beautiful women."

"I do," he agreed.

"We are not as close as we once were but you are still my family. You are still the one that saved my life all those years ago; you are still the one that was more like a brother than a cousin to me when we were younger. I know that somewhere inside there is still a piece of you that remembers all of that. A part of you that
wasn't
destroyed when Genny was. I regretted what occurred with Anna as soon as it was over and so did she."

Atticus studied him before nodding. "You're wrong you know; there is nothing of me that exists from that time when I was with Genny. It was
all
destroyed the day she died." Merle bristled; his shoulders went back as he widened his stance defensively. "But I actually believe you when you talk about Anna. For all of her faults she wasn't a loose woman and you never could turn down a beautiful face."

Merle laughed and visibly relaxed as he ran a hand through his hair. "No, I couldn't."

"That's why I am going to make something
extremely
clear here. I don't care that you slept with my wife. Let's face facts, I care more for the dogs in the alleys than I ever did for that woman and the two of us aren't close anymore. I once told Camille that I would walk over your body to burn the world, and how many years ago was that?" Atticus could feel the fire growing in his eyes, the power throbbing through his veins as excitement for what was about to happen thrummed through him. "No, I hope you enjoyed Anna, I certainly never did. What is about to occur is because of the fact that you voted against me for this war."

The color drained from Merle's face. "Atticus…"

"I can take many things, but family doesn't go against family. My father learned that the hard way when I killed him." A strangled sound escaped Merle's throat as he took another step away. "He had Genny killed you know. He was the reason the humans razed that village. He set her up to die and I made him pay for it."

Atticus tapped a finger against his chin as he stared at his cousin's horrified face. "I guess I learned my scheming, undermining ways from him but I'm
much
better at it than he was. He ended up being
my
dinner the night that I killed him and now, you will be too."

With those words, Merle turned and spun on his heel. Atticus laughed as he watched his cousin bolt across the swirling gray marble floor toward the double wooden doors. Even if Merle managed to get to those doors and unlock them, Atticus knew he would never escape him. Merle had to know the same thing but he was still determined to try.

Atticus ran ten steps forward before leaping into the air and lunging himself across the rest of the room as Merle made it to the doors. Merle had just flung the first lock free when Atticus landed on his back and brought him down beneath him. The force of his body crashing onto the solid floor caused Merle to grunt loudly. Blood exploded from his nose, but he managed to get his hands underneath him as he attempted to try and dislodge Atticus.

A bubble of laughter swirled within Atticus's chest at his cousin's useless attempts. He wrapped his arm around Merle's neck and squeezed with the force of a steel vice. Merle clawed at his hands as he bucked and kicked beneath him but Atticus kept him pressed against the floor with his weight and superior strength.

He was still laughing when he sank his fangs into Merle's neck. A howl of pain escaped Merle, his hands slapped backwards behind his head as he desperately fought for his life. Merle didn't have the bloodline that he did, but he was still old and powerful and putting up a fight. One that Atticus relished in. It was so rare that he found any competition with his prey anymore, so rare when he found any joy in anything, but he relished in Merle's potent blood and the life force filling him. Relished in finally ending the last man who had known him with Genny, who had known the man he had been and should have always been if life hadn't been so cruel. Who knew what a disappointment and twisted freak he'd become. He relished in severing his last bond to his shattered life and broken dreams.

Shoving upward with his hands, Merle managed to flip him and Atticus over. Atticus's arms wrapped around his chest keeping Merle pinned against him while Merle kicked and squirmed across the floor. Merle's fingers tore at his skin, spilling his blood, but Atticus continued to laugh as he drained his cousin's blood in greedy, gulping pulls that filled him with even more power. So much power and it was
his
.

Merle's movements became sluggish but he continued to try and beat at Atticus's arms. The flow of blood filling his mouth began to ease, Merle's arms fell at his sides as his struggles finally ceased. Atticus continued to drain him until he was near death. There wasn't enough strength within Merle to put up a fight anymore but he wouldn't die, not as long as he was occasionally given at least a little bit of blood. That was something Atticus fully intended to do, his father had gone too fast, but the vampires and humans that would one day fill this room wouldn't know such a merciful death.

Releasing Merle, he shoved his cousin off of him and rose to his feet. He straightened his rumpled shirt and pants before bending to grab Merle beneath his armpits. With the ease it would have taken for one to pick up a plate, he lifted Merle from the ground and propped him up in a chair. Gleeful laughter escaped him when Merle's blue eyes rolled toward him but he remained too weak to move in the chair. Merle's cheekbones stood out sharply against his sagging skin. His flesh had taken on a sickly yellowish hue from the lack of blood in his system.

Atticus rested his hands on the arms of the chair as he bent down to peer into his cousin's eyes. "This is the way my father was before I lit his manor on fire. Unfortunately, I had to cover up the evidence of what I had done to him too soon, but you will be here for centuries to come. Remember though, that what I am doing to you is still kinder than the hell that I live in every day."

Releasing the arms of the chair, Atticus turned away from him. His shoes clicked on the marble floor as he walked to the throne at the end of the room. He settled himself onto the chair, lifted his goblet of blood and took a sip. Grim satisfaction filled him as he raised a toast to his first trophy.

The war and vengeance he had finally succeeded in accomplishing hadn't succeeded in easing the monster inside of him. Death and blood still did though and there was plenty of that to be found in this world. It was all he had left anymore.