Fae and Fangs Page 3

  Tavian said, “You have wards around…”

  “Yes,” Cruces said. “After we arrived back from Ancient Athens and our fight with Lydia, I noticed suspicious characters near my house. Many of them resembling the members from the Order. New members who I did not recognized.” He turned to look at all of them. “They are recruiting. Newly turned vampires without much guidance or experience in the world of vampires, and blood-thirsty ones who act only on their impulse and hunger.”

  Rothschild’s eyebrows cocked higher. “Mindless killing machines…”

  Scarlet said, “Like that brute of a vampire you fought in Athens.”

  “Worse,” Cruces said. “At least he could think and react. These were like the undead. Truly just walking dead beings whose instincts drive them to find blood.”

  “What is going on?” Rothschild said, shaking his head. “I mean the Order was disordered at times, which was why I became frustrated running it the past few years, but when I stepped down to pursue Scarlet for personal reasons rather than Order reasons, someone else must have stepped up to implement the New Order.”

  We all turned to look at each other. “Lydia.”

  “Most likely,” Cruces said.

  “Her determination and dedication to the Order is beyond any vampire I know, including myself,” Rothschild said. “She did not want vampires to succumb to humans.”

  “Vampires were the nature predators of humans. Higher beings than humans,” Rothschild said.

  Scarlet adamantly protested, “No they are not!”

  Rothschild put his hand on hers and said, “Of course they are not. That was what the vampires in the Order are led to believe, though.”

  “Until we fell in love with a human woman,” Cruces said.

  “The wards protect against these mindless ones, too?” Tavian asked.

  “So far they have not been able to penetrate through,” Cruces said.

  “Why are these vampires so different than you and Rothschild?” Scarlet asked.

  “It is how they were turned,” Cruces said. “They were turned in a vicious way. Sadly, they were once humans, but when they were turned, they were treated worse than dogs.”

  Rothschild shook his head. “Maybe kept in cages, fed only scraps, starved, driven crazy and insane by the inhumane conditions, and then turned.”

  Scarlet and Tavian shook their heads. “Who would do such a thing?”

  Cruces looked grim before he looked at Rothschild. “I intend to find out and stop them. This is not only dangerous to humans, but could destroy all vampires, too.”

  “Not enough food supply could lead to a mass infestation of these dangerous and deviant vampires,” Rothschild agreed. “Without vampires following rules of vampire society, there would be chaos. Our species would die out. We can’t have that at all.”

  “We have to stop this. Stop the vampires who are doing this,” Cruces said. “That was my agreement with the human police…that our group, the Society, will help police our own. This falls within our jurisdiction. We need to stop this before it gets worse.”

  “So, fellow members,” Tavian said, “do we continue onto the Land of the Fae or investigate the case of the mindless zombie vampires?”

  They all looked at each other, trying to make a decision when everyone spoke at the same time, making it hard to hear any one conversation. Then everyone stopped talking for a while. Tavian said, “You go first.”

  Cruces nodded, fixing his collar.

  “The zombie vampires are something we have to deal with within the vampire community,” he said.

  Rothschild elaborated. “In order to restore order to the vampire community, the higher vampires…the Ancient ones, like Cruces, Lydia, and I would need to call a meeting to other vampire leaders in the community to stop whoever is turning humans into these zombie vampires, the worst form of vampires.”

  Cruces looked at Scarlet and Tavian. “To best handle this case, the matter has to be dealt with by Rothschild and myself. An outsider such as Tavian, a fae, and you, Scarlet, a human, would not be welcomed amongst the Vampire Council.”

  Rothschild took Scarlet’s hand. “It can also be dangerous for you to be there. The culprit turning humans into these zombie vampires could be any one there.”

  “Then we split,” Scarlet said. “You and Rothschild go handle the zombie vampires case, while Tavian and I make a trip to the Land of Fae. We should be fine since Tavian is fae, shouldn’t we?”

  Cruces looked at Tavian and said, “We are entrusting Scarlet’s safety in your hands for your trip to the Land of the Fae. Can you protect her?”

  Tavian nodded. “I can, granted she does not stir up trouble.”

  “But trouble is my middle name,” Scarlet said, smiling. “We will try to be as discrete as possible, I promise,” she smiled coyly.

  Cruces and Tavian broke out in grins, looking lovingly at Scarlet.

  “I think I may just accompany you two to the Land of the Fae to keep Scarlet out of trouble,” Rothschild said.

  “Perhaps not,” Cruces suddenly said. “If there is a vampire to accompany them there, it would have to be me. Rothschild still has the reputation as a rogue vampire, one that should be feared. In fact, many believed you to be in charge of the Order still.”

  Rothschild nodded his head. “True. I would not be welcome openly in the Land of Fae. But I will be very effective at the Vampire Council meeting when they believe me to be the human-hating vampire who ruled the Order.”

  “You might even get more cooperation from the vampires at the meeting,” Cruces said. “Infiltrate back into the Order, Rothschild. Do some undercover investigation from there.”

  Rothschild grinned. “This sounds fun. I may enjoy working undercover in an organization I dearly loathe.”

  Cruces broke out into a grin and slapped the back of Rothschild. “I never thought there would be a day like today when we are united as brothers and working towards the same goals.”

  Rothschild looked uncharacteristically awkward and a bit shy at first, but he broke out into a grin and slapped Cruces’ back. “Me neither. Just like old times.”

  Cruces laughed. “Everyone let’s drink to our newest member Rothschild!” Cruces looked around and said, “Please make yourselves comfortable while I go prepare drinks.”

  Tavian and Scarlet made their way to the parlor where they tended to gather whenever they visited Cruces, while Rothschild looked around, admiring Cruces’ art and paintings. At one point, he started chuckling.

  “Yes, yes, I remembered that,” he said mostly to himself.

  Scarlet got up to join Rothschild. “What is it that you’re chuckling about, Roths?”

  Rothschild turned to Scarlet and pulled her closer to him. His eyes searched her face as he asked, “Would you miss me while you travel to the Land of the Fae without me?”

  Scarlet looked up into his eyes. “What do you think, Roths?”

  He smiled. “I think you would. I know you love me. You just don’t know how much.”

  “Will you worry if we were parted long? Do you think I would forget you?” Scarlet asked.

  Rothschild turned to her then and kissed her passionately. “You won’t forget me, Scarlet. You have my mark on you, and now I bear your teeth marks, however small they are, but adorable just the same on my most private and intimate part.” He kissed her again. “We are bonded together by our marks. You and me.”

  “Promise me when you are in the Order again, working undercover for us, that you will remember which side you are on…ours,” Scarlet said.

  “Of course, Scarlet,” he kissed her again. “I will remember that. I was betrayed by them, remembered? And my sister Lydia, killed me in the name of The Order. Believe me, I do not think of them too fondly.”

  “Good,” Scarlet said. “Because if you ever betray me, my friends, or the Society; I won’t forgive you. It would be like you tearing out my heart and stomping on it. I don’t think I could bear the pain.”

&n
bsp; Rothschild pulled Scarlet to his chest, wrapping his arms around her and holding her as tight as he could without suffocating her. “My darling Scarlet, when are you going to believe that I love you with all of me? You are the reason I changed. You are the reason I died and was born again or at least came back again. I could not bear to be apart from you. I will be the one in pain while you are gone.” He looked deeply into her eyes. “You don’t know how much I’ve loved you. Even before you came to England. Even before…” he choked back tears, “you were born…I had dreams of you. My beautiful sweet angel who would pull me out of despair.”

  Scarlet’s eyes widen. “You had dreams of me before I was born? When?”

  “When I first became a vampire. I was in such despair. I didn’t want to become one, but was turned along with Cruces and Lydia. We were the firstborns of the very first. Back then, it was only us blood siblings because we were the first turned vampires. When I was turned, I didn’t know I would be this age forever. I didn’t know how it would be. I was young and reckless, and I hated what I was. Cruces had always been the stoic, level-headed one. He was a couple years older than me as a human, but he was far more accepting of his fate than I was, which was why our Maker, the First Vampire, treated him the best.”

  “My poor Rothschild,” Scarlet said hugging Rothschild tighter. “How much you must have endure. All those years.”

  “I had to become the fearless and feared vampire that I was known for when you first met me in order to survive. But my true nature as a human was of a sensitive soul.”

  He brought his finger to her chin to tilt her face back. “I was only a young man of 19 when I was turned. I wanted to find a girl, have a wife, even have children at that age. I yearned to find the woman who would make me a proud husband and father. But that never happened. I was turned by my Maker before I could. I could never have children. Centuries after centuries I would find willing women to quench my erotic needs, but not one of them came close to one who filled the void where my soul would have been. Where my heart would have been.”

  And that woman would be me.

  “Would you care for a drink?” an old man appeared next to us.

  “Thank you, George,” Scarlet said to Cruces’ butler who was holding a tray of drinks. She took a cup of tea from the tray and began drinking from it.

  Rothschild took the wine glass filled with red wine, or was it blood?

  “Fine choice,” George said, looking Rothschild in the eye.

  Rothschild raised his glass like he was toasting and drank his drink so fast, he was already onto the second and third glass. “This is delicious,” he said, wiping his mouth after he had drank all the ones similar to it on the tray.

  George smiled. “It’s an invention of Lord Darthmoor.”

  Rothschild’s eyes widen. “He invented blood?”

  “No, Rothschild,” a familiar male voice said.

  Cruces.

  “This tasted just like it,” Rothschild said. “But fresher, healthier, purer.”

  “It is all vegetables, some beef but specially formulated to smell and taste like a healthier fresher blood,” Cruces said. “It has sustained me for years without the need for me to consume human blood.”

  “I might try the switch,” Rothschild said. “If vampires can drink this without the need for human blood, it will change the way vampires interact with humans.”

  “You mean we will no longer be your food source?” Scarlet asked.

  Both Rothschild and Cruces turned to her with lustful desire in their eyes. “I don’t know about Cruces, but I will always crave your taste, sweet Scarlet,” he shuddered in memory of their last romp in bed, always ending with him biting her during climax.

  Cruces was thinking the same thing apparently as he said, “Scarlet is the only human blood I’ve drank from in years. Taking one’s blood has become sacred for me being as intimate as intercourse.”

  Cruces walked over to Scarlet and said, “Darling, after we finish our drinks, we should go. I don’t want to enter the Land of the Fae when it gets dark.”

  “Why?” Scarlet asked.

  “Because strange creatures you could only imagine in your worst nightmares show up in the Land of the Fae,” Cruces said.

  Tavian was by Scarlet’s side then, finishing up his large mug of potentberry juice. Scarlet immediately recognized it as a supernatural drink made by the Fae. “The Land of the Fae can be both beautiful yet dangerous. Do not get fooled into thinking you are in the human realm when you are there. Many things can be merely an illusion or glamour as you call it, yet many things appeared to be just an illusion but are truly there.”

  Rothschild chimed in, “Yes, Scarlet, it is best that you stay on your toes while there. Stay close to Tavian and Cruces. Don’t wander off on your own. You might have a difficult time finding your way home and losing your sense of time.”

  Rothschild looked at Scarlet with concern in his eyes. “Perhaps I should go with you. Leave the zombie vampire case for later. I know you two will protect Scarlet there, but if anything happens to her, I would personally kill you two.”

  “I won’t let anything happen to Scarlet,” Tavian said stepping up. “You are not the only one who cares deeply for her.”

  “I will guard her with my life,” Cruces said looking at Scarlet with such love. “There is no life without her.”

  “I will stay here then only because I feel if I don’t start investigating the zombie vampires case soon, it will become a full epidemic,” Rothschild said, the Ruler of the Order showing. He turned to Scarlet, “If you need me, I can still use my ring to quickly travel to you. Just use my mark on you to get to me.”

  They shared an intimate kiss before breaking apart.

  Cruces enveloped one of his arms around Scarlet in an embrace while Tavian held onto Cruces’ other arm. With a twist of his ring, all three were sent flying into the space between worlds.

  Scarlet’s eyes were on Rothschild’s as they were whisked away. His lips moved as he watched her vanish in front of him. “I love you, Scarlet!”

  Then it was just the three of them – Cruces, Scarlet, and Tavian flying through the wrinkles between space, worlds, and dimensions.

  Chapter 4

  Traveling between worlds was a strange feeling, both terrifying and curiously exhilarating at once. The universe was spinning around her as though she was in the center of a tornado. There was no focal point for her until she saw Cruces smiling down at her.

  Cruces was her focal point. As long as he held her, the spinning steadied around her while Cruces was steady, the arrow headed towards their destination.

  Tavian held onto Cruces’ arm in a tight grip, trying to streamline his muscular body to make their flight smoother. He had a look of determination on his face as he glanced over at Scarlet. No longer just the fae gypsy boy, but now a fae warrior, Tavian had grown before her eyes through their adventures together and his mission to find his missing sister.

  Tavian’s eyes were on Scarlet, steady yet full of love. While Scarlet looked to Cruces as her focal point during the spinning, Tavian kept his eyes on Scarlet. She could feel his eyes on her face, her eyes, and her lips where they had spent countless times kissing.

  I love you, Scarlet.

  His message entered her mind loud and clear.

  I’ve always loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you.

  Scarlet smiled a secretive smile, looking down while she nestled closer to Cruces.

  You were the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. So ladylike…so proper. Like royalty. Yet so fierce and wild, independent and free unlike any female in London. You’ve lived a life of exploration and travel, met people from all over. Being with you was exhilarating and exciting. Protecting you was my privilege. Loving you with such passion became my life. I will go anywhere you go…as a gypsy, I am a nomad, but I found my home with you.

  Scarlet had tears in her eyes as her heart filled with such love for Tavian and Cruces. What would th
ey find in the Land of the Fae?

  She glanced over at Tavian, making eye contact.

  I love you too, Tavian. Keep safe.

  I will. Now, Scarlet, we are here.

  With that, Scarlet, Cruces, and Tavian fell out of a lavender and light blue sky unto the soft leaves-covered ground of the woods. Scarlet landed on top of Cruces who broke the fall for her as he hit the ground.

  He grimaced slightly upon impact. “I always detest these landings.”

  Both of his arms wrapped around Scarlet as he rolled them to the side. Tavian landed on the same spot they were in a few seconds ago. By his size and speed, being landed upon as his landing pad would have crushed both of them down.

  They got up, groaning with the pain of the impact, and brushed themselves off.