Seared by Desire (37 page)

As he and his army drew closer to the building, the
dilapidated roof and crumbling mortar became increasingly clear,
Lucian cursed himself for allowing Sara to take his sword. Even
though he’d only had the weapon for a few days, he already missed
the calm it brought him. With no other option but to go forward,
Lucian dismounted his horse, unsheathed the replacement blade and
strode forward. The men at his back rushed to follow his lead. The
door was damaged and easily gave way to his booted foot allowing
Lucian and his men to enter the building. The inside of the
building was dark with only a few candles lit in the large space
but Lucian's sharp eyes easily pierced through the darkness, his
hackles rising and his lips drawing back in a snarl when he saw one
of the occupants.

“
William,” he hissed.

Though the main room was dim, Lucian could see as William
turned to face him, his brows drawing together in a frown.
“Lucian,” he commented.

William's tone instantly had Lucian concerned, he sounded
shocked at his appearance but there was none of the terror one
would expect in the voice of a man who was drastically outnumbered
by an army ready and willing to take his head. His hand tightened
reflexively around his blade, his heart pounding in
readiness.

“
I was expecting you.”

“
Really?” he growled angrily, stepping further inside so that
more of his men could fill the space at his back.

“
It was inevitable. After all you’ve been hunting my people
with a vengeance over the last few days. I’m going to guess in
retribution for what happened at New Malden.”

Lucian's fangs lengthened at the reminder, his mind becoming
filled with images of Sara’s soot streaked face, the desperation in
her normally clear blue eyes and the sadness in her voice that day.
“New Malden showed me the error of my ways William. I don’t want to
constantly be at war, I have better things to do with my time and
seeing as you don’t want to discuss peace the only option that
leaves me is to annihilate you and your people if
necessary.”

“
And my brother?” he smirked.

“
He’s currently in my dungeons. I still haven’t decided what
to do with him.”
I know Sara wants me to
release him but how can I forgive him so easily when his actions
put her life at risk?

“
It’s his own fault really, he sees the best in people when
sometimes there’s nothing there to see. Once I’ve killed you I
suppose I’ll release him, though he’ll probably try to do something
stupid like kill me when he finds out what happened to you. I’m too
generous for my own good,” he mused.

William's words made Lucian laugh, the sound filling the
empty space that separated them. “When you kill me?” he chuckled
incredulously. “William look around, you’re drastically out
numbered. There are only…” He performed a quick head count, his
eyes lingering in confusion on the misshapen outline of one of the
room’s inhabitants before his attention returned to William. “There
are only twelve people here on your side William, I have an army at
my back. If anyone is going to die tonight it will be
you.”

“
Ah but things are not always as they seem Lucian. You’ve
forced my hand you see. Your attacks on my people got me thinking.
We’ve been at war for decades but it was only after this last
attack that you decided to go to such extreme lengths and it got me
thinking. What changed? And then I remembered.” He stepped forward,
the shadowy figure at his side moving through the shadows to remain
in line with him. “The Quicksilver, your bride. You’re doing this
for her.”

Lucian remained silent, his eyes intent on the figure beside
William, he couldn’t see its true form despite his improved
eyesight and that unnerved him. Even if someone were to stick to
the shadows as faithfully as William's guest was, he should still
be able to see something of its body and his inability to do so was
worrying Lucian. The thoughts he was managing to pick up from him
were strange, the language the words were spoken in foreign, rough
and grating on his ears. Whatever the creature was, there was no
doubt in Lucian's mind that it wasn’t human. His mind was racing,
trying to discover what William was plotting while his eyes
strained to see more than the silhouette of the unknown creature.
It was always best to know the enemy you were dealing with before
battle.

“
Your bride was driving my people towards extinction but I
realised I could use her. The Quicksilver isn’t famous only among
vampires like you and me and those sheep called humans. Her blood
is just as irresistible to other creatures as it is to you, there
are some who want nothing more than to cover themselves in it and
drink deeply from the well of power her blood possesses. It dawned
upon me that if you were so intent on my destruction I needed
allies and so I went and found some. We have a shared interest in
killing you. I want you dead so I can finally have my throne and
they want you dead so that your bride will be defenceless and they
can take her. I won’t be the only one drinking from her when you’re
dead Lucian.”

“
You’ll never drink from her William. No one will.”

William and his ally stepped closer, coming further into the
light and as they approached Lucian could hear the sound of excited
breaths, the panting deep and eager.

“
Now that isn’t true Lucian, you’ve drunk from her. Her blood
is in your veins.” William turned to look at the creature by his
side, a smile forming on his face. “See, I told you,” he began, the
words directed at his strange ally. “Can’t you smell how delicious
that blood is? If we work together and kill him the source will
belong to us.”

“
Seraphina,” William's ally said. The words, when spoken
aloud, were even more painful to listen to. The creature stepped
out of the shadows to stare directly at Lucian and he knew the
instant he saw it in all is horrific glory that in his desperation
William had made a deal with the devil.

The demon’s skin was black, the uneven surface making it look
like the thick tar that was sometimes dredged up from the bowels of
the earth. The area around him was darker than that of the room
itself as if his skin was absorbing the light, which explained why
Lucian had had such trouble seeing him from within the shadows. In
each of its four arms a wicked looking scimitar was held, the edges
of the curved blades blurred by the darkness. The only colour on
the demons body came from its eyes. Blood red, they reminded Lucian
of the monster that lurked within him.

Lucian could hear the increased heartbeats of the men at his
back, blood rushing through their systems in fear. Though they were
all hardened warriors, he doubted that any had ever been confronted
with a demon. He turned slightly, giving them a look that was both
reassuring and angry. There was only one demon, they would not be
beaten.

“
William,” he tutted. “It’s never a wise idea to make deals
with the devil. Demons aren’t well known for sticking to their
words and besides, with only one demonic ally do you really think
that you can win?”

William's smile widened. “You only need one demon to begin
with. They can always call more.” The demon began to hit his swords
against each other, the loud sound of metal on metal filling the
space.

William's toothy grin began to worry Lucian, there was
something going on and he wasn’t sure he wanted to wait around for
the trap to be set. “Charge!!!” he bellowed leaping into
action.

The room, which seconds ago had seemed large and spacious
suddenly became cramped as demons materialised at their master’s
call. There was no time for Lucian or his men to be shocked by
their sudden appearance or amazed by how they’d done it. The demons
were armed and ready for battle. The loud and horrific sound of
their voices echoed through the building as they shrieked a war cry
before beginning their assault.

It was with a sense of grim determination that Lucian lifted
his blade and entered the fray. He was intent on having William's
head and he was going to have it tonight. He’d fought demons before
and their lack of intelligence made them easy prey for a skilled
swordsman like him. William's plan had failed before it had even
truly begun. There was no hesitation in his step as he sliced
neatly through the flesh of all those that stood between him and
William and with the odds stacked so heavily in his favour, the
monster within him was quiet. The hollow sound of William's
laughter only made Lucian angrier and his blade moved faster,
felling foes at an incomprehensible speed.

Minutes passed and his calm confidence turned to annoyed
frustration. No matter how many demons he killed he was no closer
to William and his new demonic ally. For every one he killed, two
more pushed their way through the throng to fill the gap left by
their dead brethren. There was an unnatural focus on him almost as
if the demons were drawn towards him and he’d quickly become
surrounded though a quick glance at the surroundings told him he
was the only one it was happening to. His men were battling from
the outside to reach him, felling foes with considerable skill
considering they had never fought demons before and a feeling of
pride welled within him. His pride quickly turned into frustration
as another demon blocked his path.

The momentary distraction cost him severely as a razor sharp
set of claws raked down his back. He bellowed in pain, spinning
around to hack the creature to pieces but the damage had already
been done. Blood was pouring from his body and demons rushed forth
on a loud cry fighting each other in a desperate attempt to reach
him. He watched in morbid fascination as those closest to him began
to cover themselves in his blood, wiping the red liquid over their
faces, running bloody hands down their arms and licking their
reddened fingers. He turned his attention back to the battle at
hand, trying to ignore the strange actions of the demons but he
felt himself sway on his feet and had to pause to right himself.
The demons however were already moving, the supply of Lucian's
blood having dwindled to nothing in their greed, they eagerly
reached for him uncaring of the limbs they lost to the steel of his
sword as they tried to cut him again, to make him spill more of his
precious blood.

Another set of claws sunk into his shoulder and as the claws
remained embedded in his flesh Lucian felt the real reason for
their unnatural focus on him. The demons could feel the fire in his
blood, heat that he’d taken from Sara when he’d last drunk from
her. They were draining the warmth from his body and stealing the
strength of Sara’s blood, leaving him weakened and them frantic for
more. Lucian switched the sword to his free hand, hacking through
the offending limb before retching the clawed hand from his body.
The demons went wild when he threw the hand into the throng,
fighting over the traces of blood on the claws.

His limbs felt heavy, the blade in his hand increasingly
difficult to wield though he was still succeeding in felling demons
that appeared before him but their numbers seemed never ending and
fatigue was creeping up on him. He was beginning to feel cold as
though he hadn’t fed in weeks; his movements were becoming sluggish
giving the enemy the opportunity to cut him again and again. Spots
began appearing before his eyes, his vision blurring as the heat of
Sara’s blood poured from him into the demons, taking his strength
with it. His dark eyes locked with William's, hatred and anger
blazing from their depths. It couldn’t end this way. William's
smile widened as Lucian gritted his teeth in grim determination. He
wouldn’t let them have Sara. Gathering his dwindling strength,
Lucian forced himself to push the pain to the back of his mind and
attacked.

******

As the journey home came to an end, Lucian forced his head up
and looked at the rapidly approaching estate. His vision swam, the
building fading in and out of sight as his body swayed weakly in
the saddle of the horse.

“
Gareth,” he called. Although his voice, like the rest of his
body, was weakened after his encounter with the demons, it still
commanded respect and demanded obedience.

Gareth lifted his head to look at his leader, the blood
covering his dark clothes reminding him of what a truly dangerous
man Lucian could be. He sat atop his horse, visibly weakened from
the battle, his strength so drained that Gareth had to lead the
horse by the reins as he was physically incapable of doing so
himself. But Gareth was well aware that even so weakened Lucian was
a force to be reckoned with. The demons had sapped his strength but
he had still managed to hack his way through the bodies standing in
his path and emerge victorious though William had once again eluded
him. In the heat of battle Lucian was a horror to behold and Gareth
couldn’t thank the heavens enough that Lucian's body had refused to
carry him any further once he’d cleared the circle of demons. His
eyes had glowed red and he’d hissed at his army when they had
approached, trying feebly to attack them until he’d regained his
senses. It was a sight Gareth wouldn’t soon forget.

“
Yes my Lord?”

“
Sara can’t know about this. You can’t let her see me. When we
get back to the estate I want to be hidden from her. She can’t know
the truth Gareth.”

Gareth paled, visibly shocked by Lucian's request. “But Lord
Lucian, you’ve drunk from her…your condition won’t improve unless
you drink her blood. You need to see her.”