Roses Wither: Into the Darkness
forty-six

Chase

I was not nearly sated enough. This had been what I had wanted for weeks.

As her memories washed over me again, showing me what she had been though, I knew I needed to replace Azazel more than ever.

Right at this moment though, I wanted to worship her, to take her fully in and own every ounce of her flesh as I nibbled on her flesh, kissed her luscious lips, and delve in deep.

I could see in her thoughts of that day, that she was a little torn over being a victim, but was resolute with the the deaths and torture of her captives. The reason for everything, for her pain these past two weeks, her tears and her fear and worries... They were because of me, because she had killed me.

She had replayed my decapitation over and over in her mind, blaming herself for our disconnection, for her vampire and wolf to hibernate after my death.

I watched her as I pulled out of her warmth. She was sated, but my need wasn’t going anywhere and I was still firm. Fuck!

“I’m sorry.” I kissed her softly, “I couldn’t stop myself.”

“Chase.” She smiled up at me, “You don’t have to apologize. I wanted it.”

“Mmmm.” I leaned down and kissed her beautiful, welcoming lips.

She moaned into my mouth and I nibbled at her lower lip. I just wanted to eat this woman up.

“You are so beautiful.” I whispered, moving so she was underneath me.

"Oh, my-" She gaped up at me, "You're still hard after that?"

"Mmmm." I mumbled, lowering to kiss the new bite I had left on her neck.

This woman was mine, in all of her beauty, grace and fear. She was mine.

"I'm not in heat anymore."

"This isn't my body wanting you now." I told her, the words sounded odd, coming from my lips, but it made so much sense in my mind, "It is my mind. You make me want to have you all the time, and never let you go."

I kissed her again and she began to laugh.

“You’re only saying that because I put out.” She teased.

“Well,” I grinned down at her, feeling like a fool, “If you put out again, I imagine I could spend my whole morning in this bed with you.”

“Why don’t we see where that takes us, then?” Her words were weighted with lust, and it was all the encouragement I needed.

Eventually, we showered together and attempted to make our way back to the throngs of people.

I had to replace out more about Azazel, why he was after me specifically and what exactly he was, before I lost my witt again over this woman.

So, I was going out to the library today.

“Ariath...” I smiled at my housekeeper as I walked by where she vacuumed the hall. She was another one of the first vampires I had turned, but didn’t look a day over 19.

She had been in the sisterhood, when I needed a purpose. She had helped me, so when she was dying from the plague, I turned her. Despite everyone telling me that I would go to hell.

She still wore a modern version of her habit and was every bit of the nun she had been, so this conversation may be a little awkward, because Matthias had assigned her our quarters to clean. Wretched fool liked to punish me.

“Hello, sir.” She stopped the vacuum and grinned up at me.

“Is there any way,” I whispered, “That you can-uhm. Change our sheets today? We, uhm- they may be a little dirtier than normal though, so if not-.”

“It is okay, Sir.” Her smile didn’t fade, “I assumed as much. We could all sense it.”

“Sense what?” I felt my eyes go wide.

“There was a charge of power, starting around two am. It was so heavy, there was no denying what it was.”

“Oh,” I gave a nod, “I-uhm.”

“She is your bound.” She gave an accepting nod, “I understand. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. We still love God, but we do not live under the same laws anymore. We are now bound to the Goddess and her ways as well.”

I smiled, warmly at the woman, as I remembered our Bible teachings.

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1-5.

“Can you do me a favor? Would you mind putting some more of the flowers around the house? Maybe in my quarters too?”

“I think she would all like that,” Her smile grew again, “What kind, Sir?”

I saw Matthias coming down the hallway and knew I had to make it quick. If he heard this he would tease me.

“Maybe some bouquets with whites, purples and sunflowers?” I grinned, “Rose loves the Sunflowers.”

I moved down the hall to meet Matthias half way.

“You seem to be in a cheery mood today.” Matthias grinned widely as we met in the hallway, “You are also very late, and I could have sworn that I felt the shift in power, quite a few hours ago.”

“It’s been an interesting morning.” I straighted my shirt sleeves. I had seen a lot from Rose, when we connected again and it pushed me to do the right thing.

“You mean you aren’t spending the day in bed?” He cocked a brow, looking from my bedroom door to me.

I would like to, especially since everything in me was screaming for me to be with my bound. This new, mental pull was still so forceful right now, that it was hard to leave her alone in our room.

Then I noticed what I had done. My eyes had moved back to the bedroom door, giving way to where I’d rather be, and my brother teasingly chuckled.

Instead of responding, or calling him out I held my features steady, as though nothing happened.

“Why would I do that?” I continued down the hallway, fighting my urge to return to my rooms, “I feel perfectly fine and I still need to research what I can replace out about Azazel.”

“One of these days you will talk, brother.” He followed, matching step with me.

“We do not need to discuss it.”

He gave a low whistle as he cought up and joined me in step, “I can smell it in the air and despite the fact that you have showered, her scent is stronger on you than normal.”

“Yes, Matthias.” My words were dry, "It would be."

“So, talk. How did it happen this time?” He paused to gape at me, “Did she tease you? Wake you up with a little suction?”

“Positioning.” I stated, the word sounding colder than I had meant it to be, “We woke up spooning.”

“That’s dirty play.” His jaw dropped.

“No. It just happens to be normal for us.” I grinned now and made my way down the stairs.

“One of these days, you will break and actually tell me something useful,” He mumbled about going back to his bound and then his voice grew louder, “You have a meeting in your office. Right now.”

I stopped and turned to face him, “Who?”

“It appears that the royals are descending upon us now.” He snarled in our old tongue.

As I proceeded to my office, I felt the presence and knew exactly who he was referring to.

A cold chill ran down my spine as the ancient power streamed through the hall. The woman had to show up today, of all days?! Fuck it all.

I entered my office and swiftly closed the door behind me.

She didn’t turn to face me, or say a word, but when I sat at my desk, she pulled her power inward.

Her brown eyes swirled with mirth, but were warm at the same time.

“Are you here to see Rose?” I asked the wolf shifter.

“I can see now, that Rose currently does not want company with the wolves, and I will not force her.” There were silver slivers of tears in her eyes, “She has been through so much.”

It was hard to keep my calm, but I played it off well, playing with the pen on my desk, acting as though I was at ease. When all I wanted to do was shout at her, “How the hell did you not see it?!”

“My visions don’t work every moment of every day,” Nita explained, “They focus on death and life. Not on the pain. For instance, I didn’t see her kidnapping, but I knew it would be you by her side when those vampires died.”

“Of course I was there,” I swallowed hard, “I am her guard.”

“Don’t play games with me,” Her eyes narrowed, “You are so much more, aren’t you, Your Highness?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” I shrugged.

“Okay.” I could tell that she wasn’t buying it, “I see that your home is exactly what she needs to heal her vampire. She needs to see the good in her abilities.”

Nitala had a way of speaking that ran in circles. Never giving concise answers to questions and always speaking of the future.

“Nita, with all due respect, I value that you see the future, in any form, but please, stay out of mine. Trust that I am trying to protect Rose, and I know that having her here is the safest for her right now. Azazel is still out there and he cannot reach her on this island.”

“I meddled once,” She spoke sadly, “Now I realize that if I hadn’t sent you away, Rosa would have known you, she would have trained with you as well as the shifters, and she would have known of the beauty of the moon as well.”

“When Nico released me.” I remembered that day. I had never been a free man before. I was lost.

“He did, because he knew of what you were to become. He wanted to part with you on peaceful terms.”

“What am I to become, Nita?” I snorted, leaning forward on my desk, “See, my point is, no one can read or understand what is written on my skin, the only two that seem to be onto something are you and Marcus, but you both dance around it, and I can’t decipher what I got from him.”

“There are others who know of what your markings mean,” Not helpful, but I let her continue, “One cannot be found and another cannot come to you. I saw the same vision Marcus saw of you, at the final battle.”

“Visions are subject to change.” I reminded her.

“You and Aiden will both be standing by her side.” She swallowed hard, “What I didn’t see right away, was that the two of you would be bound. Two of the highest guard, to protect her, one a King.”

“I have nothing to offer, to make that vision a reality.” I glared at her, “All that vision does is confuse the situation. Her and I are bound. She is mine. I will not sit back while her and the wolf-.”

“Chase, where Aiden will gain the strength and wisdom of the Earth, you will gain the power of a King, whatever the moon possesses, is your’s as well, but I have seen you fight in this battle. I have seen you use a magic that I have never seen before. You will use everything you have to protect Rosa, whether it is Aiden she chooses or you. That I know.”

“And where do I aquire this new magic?” I snorted.

Nitala’s eyes glossed over in a way that I had only ever seen from Marcus, and when she spoke again, it was an eerie monotone.

“There is more to you than anyone knows. When markings are no longer hidden, the long awaited King shall take his throne,” Her voice chilled me to the bone, she was having a vision right now, as we spoke, “Powers will be unleashed that the Earth’s surface has never seen. A new King will then be born amongst the ashes of the dead.”

I stared at her as her eyes turned back to their normal chocolate brown.

“We have all seen the vision, Nita.” I reminded her, “But that wolf will not go near her again. She is my bound.”

“The wolf, as you refer to him, is not the King.” She held her chin high, “You are.”

“What is he then?”

“He is the Alpha of her guard.” She spoke stoically, “He lost his father when our Southern boarders were breached, and becoming Alpha while his mother was expecting was hard. It is making him strong and he will be a good warrior, but he will never be a King.”

“So, is that what happened to Rose?” I couldn’t hold back my bitterness, “Everything she went through in Azazel’s hands, was to make her strong? Is that what you think? She is just now coming back from it.”

“Wolf bonds are broken and forged all the time, they are forced, and they are taken without consent. The wolves do not work as the vampires do. Her separation from Aiden, what the demon did to her, their deaths, none of it effected her. She has seen death before, she has dealt it before, she has seen battles of war. Nothing has effected her, but when she killed you, it scared her.”

“What are you saying?”