Caressed by Night (18 page)

“Everyone believed I was dead until two weeks ago.” She took another drink. “Okay, I’m going to need some back story in order to understand this.”

“Do you remember when we were discussing the vampire clans? Well,” he gave a heavy sigh, “they are designed around a medieval, hierarchical structure with a king at the top. Since vampires are unable to reproduce in the traditional fashion, the kings choose an heir to replace them when they meet a true death.”

“No way,” she breathed, pressing her palm against her forehead. “I’ve been wondering what you meant when you said ‘I am Volkov’.” She gave a light laugh. “You
are
Volkov. As in you are the King of the Volkov Clan.”

His lips slowly turned up and she rolled her eyes. She couldn’t be dating a normal guy or even a normal vampire. No, she was in a relationship with a vampire king.

“I really shouldn’t be surprised you’re a king. With the way my life has been going lately, that bit of information fits perfectly.”

“I truly am sorry. I intended―”

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“Everything to move slower?” she finished. “Who’s to say things would have been better that way? I may not have adjusted to this new world of supernatural creatures and magic as well as I have.” Dimitri shrugged. She had a point. Perhaps this is the way everything was meant to happen. The incident in the alley had been a twist he had not seen coming. He knew that his ability to see into the future was not as complete as it was for the Shaw.

“So, we have established that you are the King of the Volkov Clan who was believed to be dead for four hundred years because you faked your death.” She took a quick swig of the wine and nodded.

“Continue.”

“As you know, I did not make my Clan by turning people.

Vampires came to me seeking protection. Ven, the vampire I appointed my second-in-command, my heir, was no different. He had been a general in the Voidukas Clan during the reign of the worst tyrant the vampire world has ever seen. Fearing for his life, Ven came to me.” He ran a hand through his hair. “At the time my Clan was made up of peasants. Ven was the only one strong enough…and qualified to be my heir.”

Kerstyn held her hand up. “Hang on. I understand the need for an heir in the event that a king dies. Power needs to transfer smoothly so that civil war doesn't break out, but how often do vampire kings die?”

“On average, after two hundred years of rule. Give or take a few decades.”

“I thought vampires were immortal.”

“There are very few things that can end the life of a vampire.”

“Like a stake through the heart?” she teased.

“There is some truth in that old wives’ tale. If the heart is destroyed, they will die. Decapitation will work as well. Most vampires will burn to ash beneath the sun’s rays. Only the ancients and those possessing great amounts of power can withstand sunlight. Fire also varies from vampire to vampire.”

“What has killed the monarchs?”

“A curse, aptly named the Death Curse,” he stated coldly. “It slowly robs a vampire of their immortality while it destroys them from the inside out.”

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“How?”

“Once they take the oath to rule and protect their Clan, the curse launches its attack. It begins by attacking the vampire’s conscience. Some report that they can see the faces and hear the screams of their countless victims. As sorrow and regret settle within their corrupted souls, loneliness and despair soon follow until the vampire is consumed with guilt and misery. Over time, madness seizes the brain while a mystical illness consumes the body. In the end, every vampire king prays for death.”

Kerstyn took a long drink as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up at his words. She had always envisioned the moment of death to be peaceful, serene. To hear that terror gripped them within their last moments wasn’t at all comforting.

“You must remember these are vampires. Their souls are shattered, their humanity almost nonexistent.”

“You aren’t like them, Dimitri.” Wishing to move away from the topic of death, she said, “Before I distracted you with my questions, you were talking about your heir, Ven.”

“Yes,” he sighed, “as I stated, most vampires rule for approximately two hundred years before they meet their end. By this time, I had been ruling for an unnaturally long period of time.”

“How long?”

“Nearly three hundred years. Unlike the Fathers, the pureblood vampires who created the clans, and countless scores of other kings who had perished, for three centuries I remained in excellent health.

Ven was impatient for my death; he wanted the throne.”

“Why? If everyone dies—”

“According to the Shaw, for every clan, there will be one true monarch. Once the intended ruler comes to power, a mate will be created for them. Together, they will reign and unite with the other vampire clans and the shape-shifting tribes and help bring peace between all supernatural beings including the Red Order.”

“So, you ruled for three hundred years and have been believed to be dead for four hundred…” Kerstyn snapped her mouth shut. She knew he was extremely old, but to be talking about centuries as if they were comparable to weeks or months was strange. She resisted a laugh as she remembered his words,
I don’t know how old I am. That’s
because he’s so old he forgot.

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“Amusing, but, no, that is not the reason,” he said.

Kerstyn blushed. “Sorry.” She cleared her throat and asked,

“Ven was plotting against you?”

He tapped his finger on the tip of her nose. “Spot on,” he praised her with a smile. “Being able to read the thoughts of others and having the ability to see the future, I went along with his plan. Ven had arranged for me to be ambushed by the leader and founder of the Red Order of Hunters.”

“The group of witches who pick off stray vampires?”

“Yes. I made Ven believe I had been vanquished. After he left the scene of my supposed murder, I killed the witch, crawled away, and buried myself. Once I finished healing, I rose from the earth.” Kerstyn shivered as she envisioned a hand bursting from the ground like in zombie movies.

“Oh my God, all this happened four hundred years ago? Is Ven still alive? Surely, the curse has taken him,” Kerstyn said, adding everything together.

Dimitri slowly shook his head. “Unfortunately not.”

“Is he some type of super vamp like you?”

“Hardly,” he chuckled.

“If he took the throne, then he should be cursed like all the other rulers,” she insisted, confusion drawing her brows together.

“He is not truly king. I never died.”

“So, you’re technically still in power?”

He nodded.

Kerstyn’s lips formed an O as she processed the information, but her moment of clarity did not last long. Confusion settled back into her mind as a startling thought occurred to her.

“If you are king, how is it that you are still alive?”

“The Shaw. They are the ones who placed the curse upon all those who would rule the vampires.” He took a deep breath. “They are responsible for my continued life.”

Dimitri knew his answer was vague and despite Silvie’s urgings, he could not bring himself to tell her the details. He had always known he was one of the intended kings, a true ruler of
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darkness. Though he had never desired to be king. He had refused to form a Clan until he was forced into action, forced to protect those who could not defend themselves.

“Silvie’s people? But she said they are―”

“A peaceful, harmonious group. Indeed, they are the embodiment of tranquility, but they have had their share of wrathful moments. However, the Shaw and their role in vampire society are not important right now.”

“One moment,” she requested as she tried to sort all this new information. “You are not cursed?”

“I will not die of a magical illness. The Shaw have spared me.” Dimitri clamped his lips shut as she gulped down the last of her wine. Setting the empty glass on the table, she then turned her steady gaze to him, “Okay, I’m ready for the bad news.”

“It is now time for me to reclaim my throne. Ven will be in Las Vegas by the end of the month.”

Ven. That is why Dimitri had come to Las Vegas. His enemy, the traitor who had tried to kill him four hundred years ago, would be here in two weeks.

She closed her eyes. The room was beginning to spin and it had nothing to do with the wine she drank. Fear tickled the base of her spine as anxiety quickened her breath.

“What will you do?” she asked, her voice a scant whisper.

“I will challenge him.”

Kerstyn meekly nodded.

She had assumed he would say that. It was only natural that he would want his Clan back, but where did that leave her? What did all this mean for their relationship?

She rubbed her brow as she felt a headache starting.

These past two weeks had been perfect, like out of some dark fairy tale. Never had she felt such intense feelings toward any man.

Since the moment she met Dimitri, she felt safe, and she wanted nothing more than to be with him.

Her heart clenched and her chest grew tight. She felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice over her head. Dimitri would have to leave. Had this all been…had he been using her? Was she just
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his amusement while he was here, a young woman to warm his bed?

Would he leave before she had time to find a new place to stay? Was he telling her all of this to scare her away, to spare her feelings? Or was he trying to protect her by pushing her away?

Kerstyn dropped her head into her hands. Her thoughts were a maze of confusion.

“So, what is this?” she asked.

He frowned.

“This,” she said waving her hand between them, “These past weeks, you let me believe you were staying, that we…have you been using me? Or are you telling me to run for the hills?” Dimitri inwardly grimaced from her harsh tone. Her emotions were a tangled mess of hurt, anger, doubt, and sorrow.

“If you don’t want me here, just say it. Compared to you I am a child, but in the mortal world, I’m a grown woman. I can handle it.” He shook his head. “I think you are misunderstanding my intentions. I’m not trying to frighten you and I don’t want you to leave.

Nor have I been ‘using’ you.”

Kerstyn turned away and leaned against the sofa, allowing her head to fall back against the cushions.

Emotions raged within her heart, each trying to claim control of her mind and soul. Fear, disappointment, fury, longing, happiness, and a warm emotion she had never felt before ripped at her.

“I know it is selfish of me to ask you to stay.”

“I’m not afraid of a little danger, Dimitri. If you haven’t noticed, it excites me.”

“For all the wrong reasons,” he said.

“No, for all the right reasons. My life was boring and all together uneventful, until I met you. You bring out another side of me, a side I never knew I had. You make me feel brave, sexy, needed.

Treasured. I feel as if you’ve brought me to life.”

“Kerstyn, I fear you do not understand. By staying with me, you are risking your life. You are young and you deserve every happiness in the world.” He sighed, “Perhaps you should stay with Silvie until I can deal with Ven.”

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Kerstyn shook her head. “People who are in a relationship, they take care of each other and help each other. Remember?” Dimitri groaned. Naturally, she would use his words against him.

“I will support you and provide any help that I can. Besides, I seriously doubt you would let anyone harm me and I think you are a much better bodyguard than Silvie. The girl may be a witch, but she is tiny.”

“Never underestimate the powers of a witch, especially a Shaw.

Spells can do more damage than a fist and every vampire who walks the earth is proof of it,” Dimitri snapped, his voice hard, his words sharp.

Kerstyn winced as his eyes flashed white.

Dimitri cursed and closed his eyes before she could see the hurricane of guilt, shame, and pain that swirled within their depths.

His hands fisted as he fought his dark memories.

God, he wanted to tell her. He wanted to share with her his sins. If he told her everything, if he lay bare his heart, his soul, she may hate him and he would not blame her. He loathed himself. He was the reason his friends lived as creatures of the night and he would be the reason for her death.

Kerstyn moved closer to him. He could feel her warmth, though she did not touch him. He sensed her concern, but she was too good for him. She deserved better than him. With him, she would die.

Her blood would cover his hands. Fate had decided her destiny and there was nothing that could be done. And all because of him.

Kerstyn cupped his face, but Dimitri refused to open his eyes.

She could feel the storm of emotion surrounding him. It brushed against her and beckoned to her soul. He was deeply troubled and she wanted to help. Needed to help. As his lover, it was her right. Or, at least, she felt as if it were her right. Then again, he may not want her help. He may not want her at all.

She could sense his unease and doubt. The intense emotions twisted her stomach. Nausea gripped her as his emotions intensified and a dark shadow invaded her thoughts creating a dual pain at the base of her skull. She shook her head trying to dislodge the pain and banish the queasy sensation.

“Dimitri.”

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Her whisper was gentle and pliant, drawing him from his troubled thoughts.