Fate of the Blood Moon's Path (15 page)

“Who are you really?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Yes. I really want to know. I want to know why you were there when her family was killed.”

“I’m not supposed to tell you anything as it is.”

“Damn them.”

“Angel.”

“Then take me there.”

“Take you where?”

“To the Vampyre mansion.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Angel, I’m not taking you there.” He leaned in towards me to whisper even though he wanted to yell.

“It wouldn’t be my death.”

“You don’t know that.”

“They don’t want me dead.”

“Don’t they?” He asked.

“If they wanted me dead, your order would have been to kill me by now instead of following me around and spying on me.”

“The suggestion has come up.”

I rolled my eyes. “So I’m here Draven. Kill me.”

“I won’t kill you.”

“Even if it was your order? Why not?”

“Because I have fallen for you.” He ran his hand through his hair then stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked down at the ground, acting as if he were shy.

“What?” I asked him. I wanted to make sure I heard him right.

“You heard me.” He said.

“My fate is to be like my mother.” I said with a hint of sarcasm, feeling suddenly dizzy.

“It is not. Please don’t think like that.”

“I have to sit down. This is too much all at once.”

“Angel…” He walked over towards me and sat next to me.

“Of all the people you could have…”
“I only want you.” He tried to grab my hand.

“No. I’m still pissed at you. You need to tell me why?!” I turned and faced him.

“I can’t tell you.”

“I’m so sick of hearing that.” I said.

“I will have to show you.”

“Tell me.”

“Please…come here.” He motioned for me.

“No.” I scooted away from him.

“Then I will come there.” Two seconds later he was behind me, I was sitting in between his legs. His muscular arms were wrapped around me tightly.

“No…” I said trying to struggle out of his grip. He was stronger than me.

“Shhh.” He blew into my ear, and leaned his temple against mine. The world around me dissolved and went into darkness. All I felt was his arms around me. If he had a heart, I’m sure that I would feel that beating against me too. Instead, he listened to mine.

Draven.

11.

All My Past Lives.

1208.

“What does not kill me, makes me stronger.”

-Friedrich Nietzsche

“He alive?” A woman’s high pitched voice asked and I felt a poking in my side. I slowly started opening my eyes to see two long skirts covered in mud standing before me. One had a stick, whom was poking at me. I wish they’d just shut up. My head is killing me.

“I do believe he is.” The other high pitched voice said. “Thomas! Come help this young boy up!” She yelled to some man. Lady stop yelling.

“I’ma comin’.” A deep voice spoke, “He looks like he’s about to die. Let’s just leave him out here…alright, alright.”

“That’s why we need to get him to the house.”

“I know that Aggie.” Thomas said. He sounded irritated by this woman.

My world was spinning and I had no clue what was going on. Here I am laying out in the middle of nowhere covered in mud. My whole body feeling like it was on fire. Like there was no help for me. Everything around me was hazing over. The bright sun shining down was blinding me and burning my skin. I can’t remember anything. How did I get here?

The man picked me up slowly. “Get some warm water to clean him up. Looks like he’s covered in blood.”

“Yessum.” The ladies said together. I heard one of women’s footsteps perfectly clear as she ran off in the other direction.

“Why do you suppose he’s covered in blood? I don’t see any wounds.” The high pitched voice spoke again.

“Don’t know Aggie. Once we get him better we can ask all the questions we want.”

“Where is that girl with the water. We better get something in him if he’s got a fighting chance.”

“I don’t know Aggie, he looks like he had a fight with the Devil himself.”

“It won’t hurt to try.”

Again, I blacked out. After that, I heard nothing. For the longest time I thought I was dying. It felt like weeks had passed that I laid there in this uncomfortable bed listening to these peoples voices. I couldn’t move, and I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t do anything but lay there. With what they forced down my throat, which was barely anything, I was still starving for more. They were always around making sure that I wasn’t dead yet. Leave me alone.

I heard the sound of horses outside in the distance, and a carriage in tow. These people ran to their door to see who was coming. I heard the door unlatch and footsteps coming inside. Voices speaking.

“I was told that you had my boy here.” The deep musical voice spoke.

“We didn’t tell anyone we had a boy here.”

“That’s what I was told, May I?” I heard him step into the house and walk towards me.

“That your boy?” The lady asked.

“It truly is. Thank the Gods he is safe and alive.” I heard another set of foot steps come in. I suppose this was the set of foot steps that came into pick me up. My eyes opened as I was thrown over this man’s shoulder and brought out into the carriage and practically thrown into it.

“For your troubles.” The musical voice said throwing a small pouch of coins to the man who owned this house.

“Yaahh!” The driver yelled and the carriage took off.

“Oh I’m so glad that you didn’t die.” The musical voice said.

“Mmmm.” Was all that I could get out, and nothing more.

I heard this man laugh. It almost mesmerized me to the point of being paralyzed.

“Wake up boy.” A cold dark voice woke me up and I felt a jab in my side.

“Mmm.” I moaned. I didn’t want to open my eyes because of the light coming in from the opened windows.

“Robert Armond Draven.” A cool calming voice, that same musical voice that I had heard before entered with light feet. “You may wake now.”

I sat up looking around. The first thing that I saw was the window and the light coming through. Nothing but blue sky outside.

“My name is Akuma Antonin Garbaneesta.” I looked up at this tall man with pale skin, long black hair, and red eyes.

“Where am I? Where’s my family?” I asked.

“They are all dead.” He said calmly, staying in the shadows.

“What do you mean dead?” I yelled, trying to get up and falling onto the floor. I was twisted up in the sheets on the bed.

“Calm down.” The other man said while laughing loudly in his throat.

“Yes. Dead. Cease to exist. I didn’t stutter did I? Maybe I slurred my words? Or mumbled the whole short sentence together.” Akuma gave an amusing and yet annoyed look.

“How? How am I still alive? I don’t even know where I am.” I finally got myself untangled and ran my hands through my hair. “Where am I?”

“An estate in Romania.”

“Romania?” I yelled out. “I was in England.”

“Yes, you were. Boy, do you have a hearing problem? Why do I have to keep repeating myself? People like us shouldn’t have hearing problems.” Akuma was getting annoyed.

He held up his hand and motioned for the other man to leave us here.

“What do you mean, people like us?” I was getting dizzy and my vision was starting to blur badly. My legs felt as if they weren’t going to hold me up anymore. They felt like wobbly branches from a willow tree.

Akuma crossed the room ever so elegantly. Every time he moved it appeared as if he were literally floating towards his destination. His red eyes stood out the most.

“People like us. Bloodsuckers. Leeches. Parasites. Shall I go on?” He sat me down on the bed before I fell. “If I hadn’t turned you, you’d be nothing but little pieces being fed to lake eaters, you know the legends on the monsters in the deep.”

“I’m a Vampyre?” I asked, falling backwards on the bed.

“Yes, Robert. A Vampyre.”

“And the reason you only saved me is…?”

“I was given an order and I followed.”

“To turn me? I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“Of course you wouldn’t.” A very cold voice came out of the darkness in the doorway. Akuma quickly stood and bowed his head momentarily. I sat up seeing all of this through my blood shot eyes.

“Did you not feed him yet Akuma?”

“No. Sir. He’s full of questions.”

“Here boy.” He said, leaning forward, slicing his wrist with his teeth and holding my mouth open with his other hand. “Drink.”

I knew it was blood that was being forced into my throat. It wasn’t how I thought it would be. As a child if I had cut myself, I’d put my finger into my mouth to stop the bleeding. It was a disgusting metallic taste. Like chewing on a piece of metal. I suppose it was because I was a human, and humans aren’t exactly accustomed to drinking blood.

Whatever this creature was that was growing inside me, I couldn’t quite comprehend. The blood that was slowly dripping down my throat was sweet, like sugar. The realization hit me as I drank it in. I wanted more. I wanted so much more. I was turning into a monster, and a part of me was loving it. The other part that still had what was left of my human side, hated it. What choice was it that I had, now I am what I am and there is no going back.

“When he wakes. Bring him out.” This man said to Akuma.

By the time I awoke, night had fallen. I sat up slowly looking around, my throat still burning. Akuma stood silently by the window dressed out of his armor, with a robe on now.

“Sleep well, did you?” He asked.

“I didn’t know I was asleep.”

He turned towards me, “You must certainly be special.”

“Why?” I asked.

“The master never lets just anyone drink his blood.”

“The master?”
“Every Vampyre in the world answers to him. He was the first, he was the father to us all. “

“What do you mean the first? How can something like that be created?” I stood up slowly trying to ignore the burning in my throat. Akuma threw me a robe to get dressed in.

“He was a part of a Romanian tribe of warriors thousands of years ago, before Christ himself. They used to live in caves, slaughter animals to survive.” He sat down in the chair next to the windows, “His name is Lazarus Uno Tainn.” He kept staring out the window. “They never let any part of the animals go to waste. Drinking the blood and all.” He paused. “He had a lover who was a beautiful woman with long black hair and green eyes, a goddess. Well, another man from the tribe took his lover and had his way with her. He didn’t like it. Obviously, who would? He got so angry he tore out the other mans throat with his teeth, and drank his blood.”

“Drank his blood…” I slowly repeated.

“Yes, well, he thought the taste of human blood was better than that of the animals. He went on a sort of feeding frenzy killing almost everyone from his tribe. Except for those few who escaped. He finally came to his lover who he knew hadn’t really done anything wrong. He bit her, and drank her blood. I suppose there was something then that was in human blood that turned him and his lover into what we are now. But that’s how they survived.

“Where is she now?”

“She was killed a few years back. Humans burned her alive and scattered her ashes into the lake to be carried away so she wouldn’t resurrect. It was her own fault. She got to close to them and let them into our world.”

“The humans? Why can’t they be in our world?”

“You’re a fool Robert Draven. Don’t you see that they fear us? And what is not understood makes fear. They will never understand us. It can be two thousand years from now, and we will still never be understood. The humans will glamorize us and turn us into wonderful things that we aren’t.”

“Oh.” I simply said.

“Why are you so accepting?” He finally looked up at me.

“I was always taught to accept life for what it was.”

“Smart parents you had.”

“Yes. They were.”

“What did they teach you about fear?”

“To look it in the eye.” I replied, looking him directly in the eyes. He gave a satisfying grin. “How was I turned?” I asked.

“A group of rogue Vampyres we were following passed through the forest near your house, and they decided to take a short cut. Well, they found your family. You and your family were dragged to the lake. Killed and thrown in…I sensed that there was one survivor. You. Lazarus instructed to save you, turn you into one of us. And I did. I left you there on the shore while we chased the rogues. But when I came back, you were gone. So, Lazarus sent a search party. It was I that found you, and brought you back here; to your new life.” He sighed.

“I see. So both of my parents, my younger sister and my older brother were killed…” I trailed off.

“There was only your parents and sister that we found.” Akuma looked over at me.

“So my brother may still be alive somewhere?” I got excited.

“You cannot have anything to do with your human existence Robert. That part of your life is now over. As far as anyone knows, you are all dead and gone.”

I closed my eyes. “How were you turned?” I asked.

“Only a short time after him. I was a British man in Japan on a mission. He came there. I had gotten into a fight and was left at the verge of death. Needless to say, he bit me and saved me. Turning me into a Vampyre. And when I awoke from being turned, I was a savage. Slaughtering everything that crossed my path. He merely stood back and watched me do this, laughing. And that is how I earned my name from him.”

“Your name? Akuma? That’s not your real name?” I asked.