Chapter 27 Prince Sloth #2
What my brothers and I had done… Most memories of that time were hazy, but one had always remained clear. At least to me. I wasn’t sure my brothers had the same memory, or if it was simply due to my sin’s affinity for knowledge.
Our greatest sin hadn’t been desires of the flesh like most texts claimed.
From what I’d gleaned of my fractured memories, we’d been warriors tasked with observing and carrying out divine will to keep order among humankind.
We’d corrupted mortals by giving them angelic knowledge in an attempt to help them. Astronomy to aid them with counting the days to prepare their crops, art to separate them from animals, clothing. They’d started to think of us as gods.
We’d dissuaded them—that I recalled clearly—but it was too late.
Our sole purpose had been to remain emotionless watchers.
And we’d failed.
Good intentions were truly the pathway to hell.
That was how we’d ended up as the wardens to the Underworld.
Most of our memories were stripped of our time before, our orders shifted from watching mortals to now ruling over the sinners we’d helped to create.
It was not a punishment; it was merely a consequence of our actions.
I clenched my fists, trying desperately to hold on to a shred of lucidity. I couldn’t allow the Liber Noctem to gain control of my mind or emotions.
But the vampire venom kept coursing through my veins like liquid fire, consuming the frigid, analytical persona I had always prided myself on maintaining throughout the most difficult times, melting it away with a vengeance.
Each corrupted heartbeat obliterated another piece of my fading logic.
My breaths turned ragged; I couldn’t seem to get enough oxygen into my lungs. As I inhaled deeply, the most intoxicating scent filled my senses.
Lore.
Something ignited deep within me, a spark that quickly turned into a blaze, more consuming than the venom; this inferno of need overwhelmed me.
Protection. Possession. Desire.
But above all else, the fierce drive to care for her, seeing to all her wants and needs and comfort.
I inhaled again, desperate for another hit of that intoxicating sensation.
Then the second scent drifted in, turning my vision red.
It was the male I would kill with my bare hands.
But after that…
I had the urge to hunt her, to protect her, to claim her… to sink my teeth into her soft flesh and mark her as mine.
I curled my hands into fists.
My emotions weren’t rational, it was the venom and whatever the dark book was forcing me to feel. And yet, underneath that, I wasn’t quite sure those were the only factors in play.
Those thoughts faded away almost as quickly as they’d come.
Another wave of pain swept through me.
This time I did yell, but it wasn’t in agony; it was in raw hunger.
And there was only one thing that would sate me.
I straightened from where I’d doubled over and bared my teeth at the horde surrounding me.
The specters retreated, their eyes gleaming with cruel anticipation as they watched the venom take hold, slowly turning me as feral as they were.
That had been their goal all along. To twist me into something wretched.
They’d wanted me to become a monster. And I knew it was because that was what the Liber Noctem desired.
My heart thudded against my chest. I tried to slow my breaths, to keep from being enticed by that aroma that called to the elemental fabric of my soul.
It hung in the air, taunting, teasing… a temptation unlike any other.
My control unraveled, the threads unspooling with each cursed breath.
I couldn’t fight my instincts any longer.
Leaves crunched beneath my boots as I spun on my heel and sprinted through the dense forest, a ravenous, all-consuming desire coursing through me.
My need to hunt drove me forward as I navigated the narrow trail, my pace quickening with each stride.
Gone was any sensation of being tired or wounded.
I was brimming with power once again, my senses heightened.
The earthy scent of moss and damp soil called to my inner animal, but the distinct aroma of my prey fueled my pursuit above all else.
I ran and the forest blurred around me, a tapestry of vibrant greens and earthy browns flickering past in my peripheral vision.
The rhythmic pounding of heartbeats echoed through the trees, each beat pulling me farther into my chase.
With every inhalation, the scent grew stronger, intoxicating and maddening, guiding me like a beacon.
Mine.
I burst through the edge of the forest, skidding to a halt as I took in the sight of a hanging bridge swaying over a ravine. Its weathered planks creaked under the gentle breeze, the vine-covered ropes fraying with age.
A second path twisted away to the right, carrying the elusive fragrance of my target. Despite the alluring promise it held, I knew I wouldn’t find her there.
She’d come back this way; her scent was unmistakable—sharp and new, and layered, now, with the musk of the male who would soon die.
I took a deep, deliberate breath, to be sure. There was no doubt her sweet fragrance carried traces of another man threaded with it.
A protective rage roared to life, a fierce growl rumbling in my chest, fueled by a burning need to claim what belonged to me.
The thought of his hands on her ignited a new fire within me.
I exhaled, focusing on my goal. Soon, I would close the distance and end this torment. It wasn’t just the desire to maim her captor that called to me.
It was her, always her. Like I’d been hunting her shadow through every waking moment and half-remembered dream since before I was consciously aware.
As if the venom opened the door to some emotion I’d locked deep inside.
It had set me free.
I prowled forward with a predator’s intensity, my gaze fixated on the structure looming at the end of the bridge.
A castle had been carved out of an ancient tree with a gnarled trunk and sprawling branches, its wooden turrets reaching toward the darkening sky.
I couldn’t sense anything beyond the ravine.
I paced in front of the bridge, my senses finely tuned to detect even the slightest rustle of leaves or the whisper of footsteps.
I wouldn’t hesitate to destroy anything that dared to stop me.
The vampire venom coursing through my veins clouded my judgment, reducing me to a single-minded creature driven by an insatiable urge.
Her scent called to me like a siren’s song.
I couldn’t resist its pull for another moment.
I curled my fingers around the first post, testing its give, unconcerned for my safety. If the bridge fell, I’d climb out.
Nothing would keep me from her.
I thought I felt an echo of dark power, but it was faint. I shoved it aside.
I eased onto the bridge, the boards bending beneath my weight, and found a rhythm that swayed with the structure’s movements. Stealth was my focus.
Below, the ravine hummed with insect life, a song of hunger and raw need.
I sympathized.
With deliberate steps, I advanced across the bridge.
Each footfall I made had purpose, drawing me inexorably closer to that intoxicating aroma. To the one I hunted. Yearned for. Longed to possess.
The venom in my blood quickened, melting the edges of my thoughts into a silken, predatory clarity. The closer I got, the more fixated I became on my target.
Every part of me was attuned to her: how her scent tangled with the sweetest parts of the failing daylight, how her emotions drew me in.
Halfway across the bridge, I stopped in my tracks, my ears pricked with sudden alertness. What I initially mistook for the rhythmic chirping of insects resonated with a peculiar energy.
A tingling sensation danced along my skin, like tiny sparks crackling in the air. The primitive beast part of me recognized the potential danger.
The magic swirling around me was potent.
I gripped the frayed rope and let the bridge swing, testing it again now that I’d felt the power. When no defense magic swarmed up, I continued forward.
I was almost to the end of it, just a few yards from the tall, arched doors.
Almost to the one I’d stalk the ends of the realm for.
A few more strides and the towering wooden doors loomed before me, their dark grain swirling with ancient enchantments.
My prey was just beyond my reach, but I sensed her.
It was like a tether of magic tugging at me, guiding me, and not even my feral nature could ignore its summoning.
I pressed my palm against the rough wood, feeling the tingling energy seep into my skin. A slow smile spread across my lips as I tilted my head back to take in the height of the walls.
From here I couldn’t see the top of the castle; the vast expanse was clearly meant to dissuade anyone from attempting to scale the sides.
One slip and death would be imminent.
But I didn’t plan on falling. The old wood offered just enough divots and knots I could use as handholds for my ascent.
Once I scaled these weak barriers, the real hunt would begin.
Without delay, I reached for the rough, twisted wood of the castle walls, my fingers finding purchase on the aged knots and splinters.
Each pull upward brought me closer to my goal.
My heart raced in anticipation, matching the rhythm of the faint heartbeat I imagined just beyond the parapets.
Her presence was almost tangible in the cool night air, and I knew that soon we would be reunited.
And then she would finally be mine.