10

he sun. The wretched sun.
Lori tried to sleep away the annoying presence of the midday sun. Though she was well below ground level within her room at Nicholas’ home, the weight of the sun still pressed down on her as though she were a pure vampire. The brief walk the day before was now a bad idea in retrospect. Exposure to the sun weakened her no matter how strong she was before stepping outside. She could feel its toll reaching an apex. No amount of animal blood could soothe it. She needed human blood.
Her mind drifted to the human sleeping down the hall. The girl trusted her enough to be sold on the idea. Just a small drink—a few mouthfuls. It would be like donating blood, she planned to say. One friend helping another.
Lori rolled onto her side, wincing at the passing thought. It was a stupid idea. Arden would know. She had seen a piece of his own plans for the girl during their hunt for deer. As she followed him through the woods, she commented on Jayda’s “gift” and what he thought.
His answer was a stern, “I will not let you leave with her.”
To which Lori responded, “She doesn’t belong to you.”
“She will have a master soon,” he said, ending the conversation.
The vague sentence told her all she needed to know, though the minor details were yet to be deciphered.
Lori cringed again at the pain deep within the muscles of her arms and legs. This wasn’t human hunger. The deer she fed from earlier did little to ease the consuming agony. Some vampires managed to exist on a diet of animal blood, but Lori’s complicated metabolism begged for one of two things; human blood or vampire blood, or so she wanted to believe.
She couldn’t do this. It had been far too long to live without him. Wrapping her arms around her body, she curled onto her side and searched for him. Months ago he sought her out, his mind touching hers for a few breathless moments. As she felt him begin to pull away, the tears filled her eyes as her spirit became hollow once more. But now, her searching found no answer from him. The link, weakened by more than a century apart, left her feeling alone—reminiscent to the years spent locked away by The Brotherhood. She needed to feel something, anything, and blood was the key to releasing those chains.
Crawling out of the bed, Lori opened her door and entered the hall. Her feet moved over the carpet without a sound. She reached the door to one of the bedrooms and raised her hand, lightly scratching the wood. Her legs grew numb as she realized her decision and the possible cost it would bring her. But the pain was too great. She had no choice but to yield.
The door opened, revealing Arden, dressed in the same clothes from earlier, minus his long coat.
Lori kept her head low and eyes away from him as she spoke. “Can I come in?”
“No.” He went to close the door but found her hand stopping him.
“I’ll tell you everything,” she said, the sincerity shaking her voice. “Everything you want to know about me. The real truth.”
Looking her over, he stepped to the side, a wordless invitation.
With her head still low, Lori entered and heard the door shut behind her.
“Begin,” he said, sounding more like an order.
“I want to start off with a proposal. I’m going to cut to the real reason I came to your room. I need your blood.”
Arden went for the door. Lori stopped him. “Hear me out. For your blood, you can use me however you wish. I won’t fight you or say no to anything.”
“Why?”
Her shoulders dropped as she continued. “I… I’m not a simple half-breed. I need the blood from either a human or vampire to survive. Both give me life. I can’t live off animal blood. It’s the same reason I can’t live off human food.”
Arden tilted his head, eyes narrowing. “Who are you?”
“I believe you already know.”
“I’m not abreast on the news of our Kings and Queens.”
She gave a nervous laugh. “Of course not. Please, may I?”
Extending his arm, Arden freely gave her his wrist. Lori wrapped a clammy hand around him, her eyes going from the exposed skin of his wrist to his neck. She stepped closer and placed her hands around his shoulders, then raised herself onto the balls of her feet, her lips against the skin of his neck. As her teeth broke through she believed he would push her away, but he stood unmoving. The blood passed into her, erasing the lifeless taste of the deer from her memory. It had been too long since she savored the taste of vampire blood, and his outclassed the fledgling she last fed from. The poor, untrained boy thought he was the hunter in that scenario, but Lori turned the tables as she led him to believe he had her cornered. Ten years was an eternity to go without this level of completeness.
Lori stopped drinking to lick away the blood that slowly escaped the bite. Though she wanted more, she took enough to calm her body. But this was a new ploy she sat in motion. She didn’t know if she would need him in the future, so she chose not to wear out her welcome. On the other hand, they had the rest of the day to squander and she hoped that her teeth would find him once more before sunset.
Moving away from him, Lori walked further into the room and began to remove her shirt. She had no issue with giving herself to him. Many times during the day hours she would distract herself with various bedmates. And with someone like Arden, she was actually looking forward to it.
Watching her, something caught Arden’s eye. A series of markings were tattooed on the back of her neck, disappearing under her auburn hair. He approached her and lifted the hair. The writing was ancient, unknown even to him.
“It’s Vedic Sanskrit,” she said. “They are my husband’s vows. He is marked with my vows.” She felt him lower her hair.
“Then why enter my room?” he asked.
Lori faced him, her modesty absent as she refused to cover herself. “I’m not some human who confuses sex with devotion,” she said, pulling at his shirt.
Arden stopped her, the same look of uncertainty finding him. He then gave in and removed his shirt himself. Lori ran her hand over the disfigured tattoo on his chest. The custom was a painful one. A guardian was called into service once every one-hundred years, at which time the old tattoo would be sliced away and a new one added once the flesh had healed. The tattoo on Arden’s chest shown many battle wounds, and perhaps his one-hundred years was coming to an end. Was this why he stayed with the werewolf? One last act of charity before the real job begins again?
“I am amazed… A guardian who has never heard of me,” she whispered, her voice distant.
“You said ‘he’ would come after me if I killed you.”
“I would imagine they both would come after you.” She looked back at the tattoo and ran her fingers over its design as she went on to explain. “I am the daughter of Jharell and the wife of Gysai’s first child, Demetrius.”
“Dianthia isn’t real.”
Her eyes met his. “Dianthia is dead. I’m called Laurel now.”
“I know Demetrius. He has never mentioned you.”
“To protect me, he keeps my existence a secret.”
“Why so candid now?”
“You are the only one keeping me alive. I doubt you will permit me to feed from the human or werewolf.”
Arden grabbed her shirt and handed it to her. “Do not lie to me.”
In a rush of anger, she ripped the shirt from his hand. “Feeding from deer may suit you, but I find it repulsive.”
“It’s not about survival, is it? Your pride is too strong.”
Lori grumbled. “You should be kneeling before me… But this modern age refuses to bow down to its past.”
“I bow only to Nauvia.”
“That’s obvious.”
Walking back to the door, Arden opened it. “You got what you wanted. Leave.”
“Without getting what you wanted?”
“I never accepted your offer.”
“True, but you didn’t turn it down either.”
Arden kept his eyes straight ahead and away from her. Anymore speaking on his behalf would send her spiraling into a verbal tirade.
With shirt in hand, Lori took her time as she walked toward the door, already defeated before she could test her limits. As she neared the door she stopped. “I know what you’re going to do with her.”
The words caught Arden off guard.
“Gifts like hers are sought after by a certain someone,” she explained. “Do you think I wouldn’t figure it out? You’re not going to tell her, are you?”
Arden didn’t respond.
Lori’s expression turned cold. “Shut the door.”
Giving in, he followed her order, locking it as well.
“I’m going to stay in this room until sunset,” she informed. “And you are going to do as I say. If not, I will inform the werewolf and human of your plan.”
“Your threats have no weight with me,” he made clear.
She smirked. “And yet you’re obeying me.”
“What else do you want?”
“Just you.” Dropping her shirt, she stepped toward to him and pulled him close, her lips pressed against his, parting as she urged him to do the same. The small act was enough to spark his animal side in continuing this further. Lori sensed his hunger for her increasing with each toying movement of her lips and tongue. She was willing to do anything to keep him on her side, and this day would be the first of many she would use to seal his obedience to her.