LOGINCaius’ POV
The presence of his breathing rattles me, it's a constant reminder of the presence of his essence. I watched as he filled his lungs with air for survival. I watch as he breathes in my essence, filling himself like an appetizer after a long meal. The drop of blood slipping down his bottom lip becomes the centre of my world. My red eyes swirl with hunger. I know he's waiting for me to close the remaining inches between us, but I don't. He continues to stare at my lips. “Go ahead, if you want to,” he whispers. His encouragement causes the drop of blood on his lips to slip down his chin. My nostrils flare as the feeling of hunger rakes down my spine. The thought of my old consort comes back to my mind and I'm thrown out of my trance. His eyes snap up to meet my gaze, looking confused. “I thought the idea of providing me your blood was repulsive.” I say bitterly. Reiterating his last email back to him. He watches me as I tilt my head back. My fangs and eyes are now more reminiscent of a feral animal. He pales. Then he seems to catch himself. “Yes, I find it very repulsive. Now if you would please let go of my face, so I can finally breathes” My human says and he pushes me back so hard, I stumble against the car door. My body burns hot and I growl at him. And like the feisty little thing he is, he snaps back at me. “We need to go inside” I order, backing away from him. “Now!” I snap at him when he keeps looking forward like he doesn't hear me. The scent of rejection fills the air and I smirk. He's trying so hard like he doesn't care but his emotions give him away. He swallows and opens the car door. The night air carries with it a trail of feigned calm, and the scent of his blood carries deep into my senses, the feeling of fear and trepidation and I groan. “Let's go! And calm your nerves” I hiss at him as he storms forward but not without glaring at me first. “You don't even know where you're going. Any creature could just snap your neck and you'll bleed to death in the middle of the woods.” I say as I storm after him. “I'll take a cold death rather than walking close to you” he snaps back. I speed close to him and I drag him close to me. “Behave Human” I order as I pull him after me. I job up the cracked walkway as I pull the keys out of my pocket, glancing around once more. I open the door and usher him inside. I don't flip on the light switch and there's a stretch of stillness before I light the candlelight on the other side of the room. I watch as my human feels blindly around him as he looks for where to sit. As a vampire, I don't need light to see. He takes a seat on the sofa close to the door with his legs drawn up into his chest. “I'll be back in a moment” I whisper with a clipped time. I return but my human does not seem to notice me. He turns his head and startles to find me sitting across from him. “I can't offer you anything to eat,” I murmur under my breath. “I'm fine, ” he says. “I'd actually avoid eating anything from you anyways.” I blink and glance down at the plastic bags filled with blood on my laps. I tear the top off with my fangs and I drain them in seconds flat. My human looks at me like the sight of blood bothers and seduces him at the same time. He tears his eyes away and sucks his bottom lip into his mouth. The cut from earlier seems to glisten in the dark and the hunger I managed to quench with the bags of blood comes back in full and I look away sharply. “I forgot what emotional creatures you humans are.” I mutter. “I- I'm sorry?” He questions. His mismatched eyes seem to get fire in them when he looks at me. “I can smell the shift in your mood almost as fast as you feel them.” “Well that's… intrusive.” He snaps back with his cheeks burning red. My lips twitch in amusement. My gaze shifts back to his narrow face and busted lips. His tongue swipes away the remnant blood and I watch the movement like it's happening in slow motion, salivating for just a taste of that blood. I clear my throat and look away. “Can I ask you something?” I hear my human say. I lean back and casually spread my arms out across the back of the chair. I don't nod nor do I tell him he can but he proceeds anyway. “What's going on out there?” He asks, pointing a thumb towards the direction of the window. “Vampires are dangerous. I expected you to know that by now” “Yeah, I know. But what I saw was different. They looked hungry and vile.” My human stares at me, waiting for my reply. H tightens and loosens his jaw while debates whether he should snap at me or tell me to fuck off. “A very good and accurate observation.” I finally say. “But they are all assigned a consort through the agreement. Why are they so hungry?” My human tilts his head to the side. It seems to be a nervous tic of his. After a moment of silence, I answered him. “Your kind are revolting. It's only a matter of time before what you saw gets worse.” “So they're just… withholding their blood?” “Humans can't be forced to give their blood. At least that's what they're saying.” I answered him. “Well… if every vampire is just like you, then I agree with humans revolting.” My human says with a glare at me. I smirk. “Don't forget how dangerous we are.” “And don't forget how dangerous humans can also be” he says while shrugging his shoulders stiffly. Making my voice harder, “And we don't think like humans. We are sharp minded and we'll kill you without thinking. We don't care and we only see you as food. Nothing more.” I say to him, breathing heavily. “Is that true for you too?” My human asks suddenly after a moment of silence. “Would you do all of those things?” He asks reverently like he's looking for a reason to hate me more. I laugh quietly under my breath and I shake my head slowly, watching him like a predator watches a prey. “Yes I will. Without question.”Kieran’s POV I watch from the shadows. Nature keeps me hidden, surrounding me with enough cover to slip between the trees as I inch my way towards Caius and Damon. My eyes sweep across the patch of open field. The other Vampires of The Force have not interfered, offering a respectful distance for Damon to stake and keep his claim as leader.Not on my watch.Caius predicted the chances of Damon submitting to his request and rescinding his power were miniscule. This fight for dominance was inevitable. He assured me that when the fight began, the other members of The Force would honor the fighting code of Vampires and not interfere.Not at first, anyway.These Vampires aren’t like Caius, though. They are rogue. When they become bored of the fight, they will intervene, pissing on the fighting code and doing all they can to take down the newest threat to their band of barbarians. I can’t let that happen. There will be a pause, Caius explained, a pause when the Vampires become restless a
Beau POV I can’t stop chuckling as I lean forward again, this time offering up my arm to her. Bonnie’s slender fingers curl around my wrist, and my pulse gallops at the small touch. She quirks a brow at the half moon scars that are still there after all these years. She traces the translucent marks with her fingertips, her feather-light touch brushing against the mangled skin.“It’s from my Vampire,” I mutter. “When I was a human Consort for her.”Bonnie swallows and clears her throat. “Do I really have your permission to feed from you?”Her tone is hesitant, vulnerable. With my free hand, I reach towards her, tipping her chin up to meet me eye to eye.“Yes,” I say. “As much as you need.”She nods a single time before bringing her lips to the base of my wrist. Her teeth break the skin and I grimace at the initial pain - a type of pain I tried to bury along with all the memories from years ago. She drinks slowly at first, tasting me in small sips. Despite my better judgment, I tent
Beau’s POV A hurried wind presses against our safe house. The wooden beams creak with distress in its wake. I stand and stretch, and I swear if my bones and muscles could make the same complaint, they would.“Anything?”It’s the same damn question he’s been asking for the last two hours.“No, Klaus,” I mutter under my breath. “No sighting of Caius or Kieran yet.”In return, I ask him the same question I’ve been asking the last two hours."”How’s Bonnie?”He sidles up beside me and crosses his arms over his chest, leaning against the wooden beam for support. A rough stubble lines his jaw, and the skin beneath his eyes are puffy from fatigue.I wouldn’t expect a trained Secondary guard to complain, but his perseverance is admirable.“She’s starting to heal,” he answers in a sigh. He glances up at the sky, and his dark eyes scan the vast expanse. “But the process is slow. Way too slow.”My brows pinch in confusion. “She’s a Secondary - half human, half vampire. She’ll be healed in no ti
Caius’ POVThe residue of blood hangs in the air. It is a mist of war, and it clings to my frozen skin as I deftly move into the forest, capturing me as a participant in its deadly game. It is a game in which mankind foolishly places their bets time and time again. History holds the deck of destiny where the outcome is concerned, however, and humans need only to peer into their past to see what awaits their future.Loss.Memories from centuries ago paint a mirage across my mind, one full of blood and violence. I was created as a weapon, a tool to gain the upper hand in war. My prior life, my Secondary life, was torn from me. In his place, a monster was born.I follow the same path Kieran and I traveled mere hours ago when we searched the perimeter. His scent, although faint, stands out from the rest. It may no longer be the human blood I crave, but his sweet vampiric scent is not like the others. It is neither cloying nor overpowering. It is merely a gentle sweetness that passes
Beau’s POVThere are moments in life when your body reacts before your conscious mind. Your body becomes a machine, going through the motions of self-preservation. Before you know it, the moment is long gone, and your mind scrambles to piece together the semblance of a memory, all the while asking, ‘what the hell just happened?’I tighten my hold of Bonnie’s bloodied body against my chest as Klaus and I get her to the kitchen table. I don’t remember pulling her through the threshold of this abandoned shithole. I don’t remember closing the door or pulling her into my arms. I don’t remember tersely giving the command to Caius and Kieran that they needed to stick together as they secured the perimeter.All I remember is Bonnie, one of the damned strongest females and Secondaries I’ve ever known, reaching up with bloodied hands and whispering a plea of help.My mind is a chasm full of torn scraps of memory.“Get the medical kit,” I say to Klaus. “I picked up more supplies today. Every
Caius’ POV Beau tunes the dusty flute and strums it once, then twice. Klaus warns him to keep quiet, just as he has for the past three nights. The fire in the hearth crackles in agreement. In response, Beau rolls his eyes and strums louder...just as he has for the past three nights. A small suspicion tugs at the back of my mind, wondering if Bonnie planted the barely usable flute in this deserted hovel for Beau to find. Before the war, Beau’s love for music was rivaled only by his love for Rebecca. While I cannot say I am particularly fond of the constant strumming and humming, he now has one of his loves back in his life. The result has sparked life back into his troubled eyes. Beau finishes another song, holding out the final note as an easy smile slips into place. He glances across the room to where Kieran is sitting, clearly enraptured with the performance. “You like that one, Kieran?” Beau asks, his tone soft and full of brotherly affection. Kieran nods a single time.
Professor Evans is one of the youngest lecturers in the academy. And that makes it easier to be able to confide in him. He understands young adults and sees things from our own point of view. And that’s one of the reasons he is my best history lecturer to ever exist. He turns sharply from the pul
Kieran’s POV.A male. My vampire is a male. My limbs tremble as I stare at him. He takes a step forward, gracefully. He has long fingers that are perfectly slender. His colour matches the flakes of snow. I lick my dry lips and hope he doesn't smell the fear through my veins. He lifts his hands
Kieran’s POV.Two weeks ago, I turned twenty years old. But my vampire hasn’t shown up. And since then I’ve been pondering on why she hasn't reached out to me.The intermediaries between humans and vampires send the details of every human consort to their vampires once they are of age. So, what co
Kieran’s POV.I stare deep into Caius' red blooded eyes as fear curls around my chest, curling around it so tightly I barely have the strength to breathe. The variations of colour in his eyes makes my entire being tremble from deep within me. And I know the reason behind this colour. He's hungry







