The Two Kings (Afterlife Saga) (123 page)

“Are you not coming? I could escort you back to our chamber
.
” He said in
nocently enough that anyone who
didn’t know him would have thought these words from a choir boy.

“Oh no, I’m not failing for that one! Put me and you in the same room as a bed and we
’
re bound to fail into it
.
” I remarked confidently.

“Or be pushed
,” h
e teased.

“Besides
,
I think I’ll stay out here a little longer, I need the air
.
” He knew my full meaning behind it and laughed heartily.

“Me and you both. Very well, I will go but do not stay out her for too much longer, it is cold
.
” I nodded and started to remove his jacket but he shook his head.

“No please, keep it
,
I want to know at least part of me is wrapped around you
.
” He leaned down, placing the tips of his fingers under my chin and kissed me lightly on the lips as if not daring to go any deeper in case he lost all control.

“When you have finished here, please go straight to our room, many of my new guest
s
do not know of you yet and need to be warned. Will you wait for me?” I nodded making him drop his hold under my chin.

“Good girl. Till later then
.
” One more quick kiss and he was gone.

I stood on the balcony trying to catch my breath in the cold night. It was so peaceful despite the evening
’
s events. I tried to process everything that had happened and although it was easier to deal with guilt and regret, I found it hard to fully feel those emotions freely. I am glad that I was strong enough not to care for once in my life. I was glad that I had stood up for what I believed in, no matter what the consequences. Well at least one thing was for sure, Jack was no longer fooled and I had a feeling he would make those feelings known to me soon enou
gh. I could almost see the sorrow
pouring out of his eyes as he stood holding my limp cousin in his arms. It also looked like he would have liked to have swapped places with Vincent and be the one holding me. Of course all of this meant was that sooner or later I was going to have to have it out with my cousin and when it happened I would just have to pray for control. I couldn’t let myself get like that again.

I took a deep breath and felt better when the icy air shocked my body. The night was so crisp and clear, my breath looked like smoke. I shuddered and pulled Draven’s jacket closer round my body breathing in his scent. I could have passed out taking it so much. It was like nothing I have ever encountered before. So distinct, so manly, I could have bathed in it and found release.

I wasn’t sure how long I stood out there, going over and over in my mind the different possibilities tonight had caused. But when I’d had
too much of persecuting myself
to the point of purgatory, I decided enough was enough. I turned on my heels and made my way back inside.

The doors opened to a buzzing nightlife of such an array of characters that my eyes were like saucers taking everything in. Some so normal looking they could have been people waiting at the bus stop to get home from work. Others looked like they had just walked off a monster movie set! Although I wasn’t allowing myself to see their true nature, (as I think I would have been scared shitless) they were still frightening in their own right. Mostly down to the eyes and the clothes they wore.

On o
ne table
, they were all
wearin
g long black jackets, like highway robbers from the Wild W
est. Although they were without the cowboy hats they still manag
ed to keep hold of the pointed, leather
toed boots that were tipped with silver. All five of them had beards only in different styles. Some plaited, others twisted into two points. One had it so long that it rested on the table
next to his drink. It was quite
ironic seeing as none of them had even one single hair on the
ir
smooth, bald heads.

Another table was made up of all women, which up until now, had been unusual for the VIP. They were utterly and stomach wrenchingly beautiful. They all wore very dressy evening g
owns that made the VIP seem as though
it had turned into a cruise liner for the evening. Almost every female had their best dress on, I was sure. Suddenly I felt like running back onto the balcony and dealing with the cold for the night. It would have been easier than standing here feeling like the pauper amongst kings and queens. I looked down at myself and almost felt so plain that I would disappear at any moment. Thankfully
,
I had taken Draven’s jacket off before walking in here or I would have looked like I had stolen it from someone. Despite being massive on me, it was obviously something I would have never been able to afford. After all I was still just a waitress. Draven’s fortune didn’t affect me in the slightest. I wasn’t with him for money and the fact that I wouldn’t let him buy me anything, was more fun because I got to see his aggravated expression.

I had it folded over my arm and
decided to leave it at the bar i
n
case he needed it for any reason. Karmun seemed to have his hand
s
ful
l
and I was in two minds whether or not to give him a hand. He had multiple trays all lined up ready to be picked up by the constant stream of waitresses coming to collect. There seemed to be a few more additions for tonight and I felt left out. I mean
,
I understood that Draven wanted me to be safe, but what would happen? Another Layla incident? I didn’t think so.

“Hey honey, I didn’t know you were still here?” I don’t know why but he sounded both shocked and strained when he said this. It was odd coming from him. I put it down to the extra stress of the night. It wasn’t usually this busy up here, which made me realise, downstairs was very quiet compared, which was usually the other way around. I turned round briefly and noticed the lights downstairs were out and there wasn’t a body in
sight. At that moment an unwelcome shudder crept up my spine like spiders crawling under my skin and skipping along my spine. I shook my head but the fear didn’t leave me as realisation hit....I was now the only human in here.

“Yeah, still here but hey you look like you could use a hand, let me...”

“NO...Umm sorry, sorry..
.but you know what my Lord said
, you were not to work up here tonight and I would not like to make him unhappy. Besides it’s calming now, you go....” He looked around nervously and he seemed very twitchy, like Draven was watching him or something. I shrugged and decided to give up, at least he knew I had offered.

“Ok, well could you get his jacket back to him, I think I’m going to call it a night
.
” At this mundane news he seemed to relax more and he even managed a smile at me.

“Yeah, sure, no problem. Have a good sleep won’t you
?
” He said, like he wasn’t only talking to me...weird.
Again I put it down to his stressful situation.

“Umm...yeah....will do, see ya
.
” I replied warily.

I turned around and lost my footing which brought me screaming back to the first time I had ever set foot in the VIP and like that night I fell int
o a Demon. My foot kind of crump
led underneath my ankle forcing all my body weight to one side. Unfortunately for me that was the side of one of Draven’s guests that was walking past. I crashed into him and put my hands out to stop myself from falling further only in doing so they gripped onto a body I had never seen before. I was just righting myself when my body was violently flung backwards by the swift movement of an arm blocking out and catching me in the ribcage. It momentarily knocked the wind from me and left me gasping. I had ungracefully landed on my butt and was wondering if it would leave a nasty bruise when a booming voice came from above me.

“How dare you touch me
,
you vile human bitch! Someone should teach you manners you disgusting parasite...G
O and fuck off!” A man in a pin-
st
rip
ed suit was now dusting himself off like I had infected him with my human girl
y
germs!

I couldn’t believe he had just spok
en to me like that! How dare he
, the audacity of the man. I didn’t give
a shit whether he was a Demon or
not, I wanted to claw at his shiny, expensive blue suit and rip it to shreds with my bare hands. Everyone was now staring and I was scowling
so
hard it was hurting my face. I had, had just about enough of this night and being put down! I got up, despite all the warning glares I received but then I stopped and really looked around...those glares weren’t directed at me. They were directed at him. And soon
,
I knew why....

I turned to see the scariest sight any human eyes could take in. Draven stood by his chair and had witnessed everything.  Then without any warning an almighty roar ripped out from him in a bloodcurdling way that
made my knees shake. Silence ro
d
e
like a plague infested wave among every person there. As the end of the most horrific sound ever know
n
to man, one that was enough to make your ears want to bleed, started to end,
Draven crashed his fists down onto the table and spli
t it clean in two. Bottles, glasses and anything that was using the surface, went cascading down into the middle to me
e
t the rest of the destruction. I didn’t really have time to take in the fear that no doubt was held in every eye, because in
the seconds all this happened
, it only took a second more before the suited man was being held up in the air by his throat, Draven’s hand firmly enclosed around it.

Draven stood so tall before me, it was like he had grown even bigger in the height of his rage. The suited man was left dangling and gasping for air as Draven’s hand grew tighter to cut off the noise. For a second I thought he had killed him without another thought.

“HOW DARE YOU TOUCH HER!!!!!” He screamed and then erupted into his full Demon side. There was no purple glow, only burning, red hot flames of raw hate powered energy. I had only seen this side of him once before and that was when Morgan had me firmly in his grasp, of course I remembered how that ended, would he really go that far again?

“Mmmyyyy.....L...L...Lord” He was trying desperately to speak but Draven’s hand was acting like it had a mind of its own. It was enjoying causing the pain and it squeezed again only this time it caused the dangling man
’
s eyes to haemorrhage. I thought I was going to be sick at the sight. Blood was actually dripping down his face.

“I WILL KILL YOU!” Draven had lost so much of the man I loved I didn’t know who it was I was looking at. Was he really in there somewhere? Somewhere deep down, like he was being held captive there until the beast was finished. His wings were now just feathered flames, that fanned out and licked
at the air around them
.

“I...I...I...di..didn’t....k..k..kkknnnoooww” He screamed out in pain using the last shred of breath he had left.

“THEN Y
OU WILL BE PUNISHED FOR YOUR IG
NORANCE!” His Demon voice took over and made it near impossible to detect anything I knew from memory. That’s when the man started to die and this is when I couldn’t take any more.

“NO!” I screamed causing everyone in
the club to inhale air at the same time. Draven’s head turned around without even giving an inch to allow the man some breath. I mean yeah, I had hated him only minutes ago but nobody deserved to die because of the incident and I most certainly didn’t want it on my head!

Draven’s look made me want to literally cry with fear. It was so lost in the pit of damnation that I couldn’t tell if he could actually see me! I don’t know how I managed to carry on but somewhere I found a bravery that even I was shocked at finding.

“Draven please...I am begging you, please...please just let him go
.
” I had an old kind of aching in my voice that took me back to the first time I had heard it. It was my pleading and that was something I vowed I would never use again to another being...this was unforgiveable but obviously necessary.

“Did you hear that
,
DOG! The girl is begging for your life! The very girl you shoved to the ground like nothing but shit beneath your shoe. And here she stands, at the mouth of Hell, begging me to save your pathetic soul when you have done NOTHING to e
arn such pity! WHAT HAVE YOU TO
SAY!” He lost it again and I had to raise my trembling hands to cover my ears that couldn’t take it anymore.

The man was just gargling and spurting to try and form words but with Draven’s unwavering strength there wasn’t a chance. Just how much could he take? I knew one thing for sure, if he’d been human he would have been dead the second his feet lifted from the ground. It had already looked like Draven had broken his neck in several places. Bone was jutting out at two different angles and every time he tried to speak, it bobbed up and down painfully.