The Fire Within (The Fire of The Soul Series) (9 page)

"What is a secret that you have never told
anyone?" Victor asks me, his crimson eyes focused intensely on me, as if
he could pick the answer right from my mind.

"When I was a child, probably no more than ten,
I had my first kiss. It was from my childhood sweetheart. He left not long after
that and I never saw him again." I could feel Victor's reaction, as if it
is a physical thing in the air.

"That's terrible Anna, I'm sorry you lost
him." Victor says, though I'm not quite sure if he means it.

"It's alright, I eventually got over it."
I say, brushing off his condolences. "So what is your secret Victor?"
I ask, nudging him with my shoulder.

"It's not really a secret that I've never told
anyone, but it's a secret that you don't know," He says, pausing to gauge
my reaction when I stay silent he continues. "I'm a vampire Anna so I have
lived for centuries alone. I was wandering your world, your kingdom and one
night I found your father. He had absolutely nothing left but his soul. He came
to me for help and I gave him all the riches he desired, I even helped him find
a wife, but in return for all of that I asked for one thing alone. I asked him
to keep a slither of my soul within him until he had his first baby girl, which
the slither of my soul would be passed onto, so that that girl would be my
bride. Anna you were his only girl and child. That slither of my soul, it is
within you," His words keep on coming out the more that I stare blankly at
him.

"What?" I ask, not really believing what
he is saying.

"Anna I love you but you need to know. I'm a
few hundred years old Anna and I didn't want to live another hundred years
without someone to love, without someone to care for. I chose you before you
were even born but I didn't know I would love you as much as I do. You're my
world now Anna," Victor says, as if this can bring me comfort, he is
saying that I have no choice in whom I am to be with.

Although I thought I had a choice, that choice was
never really mine to begin with. However that's not all he is saying, he is
confirming what my father always knew, what I always knew, that I am different,
that I am not normal, that my soul and thus myself is tainted with the soul of
another man.

"Victor, you're telling me that half of my
soul
is really half of your soul? And that's only because you wanted to secure me as
your bride?" This fact will not leave me. I feel violated, as I finally
understand what is wrong with me. Why my father hates me, why my mother can't
look me in the eyes, and now that the answer is in front of me, I just can't
accept it. I can't accept the fact that half of me belongs to him – for all
these years – without me knowing about it.

I can hear him crying but I can't see it, it is like
I have suddenly gone blind though I can see perfectly. It is like I have died
inside but to the world I am still alive.

"Anna, please say something," Victor begs,
I can feel him moving in to wrap me up in his arms but I step back out of his
reach.

"What do you want me to say Victor? I don't
even know if I love you or if it's only half of my soul that is in love with
you," I say bitterly, scornfully at the man that I believed I had chosen
on my own will.

"Do you want me to leave you?" He asks, I
can finally see with feeling again and when I look up to see his face I can see
that he has been crying though his tears are not made of water but of blood.

"I think that would be best for now, will you
let me know when it's time for supper?" I ask, trying not to be moved by
his bloodshot tears but failing at the task. He nods his head and turns away
from me.

"Of course, please try to be ready by
sundown," Victor says, before walking away in a blur. I look around me in
a daze; everything seems the same in the broad hallway. Well except for one
door that catches my eye. The slash of red hanging off of the door knob is what
has caught my eye. I open the door - in my curiosity – wondering what lies
behind it.

The room is beautiful full of burning gold’s, deep
reds and dark blacks and I know instantly that this is Victor's bedroom. I want
to leave almost instantly when I realize that this is Victor's bedroom, but
something within me makes me want to stay, and I am not entirely sure if it is
my own curiosity or that half of my soul that I have only recently learned is
Victor's; which really infuriates me beyond what words can describe.

I have to admit that it is beautiful, without its
owner in it. The bed is a massive four poster and it seems to fill up most of
the room. There are different tapestry's covering the walls, all of which, if
you stared at them long enough, the pictures will move. The bed is more than
inviting, and when I sink into the soft embrace of the sheets and pillows I
lose my mind to sleep, within the beds warm embrace.

Victor's P.O.V

I wipe the tears from my eyes. It will do me no good
for anyone - other than Anna - to see me crying. It was idiotic of me to tell
her of the one thing I regret doing. I remember the day well, that fatal day I
had been introduced to the street rat that had nothing to lose. I had given him
everything that he desired; riches, love, loyalty, royalty and in return I ask
for his unborn daughter. I come back twenty years later and instead of finding
her in one piece, as I thought I would have, I find her in tiny, broken pieces.
The respect that Rupert has for me and for Anna was to give her a messed up
life, before I could even meet her.

"Victor may I have a word with you?" The
sound of my captain's voice comes to me from the door.

"Of course Kayden," I say waiting for him
to enter into my war room. I am sitting at my desk, we've been plotting for the
war against the skin walkers for years, hell for generations but we've been
holding back, waiting for the perfect time to strike.

"My spies in the Skin-walker territory have
informed me that Christian has returned with two mortals, a woman and
Fawkes" Kayden says placing his hands onto my desk and leaning down so he
could look into my eyes. I suppose he would be attractive to a woman, his hair
is cut short and pushed back, he has moss green eyes with golden amber specks
and pearly white teeth. He is built like I expect all my warriors to be and he
is a shape shifter, which is the good version of Skin-walkers. This is probably
why I have been hesitant to declare war upon their territory as both
Skin-walkers and Shape-shifters live there.

"Victor, we aren't sure who the mortals
are," Kayden says but I raise my hand to stop him.

"Don't worry Kayden, I'm pretty sure I know who
they are," I say, I am almost certain that the mortals are Rupert and
Darleen; Anna's parents.

"It's good to have you back Victor. I hope I
get to meet the girl soon," Kayden says making me smile.

"You will, I'm throwing a feast for Anna
tonight. I hope you will be able to make it and let your men know that they are
invited." I say looking up into those moss green eyes and seeing the smile
in them before I see it on his face.

"Yes, I'll let them know Victor. I'll see you
later then," He says as he straightens up. I nod my head in agreement. I
will see him later tonight and I will be there to introduce him to Anna.

Captain Kayden leaves the room with a smirk on his
face, we have been the best of friends since we were children and as I grew up
and took my place as king, he grew up and became the leader of my army and the
head of my Special force intelligence, the Acer Tempesta.

There is a lot that I have to be prepared for but
how was I meant to be prepared for a woman like Anna, scratch that how was I
meant to be prepared for Anna? That girl is more than I could have ever
expected. I rub my face with the palm of my hand, how am I going to win her
over again? It had been difficult enough the first time but to do it a second
time when she isn't sure if the feelings she has for me is due to her heart or
that part of her soul which is eternally mine? I have to try at least; I cannot
just let her get away when I've waited all my life for her.

Christian. If it wasn't for that bastard Skin-walker
I would have had more time to win her over. If he hadn't interfered I wouldn't
have had to steal her away to my kingdom before I even had time to win her
heart. That Skin-walker has always been a problem for me, ever since he took
the throne. The Skin-walkers are a brutal, vicious and primitive race and he was
probably the worst of them all.

I sigh again; it isn't easy being king, especially
when you have the threat of war on your hands but war is necessary when dealing
with primitive people like the Skin-walkers. Shape-shifters aren't a problem
like their cousin Skin-walkers. They are more civilized and it is only because
of them that I haven't declared war on the skin-walkers.

I leave my war room, leaving the problem of the
Skin-walkers in there for now. At the moment I have a celebratory feast to
organize. I will find my head of house servant and leave the preparations with
him and then I will go and prepare for tonight's feast and prepare what I am to
say to Anna tonight. I can only wish that Anna will be in a forgiving mood
tonight, not that what I did should be treated lightly but because I'm already
missing her and it had only been a few hours.

Anna's P.O.V

The darkness is all consuming. It swarms
around me, light as air and yet so heavy that it is impossible for me to
breathe. It comes off of him in waves, waves as high as mountains, waves that
crashes down around me. His blood thirsty eyes demand my attention; the
intensity of his gaze pierces me to my soul. His desire is evident in his eyes,
and it sends a shiver throughout my core. He is unfamiliar and yet I feel as if
I know him well.

"Who are you?" I ask, my voice
wavering slightly as we continue to stand within each other's presence. He is
so far away one moment and in the blink of an eye, he is standing before me,
the back of his fingers grazing gently over my left cheek in the mock of a
loving caress.

"You don't know?" He breathes,
his dark onyx eyes bearing down into mine. Looking up into his eyes is a
mistake. As soon as our eyes meet I feel as if I am drowning, the ability to
breathe escaping me.

"Victor?" I ask, the grim curl
to his lips deny it; He is not my betrothed.

"Guess again," He breathes, as
he kisses my neck, his teeth brushing against my skin. Those two words and his
actions are what give him away; it is also what takes the last of my breath,
and my fleeting sanity away from me. As I succumb to him, the devil and the all
empowering darkness that gathers around us in a thick, heavy fog his name
crosses my mind; Christian.

I quickly sit up in my bed and frantically look
around me, as I will my heart to stop beating so fast, but the room is dark and
it is impossible to see anything at all. I bury my head in my hands in the
darkness, my heart still beating like a drum, the cold tears streaming down my
cheeks as I cry. I will myself to understand that it is only a dream, and
nothing more but I cannot shake how real it feels, as if that devil had been in
this very room with me not too long ago.

A resounding knock at the door makes me jump in
fright. I quickly wipe the tears from my eyes, before I say "Come
in," my voice wavers slightly. The door opens slowly and when I see that
it is Victor, my breathing relaxes, as does my heart rate. With Victor around
Christian isn't a threat. With Victor I am as safe as I can be with a vampire.

"Anna, are you quite alright?" Victor
asks, as he comes into the room, turning the light on behind him. His soft
crimson eyes see the tears on my cheeks, and I can see in his eyes the
recognition of my tears and what they mean. "You were crying," He
states as he stands stock still.

"It was just a nightmare," I say
nonchalantly, but flinch when I see the pain in his eyes. "About
Christian," I want to add but I don't know what his reaction to me
dreaming about him would be.

"Why are you here Victor," I ask, hoping
out of bed. I am still in the day dress that I had been wearing before I had
fallen asleep. I blush slightly at the mess that I must look like, but I am
glad to see the soft smile back on Victor's face, even if it is at my own expense.

"I came up to escort you to supper and to
inform you that I'll be having a few guests over in honour of your
arrival." Victor smiles softly as he offers his hand to me. I place my
hand in his and allow him to draw me near. Victor kisses me softly on the lips
before he murmurs "You look beautiful by the way."

We make our way down the hallway and to the supper
room in silence. It isn't until we get to a large set of doors that Victor
comes to a halt before turning to me. "There will be many of my kind here tonight
Anna; you must stay by my side. A lot of the people attending tonight do not
have the same kind of control over their blood lust as I do Anna and if one of
them should catch you alone, I fear that they will not be able to control
themselves." His eyes plead me to understand, and I do. They are vampires,
bloodsucking monsters.

I reach up and place a kiss on his lips. "I'll
stay by your side Victor," It looks as if he is going to say something,
there is a simmering to his eyes, the questions burning within them but the
door opens before he can say a thing, and we are welcome by the applause of a
few hundred people.