Unleash (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series Book 6) (31 page)

His bloodlust was still strong. It was different now because of his feelings for Aurora and her presence in his life, but it was still unpredictable, liable to surface at any moment.

His stomach growled again and he tried not to think about her sweet blood, or blood in general. He tried not to see it bathing his hands and claws. He tried not to hear the terrified screams of his victims.

They haunted his soul, worse now in the aftermath of returning to the chateau and seeing a full version of events play out and drag him into them, forcing him to relive the terrible things he had done to his family.

Snow swallowed hard and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to bring his focus back to good things like Aurora singing to him, and her face whenever he did something to boost her hope that she might save him yet. She always looked so happy whenever that happened, as though he had given her a beautiful gift.

Hunger gnawed at his insides and his grip slipped, allowing darker thoughts to penetrate the light, chasing it back. He tried to force them out again but they increased, pushing down on him, his bloodlust rising like an unstoppable tide within him.

Snow clenched his fists and fought the darkness, unwilling to give in to it because if it took control of him, all his hope for a future with Aurora would be gone. He had to master this. He had to prove to himself that he could claw himself back from the brink and didn’t have to fear succumbing to its evil.

He didn’t have to destroy innocent lives in a quest for blood.

It began to abate again but didn’t die completely. It lingered in the depths of his heart, lurking there and waiting for another chance to strike and bring him down.

It would only take his mind turning back to last night at the chateau and the slaughter of his family to unleash it fully. He couldn’t think about his past without feeling he was on the brink again, ready to fall.

He was still too unpredictable.

If they had more time, he believed he could find a way to gain more control. Enough to be certain that he wouldn’t lose his head and murder innocents, endangering Aurora’s soul.

It was too soon after his worst bout of bloodlust in centuries though and he needed to be sure for her sake.

He would sooner die than see her suffer. He had put her through enough already. He couldn’t let her wager her soul for him, not even when he desperately wanted to live with her.

He had fallen for her too.

He was in love with her.

And that was just another reason why he couldn’t let her make a rash decision about her verdict.

His senses flared and he flung the furs off him and was on his feet a second later, facing the male who had appeared in the small wooden cabin.

The man’s amethyst eyes raked over him, his lip curling in disgust, and he folded his large pure white wings against his back.

Unlike Aurora, this male wore white armour that covered much of his body from the neck down. He was dressed for war.

Snow snarled at him, his fangs elongating and eyes switching, their pupils turning elliptical as his vampire nature emerged, enhancing his strength and his senses.

This male had made Aurora suffer as a child and throughout her whole life.

Snow’s anger rose, obliterating all sense of calm and positive feelings as he caught flashbacks of the scenes Aurora had shown him. This male had struck her and made her bleed, all because she had chosen to protect Snow.

This male would pay for that.

Snow launched himself at the angel, intent on having his revenge for what the male had done to Aurora and to him. He would break every bone in his body as payment for the blow he had dealt him, shattering his frail body. He would show the angel just how strong he had become.

The male angel disappeared and Snow’s senses blared a warning.

He turned on a pinhead, dipping his body at the same time to avoid the blow the angel tried to deal him, and rose again in one fluid motion, throwing all of his strength and bodyweight into his punch. He slammed his fist into the male’s stomach, the impact with his white armour barely registering on his knuckles.

The metal gave beneath his blow, indenting violently, causing the angel to unleash an ungodly growl of pain.

Snow ducked beneath another strike and came to his feet again, closer to the angel, and smashed his elbow into the male’s face, knocking him off balance.

He quickly came around behind the angel and yanked viciously on his left wing. The angel retaliated then, beating at him with his powerful wings, shattering Snow’s hold on him. He tried to evade the angel’s next swing but the male was on to him. A feint.

Pain ripped through Snow’s chest as the angel landed the blow he hadn’t seen coming, sending Snow flying across the room and crashing into the rough log wall. His breath left him on impact and he hit the wooden floor, his knees slamming into it with a force that sent pain ricocheting through his bones.

Snow shook it off and roared as he sprung forwards. The angel would die.

Aurora wouldn’t have to judge him then.

He grinned, exposing his fangs, and sprinted across the room at the angel, his mind fixed on murder.

Aurora appeared between them, throwing her arms out at her sides, blocking his way to the male.

Snow skidded to a halt and roared at her, furious that she would protect the angel who had hurt her as a child and punished her for her whole life. She shrank back and then moved forwards again, standing her ground, her eyes gaining a hard dark edge that he didn’t like. His senses confirmed the feelings in them.

Anger.

She was angry with him.

Why?

The male behind her wiped his bloodied lip on the back of his hand and stared at Snow, hatred shining in his purple irises, a feeling that was mirrored within Snow.

He wanted to force Aurora to move aside and let him at the angel. She had no right to stand in his way when he was doing this for her sake, and for his. This angel was the source of her suffering.

No. He was the source.

Snow reeled and stepped back. His head pounded, his emotions colliding inside him and creating a maelstrom that threatened to pull him deep into his bloodlust.

He growled and pressed his palms to his temples, trying to get everything straight in his head. This male had hurt her though. He had forced Aurora to watch a young boy die and then he had struck her when she had sought to save him. They had both made her suffer.

Snow looked up at her, battling his darker urges, desperate to deny his desire to tear the male behind her to shreds and bathe in his blood.

“Return now and pass judgement upon this wretched creature.” The male’s voice was loud in the room, each word falling heavily, shaking Aurora on Snow’s senses.

Her heartbeat accelerated and fear washed through the anger in her eyes. She turned on her master.

“We still have a day!” Desperation tightened her voice, flowing from her in tangible waves that curled around Snow and squeezed his heart in his chest.

Snow wanted to go to her and gather her into his arms to comfort her. He equally wanted to rip out the male angel’s throat for daring to change the deadline for her mission.

He also wanted to deal himself a pretty hard kick.

Her master had come here and Snow had attacked him. He had made the male change the deadline, and he had just done something that the angel could use as proof he was a danger to humankind.

In his rush to avenge Aurora and protect her, he had ruined everything and she knew it, and it was hurting her.

The male stared coldly at Snow, his tone glacial. “You had a day. Now you do not. You will return now and a decision about the soul of this despicable creature will be made.”

He disappeared.

Aurora sank to her knees.

Snow stood a few metres behind her, unsure what to do. He could almost feel her hope draining out of her, her pain obliterating it. What had he done?

Her shoulders slumped and her voice was weak and empty as she spoke. “I will speak with him. It will be okay.”

She didn’t believe that.

Snow wondered if it was for the best. He loved her unwavering faith in him but he had none himself. He gathered his jumper and t-shirt, shoved his feet into his boots, and returned to her.

“Take me home, Aurora,” he said, unable to get his voice above a whisper when his conflicting feelings were tearing him in too many directions.

He knew what he had to do.

Aurora stood and brought her hands up to her face before she turned towards him. Her dark lashes were wet with the tears she had tried to hide from him. She knew it was hopeless too, but still she didn’t want to admit it. Was she so desperate for him to live that she would lie to herself?

He didn’t want that to be the case. He didn’t want her to go down that dark path because of him. He had spent centuries lying to himself and knew the consequences. It would ruin her.

He held his hand out to her and she slipped hers into it, stepped into his embrace and stared up into his eyes.

His senses detected the shift of the world around them and the change in scents and sounds. They were back in his room and, thankfully, they were alone.

He didn’t want to let Aurora go. He clung to her, keeping her warm soft body against his hard one, holding her and savouring this final moment with her in his arms.

“You have to make the right decision, Aurora,” he said and tears filled her beautiful eyes, making him feel like a bastard. “We both know that I am still a danger to this world and I won’t let you lose your soul because of me.”

He reluctantly took one hand from her back and settled it against her cheek. It was soft beneath his palm, hot and damp with her tears.

He had never hated himself more than he did in this moment, when he could see her heart breaking and knew he was the cause of her pain.

“You’ve suffered enough, Aurora.” He caressed her cheek with his thumb, clearing the diamond drops of her tears away. “I would rather you end my life than suffer any more because of me. My death is long overdue and it is time I paid for my sins.”

She shook her head and her brow furrowed. “No.”

Snow sighed, cupped both of her cheeks in his hands, and pressed his forehead against hers.

He closed his eyes and wished he knew what to say to make her see that this was killing him too, but that he had to do it even when all he really wanted was to live with her forever.

There was no way she could convince her kind to let him live now though. They would say she was compromised because of her feelings and that he had attacked one of their kind, and they would be right.

Aurora hit his bare chest, her small fists bruising his skin, each strike leaving glittering colours behind that quickly faded, a mark of her strong feelings. “I won’t let you die.”

He held her, refusing to let her go, weathering her blows and letting her get it all out of her system. Eventually, she would realise that he was right and there was no hope for them, and this was the best path to take.

“Aurora,” he whispered and pulled back so he could see her eyes. She swam in his vision and he blinked to clear it, cursing when he realised tears filled his eyes too. He stared down at the face of his female, his salvation, and wished his life could have been different, because he loved her with all of his black heart and he didn’t want to let her go. “Thank you for giving me everything I ever desired… for giving me a brief respite from my suffering and making me feel alive for the first time in centuries. Before I met you, my soul felt as though it was on fire, burning with the flames of Hell. Now it feels like cool water, washed of my sins by your love, and my feelings for you.”

“Damn you for speaking to me in such a way.” She struck him again and he grasped her shoulders, trying to stop her. She struggled against him, her pretty face twisting in grim lines, and her black wings erupted from her back. She hit him with them, tears cutting down her cheeks. “Damn you! You said you would fight.”

“I am fighting, Aurora. I am fighting to do what I believe is right… what I must do.” He tightened his grip on her shoulders and she stilled, glaring up at him. “Do not let your feelings and desires cloud your heart, Aurora. Not as they have before with me. Judge me how I deserve to be judged. Do that for me and for the world.”

She drew in a shaky breath and sniffed back her tears, the fire returning to her eyes again, warning him she was ready to launch another attack because she didn’t like what he was telling her.

It wouldn’t stop him. She could lay him out cold and he would still say these words to her when he woke. She had to hear them.

“See me as the man I am now, Aurora, not the boy you saw that night. Look upon my history and judge me on the path I trod, the one I chose, and the acts I committed. Do that for me, please, Aurora.” He held her face again, gently cradling her jaw with both hands, keeping her eyes on his. “Please. Do that for me.”

She was still for long seconds before she finally nodded and resolve coloured her eyes with steel.

“I will,” she said in a low whisper and he dared to hope that she would do as he asked.

Snow held it together and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs, unable to bring himself to let her go when all he wanted to do was cling to her and keep her here with him, even when he knew it was impossible.

He realised that the song she had sung to him that fateful night was right and that no matter what they did or what they desired, they would never be together. Destiny would always find a way to tear them apart.

The prince and the angel.

Snow stared down into her striking eyes, memorising them and the love they showed for him, affection he had never thought possible. His female. He had resigned himself to death again to save her, but for the first time in centuries, he didn’t want to die.

He wanted to live with Aurora.

He wanted to live.

She threw her arms around him and buried her face against his neck, her tears hot on his skin.

Snow wrapped his arms around her, pinning her against his body, holding her feet off the ground.