The Two Kings (Afterlife Saga) (131 page)

“Break me?” I asked not knowing if I wanted the answer.

“I have had a lot of years to master patience. And you were so worth the wait. I knew your dreams were the key and with the added touch of alcohol in your system it made it barely a challenge. Of course Dominic was right to keep you firmly in his grasp. I thought I would never catch you alone, he keeps impenetrable guard over your mind while you sleep but tonight I knew my chance had come. So now you are going to do everything that I say and in return I will not hurt you.” At this point my panic fluttered up into a whole new level and I could feel my pulse beating in my neck. Lucius also noticed. He caught the column of my neck in one large palm and my breath caught.

“I want to hear you say it
,
” he lent in to me to look directly into my frighten
ed
eyes.

“Say it!” His voice lost that smooth edge and he command
ed
this of me.

“Say what...I don’t know what you want me to say?” I stated bravely.

“I want you to say you are mine and under my control..NOW
!
” He shouted and squeezed his grasp tighter just so I understood the full extreme of my position. I closed my eyes and a stream of liquid came running down my cheeks. He still allowed me to breath but I didn’t know for how long. Then he shifted his body weig
ht so that he was straggling m
e. He had each one of his knees at either side of me and with his free hand he whipped out his jacket to allow for space. It flew out like a black cloud and for a second I was in the dark. I felt the desperation of my situation and knew that if I didn’t agree, he would most likely kill me but if I did, would that be a fate worse than death. I would be under his control and there would be no going back. I couldn’t take the chance!

“Never
,
” I said barely moving my lips. His eyes narrowed as his anger grew but after seeing the certainty in my face he actually smiled.

“Very well
, your choice has
been made, one you will soon regret. It is time for you to learn the full extent of my powers
.
” His face went very severe before placing each palm of his hand
s
on either side of my head. At first it looked as though he was going crush my skull in his hands and I actually braced myself for the end.

“Remember Keira, keep breathing or this
will
kill you
!
” That was the only warning I received before a great and tremendous pain shot through my brain like I had been electrocuted. I tried to scream, to holler, to yell and cry out but nothing came. It felt like my mind was a front door to a house that held an endless stream of vital information. I wanted to guard it with my life but Lucius was kicking in that door. Every new wave he sent crashing through me I felt myself getting weaker and weaker. The door was splitting and soon he would be in. I had never felt pain like it before and on top of it all I was running out of air. My chest felt constricted and ached for oxygen. I remembered his warning and took in a gulp full of air that tasted bitter around him.

“Let go... just let yourself go and be mine, then it will all be over
.
” Lucius whispered in a smooth voice. This had the opposite effect. I clung on but after another wave of excruciating pain I was screaming inside to just do as he asked of me. I felt as though my head would explode and then there would be nothing left for him to take. I was so close...just so close to ending it all but then one image flashed through my mind like a lifeline in this storm of agony.

Draven.

All of a sudden I wanted to fight, to fight like I have never fought before! If I had control of my body then I would have kicked and scratched, punched and screamed at anyone doing this to me, no matter if they were stronger or not, I wouldn’t have let this happen without a fight! So now I had to think, even with this drilling pain inflicting my mind. I had to be smart and use what I knew I had. Lucius had said that my mind had been the hardest to control, so what if right now he was using all of his strength to get to me and more importantly what if I
wasn’t
using all of mine. My mind was clearly different so I needed to try...to push back...to fight with my mind!

I heard him growl as he heard my resistance grow. This gave me hope and this time it wasn’t wasted. I decided to use what I knew about Lucius. He was Judas, and he was now reborn as the Vampire King. He sucked the lives from his
victims and drew strength from
their fears, but what of his fears. Then it hit me, I knew what he feared the most...what anyone would fear the most...

T
he day they died.

As soon as I thought it he let go of my head and sat back to really look at me.

“How?...Is it
impossible...what are you?” He stared at me in disbelief as my mind started to form his greatest fear bring
ing
it back from just a memory, making it a reality.

“NO...You Can’t...you....!” He didn’t finish, as the blazing sun erupted in the room scorching everything around us. I went back to his memories. I don’t know how, maybe because we were still connected to each other. He hadn’t expected me to use his power against him and his face screamed out this fact. It was terror and the need to gain control again all of which was useless now, I had come too far to let go. I went back to that day he hung from a tree, the day his brothers in belief had murdered him. His flesh burnt away in flakes of charred skin and floated in the heated days he was left to hang. The sun got brighter and brighter until it became the fire in the sky. It scorched the earth and bit at his feet like snakes in the grass, the stings just as deadly, each flame like the fangs he had acquired from the Hell in which he was cast. This was his damnation. His punishment and his betrayal from both sides. This memory was his hell and now I had cast it again for him to
re
live.

This time he would not survive my dreams.

“NO!” He screamed one more time and he grabbed at my arms in a useless attempt at stopping me but the world around us just grew brighter still, like we had transported inside the sun itself. His grip became so painful it forced me to open my eyes. I was met by Lucius
’
body alight in a
n
explosion of fire, nothing else was burning but his form and of course the hands that still held me. The smell of burning flesh was that of
my own as Lucius was still
here in my mind, not in body or soul. With one last scream he burst into a figure of black ash an
d only when I moved did it dispe
rse and float away out into the night like a swarm of flies. I got up and slammed my window shut making the frame and glass shudder. I was shaking and slumped down to the floor in a fit of tears brought on from both pain and relief.

I had done it, I had beaten my nightmare but at what price? My arms started to really feel sore now and soon my tears were just down to the stinging on my skin. I got up and turned on the light to find the cause, hoping it was still all in my mind. It wasn
’t. There on both my elbows as r
ed raw handprints burned into my skin. I touched one of the finger marks and winced at the pain it caused. Oh great more war wounds for Draven to fix!

Draven...I had to go to him, I had to tell him what happened tonight or if he still didn’t want to see me then I could find Vincent. Yes, that is what I would do, he would help me and hopefully heal me. Because the burning was growing, getting deeper and clinging on like his flaming hands were still there latched on to my skin.

So that is what I did. I quickly put on a pair of jogging bottoms and after carefully putting on a bra and a zip up hooded top I grabbed my car keys. By this time my arms ached like tonne weights had been strapped to them. Driving was not going to be easy but I knew I could make it, as long as I broke one of my
golden
rules...

S
peeding.          

Chapter 58

Touched By Judas.

I pulled my truck into the parking lot at Afterlife and at three in the morning I was the only soul around. I was glad of this because by this point I was a hopeless mess of tears and sweat. The burning on my arms was considerably worse than before and no
w
instead of a slight burn it felt as though my skin was melting off my bones. I ran to the side door by the bins as I knew the front door would be securely locked like last time. I punched in the number on the security pad a few times after getting it wrong more than once. I put this down to watery vision and a pain induced mental breakdown.

Once inside, I ran the length of the club and mounted the main staircase taking two at a time. The VIP was empty all but one. Karmun was still behind the bar cleaning and re-stocking ready for the next night. I guess he didn’t sleep much. He heard me coming and put down a crate of Absinth
e
.

“Hey Honey, what are you doing here
?” He sounded panicked at seeing me and I didn’t care why. Immense pain kind of reprioritises all logic in your mind and I think if a giraffe had been playing checkers with a gazelle in the corner, I wouldn’t have batted an eye!

“Sorry b
ut I need to speak to Vincent, where is he?” Karmun looked dazzled for a moment wh
ile
he thought about what to do.

“Can’t it wait till morning, I mean he’s most likely asleep Keira
.
” This is when I lost my cool.

“NO it can’t bloody wait! Look I’m sorry but this is an emergency and I don’t want to involve you but if you could help me and point me in the right direction then that would be more than great
.
” This came out in an out of breath jumble but he got the picture at least.

“Come on, I’ll show you” He motioned for me to follow him and I was glad I didn’t have to do anymore convincing than that,
‘cause
I think the next stage would have been screaming. We walked the way I usually came in and through the opposite door to the VIP, making it the second time in two days that I walked along the open hallway. The night air cut into my clothes but was oddly soothing on my imprinted burns. Karmun didn’t say another word and every now and again I
saw a
great sadness sweep across his features. Maybe he was tired and now he had to escort me without reason to his master’s brother
’
s room. He must be wondering why? We did
n’t
need to walk very far but it was in a part of Afterlife I had never been before. The open hallway veered off to the l
eft and the Temple’s dome
roof could be seen below from a different angle. We were
now directly opposite where I
had been standing
with Vincent
the night before. I was staring at the point when Karmun cleared his throat to get my attention. He held open a door for me.

“I can’t go any farther but turn right down the hall and his room is the door at the end. Be warned he might not be alone. I’m sorry
.
” He added before walking away, leaving me to wonder what he was sorry for, or was it for something to come? Maybe Vincent would not be happy for me to disturb him but what choice did I have. Draven didn’t want to see me, Sophia would tell her brother instantly and it’s not like I could go to hospital over this.

I did as I was told and soon wa
s at his door gearing myself
ready to knock. I tried to think of what I was going to say but the pain decided for me
,
the time was now and not to waste
it
. I winced as I bent my arm up to knock. I didn’t do it very loud but it seemed I didn’t need to as Vincent’s voice was clearly awake and said a very distinctive
,

“Enter
!
” So that is what I did. I opened the door slowly and entered a low
lit space where all the candle
light was concentrated around the middle of the room. Of course this is where I found Vincent and no...he wasn’t alone.

One look and I wanted to turn and run away from the level of shame that doubled my pa
in. Vincent’s room all centred
round a huge round, white bed that was raised only slightly from the ground. The bed was surrounded by a
stream of pillar church candles
,
all flickering as the air came in with me. Vincent lay on his back, naked with only a white sheet covering the manly parts of his anatomy. I gulped at the sight of milky white skin covering a mass of muscles that flexed when they saw me. Of course the two beauties that lay on either side of him weren’t paying me any attention what so ever. One was too busy kissing every inch of him
and the oth
er was sucking on his neck, legs draped across half his body. Oh yes and did I mention they too were both very, very naked!