In Darkness We Must Abide (The Fallen King, Episode 8) (8 page)

Vanora had to convince Roman to leave tonight. There was no time to squander.  Frustration ate at him as Armando considered all the possibilities of what could occur. Glancing toward the house, he wondered if he should try to help Vanora convince Roman, but then realized his presence would most likely complicate the situation. Checking his watch, he decided to give Vanora ten more minutes before he would seek the siblings out.

Glancing toward Alisha, he saw she was watching him with a worried look pressed onto her features. He knew his expression mirrored hers.

Again checking his watch, Armando ignored the dread seeping into his bones.

Somehow, they would save Roman.

* * *

Unable to breathe, unable to think, Vanora stood on the threshold of her home staring into the dark night. Her throat was pinched closed. Wordlessly, she called out to her sister.

Alisha! Come!

Resting her trembling hands on the doorway, Vanora struggled to contain her terror and panic. The girl from her dreams was real and she
’d taken Roman. Fumbling with her collar, Vanora drew out her mother’s Celtic cross. It glowed softly between her fingers. Warmth and power emanated from the bit of silver granting her strength. Though terrified, Vanora stepped out onto the front steps. The light from the hallway spilled out onto the gravel drive below and she was reluctant to leave the lit area. Vanora’s car was still parked on the drive, the fresh dew sparkling on its dark surface. It was much colder outside, away from the heat lamps, and the air was damp and smelled of mold.  It reminded her of the mausoleum.

Coughing to clear her throat, Vanora craned her head to gaze upward. High above her, teetering on the edge of the roof, was the vampire girl.

“Give me back my brother,” Vanora demanded hoarsely.

“
What was that?” came the taunting reply. “I can’t hear you.”

“
Give me back my brother!”

Though the shadows hid the vampire
’s face, Vanora could see the gleam of her red eyes as she gazed down at her.

“
Oh, you want your brother back?”

“
There are a lot more of us than you!” Vanora lifted her cross in her trembling fingers.

“
Oh, what’s that glowy thing? I can’t see it from way up here,” the girl’s teasing voice responded.

“
Give Roman back!”

The girl
’s laughter was unnervingly child-like. “If you insist.”

Lorelei disappeared from the edge only for a moment, then returned holding something in her arms. Just as the awful realization of what the vampire was carrying swept over Vanora, Lorelei dropped Roman.  The metal roof of Vanora
’s car shrieked in protest as it was crushed by the impact of Roman’s body. Shattered glass sprayed. Vanora crouched and covered her face.

“
Vanora,” Roman whispered hoarsely.

Crawling to her feet, her white-blonde hair falling over her face, Vanora looked up to see her bloodied brother reaching out to her, his eyes tortured with pain. Vanora extended her trembling hand and took his gently.

“Get inside,” Roman urged her.

Vanora lifted her eyes to the roof of the house. The vampire was gone.
“No, I won’t leave you.”

“
So noble. So foolish,” Lorelei said mockingly.

Twisting about, Vanora saw the girl standing just outside the ring of light emanating from the open doorway. Anger flared hot and heavy within her, burning through her fear like a supernova. Beneath it was the cold, black edge of her power ready to lash out.

There was the slightest flicker of fear in the vampire’s eyes.

Vanora screamed in fury, the power within her sweeping out in a torrent that snatched up the vampire and hurled her far into the night.  Gasping, Vanora slumped against the car, drained utterly of everything but despair.
“Roman, I’ll pull out the stake and you’re going to be fine.”

Roman
’s hand quivered as he gingerly touched it to his chest. A short, white wooden stake protruded from his ribs. “I can feel it spreading through me. You can’t pull it out, Vanora.”

“
No, no, no,” Vanora whispered, pressing her face against his.  “I’ll take it out. I’ll find a way.”

Roman coughed violently, blood spewing from his quivering lips to fleck her face and hair.
“She might come back. Get inside.”

Nodding, Vanora carefully helped her brother slide off the crushed hood of her car. Roman gritted his teeth, his eyes glowing fiercely. Falling heavily against his sister, Roman struggled to stay on his feet. Together they passed in front of the car and into the light spilling out of the house. Vanora was repulsed when she saw the blood that drenched her brother and stained her hands and clothes. Forcing the gruesome sight from her mind, she half-carried Roman toward the front door.

“You can’t get away,” Lorelei’s voice slithered out of the night.

Twisting about, Vanora stumbled, Roman crashing onto the steps.

“Do you think you can get away from him? Do you really?” Lorelei’s laughter was taunting.

Roman was passing in and out of consciousness, his handsome face grimacing with the pain.

“Come closer and I’ll kill you,” Vanora answered.

Silence was her only answer.

Hooking her hands under his armpits, she dragged her brother over the doorstep and into the hall. As he moaned with pain, Vanora strained to pull Roman’s heavy body without hurting him too much. A thick trail of blood trailed on the floor and Vanora bit her bottom lip to keep from screaming.

“
Vanora!” Armando rushed toward them, his presence burning into the aura of the house. When he saw the blood, his eyes followed its trail to his fallen friend.

“
There was a vampire from my dream,” was all she could think to say. “I need to take the stake out.”

“
You can’t,” Armando answered in dismay. “It’s a rosewood stake. It’s rooted into his heart. If you try to take it out, you’ll kill him faster. See...” Armando pointed to the strange protrusions pressing up under Roman’s skin. They appeared to be gnarled roots growing just below the surface.

Covering her mouth in horror, Vanora stared at Armando in desperation.
“Do something.”

Armando whipped off his coat, muttering angrily in Spanish. Swiftly, he covered Roman with his coat before lifting him into his arms. In silence, Armando pushed past the trembling young woman and into the study where he placed Roman on the sofa.

“Roman, what happened?” Armando whispered.

“
I should have listened to your warnings,” Roman said, his voice a thick rasp.

“
You’re stubborn like me.”

Vanora could not move from where she stood in the doorway. Her body felt so weak, she could barely stand. Her heart was thundering in her ears and her lungs felt as if they had exploded.

Vanora felt a hand on her shoulder and cringed.

“
What’s happening-Roman!” Alisha streaked across the room and flung herself at him. Armando caught her and held her back. “Take it out of him!” Alisha shrieked, reaching for the stake.

“
We can’t, Alisha. It’s rosewood. Once it enters our bodies it starts to grow within us, sprouting thorns, twisting its way through us. Roman’s dying and we can’t stop it,” Armando explained in a soft tone.

“
No, not Roman. Not like this!”

“
Alisha, be strong for him,” Armanda urged, then released her.

Alisha fell to her knees at Roman
’s side. “Roman...please...”

“
Alisha, don’t cry. Please, don’t cry,” Roman whispered. “Everyone must die. Even Roman Socoli.” He forced a pained smile and gently caressed her cheek with bloodied fingertips. The blood vanished into her pale skin.

Vanora watched, her chest heaving and her lungs struggling for breath. The thick swath of blood Roman had left in his wake was now flowing toward him as though trying to catch up with his torn body. As quickly as his blood absorbed into his body, it gushed out of his wounds.

“Not you, Roman. You mean so much to so many people. I need you to help me survive. Vanora needs you, too. We all do. I don’t want you to leave us.” Alisha’s anguish was tangible and overwhelming.

Roman gently lifted her face as he whispered,
“You’re strong, Alisha. You’re my legacy. My strength.”

Vanora shuddered as Roman
’s blood ceased to return to him and instead crept up over Alisha’s body like long, red liquid snakes. Shivering, Alisha gripped Roman’s hand as his blood started to flow into her over her lips and into her mouth.

“
Let it happen,” Armando ordered. “He’s giving you his power.”

Stepping forward, Vanora clasped her hands to her breasts. It was a terrible thing to see, Roman
’s blood leaving his body to fill Alisha, yet she could feel the power flowing from her brother to infuse her sister. As gruesome as it was to witness, the moment was filled with love and it brought tears to her eyes.

Armando held out his hand to Vanora, beckoning her closer.
“He’s nearly gone, Vanora. Say your goodbye.”

Stepping around her sister, Vanora crouched beside the sofa. Resting her head close to Roman
’s, she gazed into his eyes. The life within them was dim. Gently, she laid her hand on his cheek. “I love you, Roman.”

“
You’re my little Snow Pea.” His voice was barely audible. “My little sister. My little girl.”

When she pressed her lips to his brow, it was cold and hard like stone.
“You were the best dad, Roman.”

That brought a small smile to his greying lips.

Thorns and roots started to puncture through his skin, but no blood flowed. Instead, his flesh fell away like gray ash.

“
Roman,” Alisha sobbed, her lips red with his blood. “Don’t go.”

Vanora dared to touch Roman
’s cheek. It crumbled beneath her touch, then sifted away in a cloud of dust. Falling back into her sister’s embrace, Vanora watched as Roman’s body vanished into a pile of dark ash piled around the twisted, thorny branch of a rose bush.

“
It’s over,” Armando whispered, falling to his knees.

Roman was gone.

Epilogue

* * *

The pale moonlight glinted on the choppy waves of the Gulf of Mexico. In the distance, the coastal towns were a necklace of sparkling lights. Aeron stood on the deck of the ship, his hands gripping the cold metal rail. Out of the darkness, the She-Wolf approached.

“It’s colder than I remembered, Leto.”

“
It’s winter.” Leto drew to his side, her dark hair tangled by the wind.

Aeron chuckled.
“Not like the winters of my homeland.”

“
Of course not. We are in the summer lands.” Leto tilted her head, regarding him with her keen wolfen eyes. “I have word from Lorelei.”

“
What is the word?”

“
Roman is dead. Slayed by her hand.” Leto’s full lips smirked.

“
So it begins.” Aeron stretched out his long arms, bones popping and muscles stretching. He was looking forward to the coming purge. Already he was yearning for a new battle. “How did she kill him?”

“
Rosewood.” Leto leaned her hip against the rail and directed her gaze toward him.

“
A brutal, painful death that there is no escape from. That’s my darling little one.” Aeron laughed with delight.

“
They’ll flee now that Roman is dead,” Leto said.

Aeron
’s white hair twisted about his head like snakes. It was longer than usual and gave him the appearance of an ancient warrior. “No, no, they won’t. Vanora will stay and fight. It’s her nature.”

“
What of the Roman’s vampires? The rogues?”

“
It doesn’t matter if they run. I’ll find them and kill them.”

Leto inclined her head.
“Of course.”

“
There will be no mercy for the bastard children of rogue vampires.”

“
What of Armando and Carlotta?”

That Leto should question him about Carlotta was not surprising, but Aeron felt defensive in regards to Armando.
“Armando is my faithful son and will watch over Vanora as I ordered. Carlotta will be angry, but she’s fickle. She’ll find someone else to direct her affections toward soon enough.”

“
You don’t think she will turn on you for betraying her?”

Aeron shrugged.
“I kept my word to her. I didn’t kill Roman.”

Leto slightly wagged her head.
“No, no. You just ordered it.”

“
My hands are not stained by his blood.” Aeron placed one of his huge hands on Leto’s chest, just above the curve of her breasts. His fingers and palm covered most of her flesh. He was always surprised at how warm the She-Wolf flesh was whenever he touched her.

Leto lifted her wolf-eyes to his, her full lips slightly twisted upward to reveal long wolf teeth.
“You’re colder than the night.”

“
You’re as warm as sunlight.” Boldly, he slid his hand under the collar of her knit top to feel the heaviness of her breast.

Slightly narrowing her eyes, Leto allowed him to touch her, but her long fingers were slowly sprouting claws.

“The breasts that fed the first of the wolf-children,” he said in awe, then released her.

The long, black claws of the She-Wolf tapped against the metal rail.
“I have what you crave. A legacy of children.”

“
What I
will
have. The purge will wipe clear the world of the undesirables and I shall begin again. My children will rule by sun and moon and no one will stand in their way.” Aeron straightened his spine and stood tall, facing the salty wind. “The Seven Sisters are dead. It’s a new era. Soon, the new Seven will rise to claim the world in my name.”

Leto regarded the sliver of the moon hanging in the dark sky above them.
“As it was prophesied...”

“
As it was prophesied,” Aeron agreed. “I will not forget my vow to you, Leto. The wolves will once again be strong and not feral beasts lurking in the shadows.”

“
As long as you do not keep your promise to me in the same manner as you kept your promise to Carlotta, I will stand with you.”

Aeron regarded the woman beside him that was virtually a goddess. She was beautiful, deadly, cruel, and powerful. A worthy ally in every regard. If Vanora was not his prophesied future, he would have tried to woo Leto into his bed and make her his queen. Instead, he was determined to have the She-Wolf at his side as his most trusted general. Yet, he wondered how long their truce could truly last. Once he claimed the world, would she turn on him? He supposed he would have to wait and see.

“Leto, Carlotta is a child. You are a trusted ally. I will not break my word to you.”

Leto gave him a curt nod.
“Then all is well.”

“
All is well,” Aeron agreed.

The ship sailed onward toward Houston.