The Fire Within (The Fire of The Soul Series) (32 page)

"I'm afraid Anna that you have
outdone yourself. There is not one woman here that can begin to compare herself
to you." Kayden's voice is soft, floating on the soft wind that comes
through the open doors of the balcony. His voice is alluring and his eyes are
seductive. We seem to make a perfect match, dancing effortlessly to the
feather-light song.

"Kayden, we can't do this
anymore." I say, I know that this must be said. Whatever Kayden feels he
cannot continue to feel it, for it would ruin everything between Victor and he.

"Can't do what Anna? Dance? I
could do this all night." He spins me and then brings me back in, keeping
time with the fast beat of the new song.

"You know what I mean
Kayden," I say exasperated, however I don't stop dancing. I cannot give up
the ruse, in fear that any disruption between Kayden and I will cause attention
from our group.

"Unfortunately, I know exactly
what you're talking about," Kayden says looking crestfallen. I hate
breaking him like this, Kayden had become one of my closest friends in the underworld,
but my future is with Victor, and there is no changing that fact. There is a
slight tap on my shoulder and Kayden smiles at the person behind me, he is able
to completely hid his true emotions, and I feel even worse when I turn around
to find Shade behind me.

"May I have this dance fair
maiden?" Shade asks teasingly, bowing slightly at the waist.

I act in kind, giving him a deep
curtsy. "Of course good Sir." when I rise from my curtsy, Shade takes
me in his arms and we begin to dance. It is nothing as elegant as Kayden's
formal moves but it is more of an awkward swaying.

"I understand the predicament
you're in Anna, but try not to completely break their hearts. They both love
you, as if they will never love again. The choices of the heart are always the
harshest," Shade says, his mask is an emerald green, and it is an
astonishing colour on his pale skin.

"What do you know of the choices
of the heart? I've never once seen you with any woman," I say, and then I
add as an afterthought "or any man if that is your preference."

"I do prefer women Anna,"
Shade says with a slight chuckle. "And for your information, you never see
me with any women, as there is only one for me. And she wants absolutely
nothing to do with me." It's clear that this upsets him, thus I try
finding something to say to him, to console him on this matter.

"Perhaps you just need to prove
to her that you are worthy of her attentions." I hope that this is enough
to console him, instead his sorrow is gone, and he is giving me this strange
look, as if he had never seen me before.

"Funny thing is that that is
almost the exact same thing I told Kayden the other day." His words mark
the end of the song, and we simply stare at each other for a moment, taking
each other in consideration. The moment passes, but his words don't leave my
mind. Obviously Kayden had been seeking comfort, and understanding in Shade,
his only friend that he could turn to about this matter, the only friend he
could turn to when it came to talking about his feelings for me. However, it is
still a strange concept in my mind, that Kayden is in love with me, and I am
completely lost on how to resolve this problem, or my confused emotions on the
matter.

Shade and I return to the table, Shade
sitting between Lord Baron and Kayden and I between Kayden and Victor. The food
that had been provided for the event is magnificent, indulging in luxury for
Victor's return. There are things there that I have never seen before, and most
of those I hesitate to try. However, I eat everything that Victor suggests that
I will like, and surprisingly there are a few things that I did enjoy, and then
there are others that one bite made me sick.

The party, feast, masquerade, whatever
you want to call it goes on into the night, Victor and I eventually get to
dance together, and its pure bliss to finally be alone with him, to share a
simply dance with the man that I love. Eventually pulling away from the crimson
eyes that make my stomach flip, I notice that everyone has gone, including the
group of friends that we had been sitting with. It’s only Victor and I here,
alone on the dance floor. He smiles at me, his white teeth flashing as his lips
part.

"You are beautiful Anna, I could
profess of your beauty forever, and it would not even begin to bring your
beauty justice," He whispers, his hands inflame my skin where he holds me
at the waist, and I cannot pull away from the eyes that completely absorb me.

"Victor," I breathe, he
leans down closing his eyes and mine flutter close as his lips press against
mine. I am completely consumed by his kiss, the fire of our passion running
like liquid through my veins. I'm lost within his kiss, and it feels as if it
goes on forever.

"Victor, I must speak to you
about something," I say when he we finally break apart.

"What is it Anna?" Victor
pulls back further so that he can look at me properly.

"Can we sit down for a
minute," I ask indicating towards a pair of chairs, knowing that he'll
have to sit down to hear this. I wait until we are seated before saying
anything. "I found the secret dungeon, the one containing your research
and... and Sadar." The joy and bliss on Victor's face darkens until it has
completely vanished, into something that I cannot comprehend.

"Anna, you found what?" he
asks, begging me to say anything else than the immortals name.

"I found Sadar," I say. At
my words Victor gets up from the chair in a blur of movement, moving so far
away from me that I feel as if I've lost him.

"I cannot believe you Anna, why
would you even go searching for him?" Victor shouts turning back to me,
his face is filled with rage.

"I never went searching for him
Victor! I never knew that it was possible for there to be people like
him." I get up from the chair as well, as I shout my defence.

"He is not a person Anna. He is
an immortal, and a fallen one at that. Sadar, the unseeing one, is an outcast
among his own kind! He is all but forgotten among the kingdoms of the
underworld, and I was the fool to summon him to our world. Sadar is a sadistic
bastard! A psychopath that can never be trusted," Victor sneers, as he
curses the immortals existence.

"He is misunderstood Victor, that
is all. He was perfectly polite to me, even pitiful for what had been done to
me. I believe that all people should be given a fair chance, that includes
Sadar and his kind," I say honestly, begging Victor to look me in the
eyes. He refuses to, and continues to pace around.

"And what of your father Anna?
Should he be given a fair chance as well?" Victor sneers, his rage
upsetting whatever peace there was between us.

"He is the exception to the rule,
and you know why," I reply with just as much venom as I can muster. My
father did not deserve kindness for all that he has done to me.

"Victor there's something
else." I say the need to tell him about my fathers presence within the
castle becoming drastically clear.

"Let me guess, you stumbled upon
another immortal? Or you had tea and crumpets with Sadar this morning for breakfast?"
Victor's sneer is painful and I flinch from his harsh words.

"No and No. It's about my father.
When Kayden returned, he brought my father and mother with him," my voice
is hesitant, afraid of Victor's reaction.

"And what was done in regards to
them?" Victor asks, turning back toward me, his anger is no longer
visible, but most certainly still present. I can sense that he is trying to
walk on thin ice, as he knows that this is a touchy subject for me.

"They were kept here, within the
castle, in the dungeons down below," I say, there is no room to question
my words. And the shock on Victor's face mirrors everything that I felt at
seeing them here in the first place. Where we are going to go from here, I have
no idea but at least it would be together.

Anna's P.O.V

The setting sun illuminates the blood
stained grass in a hallow light. The green grass, now stained with the fallen
soldiers' blood, is littered with the bodies of the fallen, and those who are
still fighting. I am among those still fighting, side by side by side, with
Victor, Shade and Kayden. Each of us wear the armoury of the higher ranking
soldiers, and Victor wears a red cape, to represent his authority and royalty
on the battle field. The sound of swords clashing is overpowered by the screams
of the dying. Before the boys I can see a man approaching, it seems as if he is
cloaked in darkness. He is ranked by two others, one on each side of the man.
Upon closer inspection it is obvious that the man is Christian, and the other
two is a man with fiery red hair, that seems to flicker like flames as the
setting sun's light shines through it, and the other is a small petite woman,
with mahogany brown hair, and pale skin as white as snow. It is far too late to
warn the boys of the trio's approach, and it isn't until they are a few steps
away from us that they called attention to themselves.

"Victor!" Christian's voice is
a loathing yell. There is absolute hatred on his face as he stares at Victor.
The scream of course draws Victor's attention from the body falling to his feet
- Victor's sword pulling free dew to the slick blood that covers it - to
Christian, and the two men stare at each other in all consuming loathing.

"Christian," Victor sneers,
the one word filled with such venom that it could have physically burned
through anything.

"Good to see that I have your
attention. As this is the moment of your downfall, brother," Christian
sneers, and we all look at him in horror. What on earth did he mean by brother?

"What on earth are you talking
about? I am not your brother, not by blood or oath," Victor responds, he
seems to keep up his guard although I can tell that he too is thoroughly
confused.

"Are you quite sure about that,
brother dear?" Christian asks, and as Victor remains silent he goes on,
"No? Well let me clear it up for you. Our mother was a whore; she had
committed herself to my father, Novak, in her human flesh. Then your father
comes along, hypnotizes her with his vampiric skills, and marks her as his own.
A simple human being, just like our precious Anna, was your mother and my
own." There is such a condemned look to Christian's face, as if he hates
to admit that his mother was like me, or that he is related partially to his
arch enemy. What is it that I had seen with Augustus' mind? Wasn't Novak saying
that Christian's mother had abandoned him, and that he cried every night,
begging for his mother to come back and love him?

"You lie," is Victor's only
response. Christian just smirks at him, completely pleased to uproot everything
that Victor believed in, even if that meant destroying his own walls in the
process.

"Believe what you will, the truth
has sought you out, and you reject it. It will not give you a second chance.
Besides what does it matter, your about to die anyhow," Christian remarks
with a vicious little sneer. There is no on-going battle, no fight to the
death. Christian raises his sword and with one swift motion plunges it through
Victor's heart. It feels as if the blade is going through my own heart, and I
clutch onto my heart in an attempt to make sure that it stays in one piece. I
watch as Victor dies before me, tears running down my face as I lose the man I
love, due to the man that I loath. There is nothing I can do to save him, and I
drop to my knees to hold him one last time. Victor keeps me at a distance
though and he watches me with his eyes as the life slowly drains out of him. I
keep our eyes locked, and our hands intertwined until I can see no life within
his eyes anymore. That is when I can hear Christian's rumbling chuckle at
Victor's death, at his own triumph. When I look up to him, he is towering above
me, a triumphant smile on his face. He has finally achieved what he had been
planning all along. Christian is in awe of his freedom. However, for the rest
of us, all is lost as our only hope lies dead before me.

I awake to the cold light of dawn, the bed beside me
is empty, and my heart begins to race as for a moment I forget that the dream
is not real. My panic and concern for Victor, only lasts for a moment as I
remember the fight that we had the night before. I drop back into the bed and
stare at the blank ceiling above me. How could something so magical, so
beautiful be ruined so? And what of Kayden? And the words that Shade and I had
shared? What was I going to do about these three boys and the problems that
they cause? Then again, what would I be without them? What would I do without
them? I let go of a huff and decided that if I must lie in bed all day to avoid
the world than that is what I must do.

However, the world comes seeking me out in the form
of my fiancé, with an innocent smile and a tray full with early morning
delights.

"Morning Anna, I wasn't sure if you would be
awake by now. Seeing how early in the morning it is," Victor says in way
of greeting. He walks over to me and places the tray on the bedside table as I
sit up to be on even level with him. "Anna, I apologize for my behaviour
last night... Are you quite alright? You look like you've had quite a fright."
Victor appears to be concerned for me, which is quite ludicrous as only a few
moments ago I was concerned for him.