CHAPTER TEN
BARON
Earlann
It’s quite obvious that Dragan would prefer I return to my independent ways and quit his and the others’ company. While this was my initial intention, the situation has changed quite substantially—enough to have altered the course of my original plans.
The second time I held the Transmutation Stone was quite dissimilar to the first. When first I fell victim to the stone’s embrace, I was overcome by feelings, memories and images, all of which were quite foreign to me. The second time, I was visited by Morrigan, the Midnight Queen.
To say this was quite the shock would be an understatement as I have not heard Morrigan’s dulcet tone since the moment I found myself awakened in my own grave and had to claw my way through splintered wood and moist earth. When, at last, I pulled myself from my forever sleep, I started a new life as Revenant, and never heard the Midnight Queen’s voice again.
Until now.
Prior to my interaction with the Transmutation Stone , I did not understand the reason I’d been unceremoniously yanked from the balmy comfort of death. Yes, Morrigan had told me to awaken, had called upon me to do her bidding. But, that was merely the extent of her instruction. After being reborn into a cold and formidable world, I was left to my own defenses, not understanding who I was nor why I’d been brought back.
Life is not easily lived when you have no direction, no understanding of what it is you’re supposed to do. And for the last one hundred years, I have lived thus—aimlessly traveling, trying to understand my place, trying to find somewhere I fit in.
Master Ash assisted me, yes, but it was always with the knowledge that he didn’t understand why I’d been brought back just as much as I didn’t understand it. And for that reason, he kept his distance and I kept mine.
Until the moment I held the Transmutation Stone for the second time, I had no direction, no goal, no idea what fate expected of me.
But, I do now…
“You roused me from the grave, then left me to my own defenses all this time,” I accuse the Morrigan when we are both trapped within the magic of the Transmutation Stone.
“You must understand the time wasn’t right, my Revenant,” she responds, her voice ringing through my ears and bringing me back one hundred years. As though I were experiencing my rebirth all over again, I’m overcome with feelings of anxiety and despair. But, confusion reigns supreme.
“Then the time is right now?” I ask.
“Yes,” she nods and though we are in this visionary world together, it’s only Morrigan’s voice I hear. I can’t see her face. The more I try to focus on it, the darker the shadows around her become.
“Then what is my purpose? What was the reason you brought me back from death?” I ask.
“You must protect the angel,” she responds.
I swallow hard. “Eilish?”
“Yes.”
“I was brought back to protect her?” I ask, feeling anger begin to boil inside me. All this time, I imagined my fate would be tied to something so much larger, so much more noble.
“She is not what you think she is,” Morrigan says and by the tone of her voice, it’s apparent she can detect my irritation.
“She’s an angel demon hybrid,” I respond.
“Yet, she is so much more.”
“Regardless, why bring me back one hundred years ago?” I demand. “Eilish hasn’t even been alive that long!”
“I do not control the passing of time, Revenant,” she responds, her voice harsher this time. “I could not say when the angel would find her way to your world. Thus, I acted as quickly as I could with the hopes that I wasn’t too late. And, it just so happens that I was quite early.”
“One hundred years early,” I mutter.
“Indeed.”
“Tell me more about my purpose,” I demand.
“The angel must survive. She’s the answer to unseating Variant and returning the balance to the realms.”
“Then I’m to be her bodyguard?” I ask gruffly.
“Yes.”
“I thought that position was already taken by Dragan?”
There’s doubt in Morrigan’s voice when she responds. “I thought perhaps such would be the case as well, but the gargoyle has proven himself to be unreliable.”
“Because he turned on her?”
“Because he turned on her.”
“But he’s still enthralled with her and I doubt he’d allow a hair to be harmed on her head.”
“Perhaps, but the angel is too important to place her safety in the hands of a man who may or may not see her worth. You, however, have remained loyal. Once she was revealed to be more than just angel, you did not turn your back on her.”
“If anything, I felt closer to her,” I agree.
“Yes, because you were meant to protect her.” She’s quiet for a few seconds. “Even I am not privy to the reasons behind some of my actions,” she explains. “When I aroused you from your forever sleep, it was with the understanding that it had to be done. I was not certain of the reason at the time and have only stumbled upon the meaning now. We must accept the fact that not all things are meant to make sense to us at the time we experience them. Meaning can and usually does come with time.”
“Then this is my purpose?”
“This is your purpose,” she agrees. “But there is more.”
“More?”
“You are the harbinger of death—you are animated by death shadows. Now that Eilish has revealed the shadows that pump within her veins, she will need your guidance as well as your acceptance. You are not only meant to be her guardian, but you are meant to be her teacher, her guide.”
“What is there to teach her?”
“How to harness her power, how to realize the full potential of the shadows within her. She needs to learn what it means to be Succubus.”
“I don’t have the first idea what it means to be Succubus. I might be death but I’m not demon.”
“The shadows that animate you are the same that animate her. Dig deeply enough and you will find the answers.” She falls quiet for another few long seconds. When she speaks this time, her voice sound distant. “I know this information disappoints you.”
“I thought I was destined for something far more important.”
“As far as the safety, prosperity and balance of the three realms, there is no destiny more important than hers,” she responds in a mere whisper.
“That’s it, then?”
“Help her, protect her,” Morrigan continues. “There are powers that already reach out to her, powers that are stronger even than me.”
“Powers?”
“Silvanus,” she answers.
“I don’t know that name.”
“You will come to know it in time,” she affirms. “Silvanus has already latched his claws into her and due to his power, I’ve lost the connection I once had with her. Silvanus acts as a barrier between the girl and me and I haven’t been able to breach that barrier.”
“That’s why you’ve come to me?”
“You’re my only option, Revenant.”
***
EILISH
I find myself standing on a cobblestone road. I’m surprised Raflamir didn’t recognize Baron. True, Baron kept his face down the entire time Cambion and Dragan interacted with Raflamir, but I’m surprised all the same. Of course, I suppose if you know someone is dead, the last thing you expect is to find said dead man suddenly showing up on your doorstep.
I shelve the thoughts and face a town that looks similar to Geldinstock, the town where we first came into contact with Cambion. Only this town looks like a bomb hit it.
There are numerous one-story, thatched-roof huts that appear to be made of some type of clay. Many of the structures have been destroyed, their walls caved in and the furniture within them strewn about. Very few boast intact roofs. And where gardens once welcomed visitors, now there are no flowers—just stumps of dead trees, brown skeletons of bushes and dirt.
I wonder as to why the town’s citizens haven’t cleaned up the wreckage. Then I wonder if Variant wants things this way—a town in ruin to remind the citizens just what he’s capable of?
“My God,” Cambion whispers in surprise. Clearly, the town looks entirely different than it did the last time he visited.
“Looks like Variant left his indelible seal,” Dragan says as he glances around, and frowns.
Dragan and Cambion flank me even though Baron, who walks behind us, still holds the ropes to my wrists.
It’s hard not to feel like anything more than an object, a means to an end. I know Dragan and Cambion want their revenge against Variant. I know they want to restore the balance, and so do I, but the resentment and animosity coiling around us grates on my nerves. And, where once I felt like the champion to their cause, I now feel like a lowly rodent. I can tell Cambion doesn’t believe I’m worth a damn to them anymore. Dragan could feel the same way, too, for all I know.
It’s all so unfair! And I absolutely hate the injustice.
I never chose to be what I am. A Succubus or an angel, or whatever else courses through my veins. The cold glares, the angry comments, and the fleeting sneers are too much. I feel them like physical blows.
Flumph stays near me. He’s the closest thing I have to a friend now, and I’m grateful for his presence. I feel Baron press his hand against my lower back in an attempt to hurry me along because apparently I’ve started lagging.
Images and visions threaten to push past the defenses of my conscous mind, but I won’t allow them. I’m not in the mood. But, I’m also not surprised the visions want to come. When Baron’s touched me in the past, I’ve seen things—thoughts and memories from his mind that invaded mine. Baron and I have a connection that neither of us understands, but it’s there all the same.
“Don’t be afraid,” Baron whispers from behind me.
It’s the first thing he’s said to me since I broke the Transmutation Stone and it takes me by surprise. His words are soft, and fill me with a sense of calm I was previous lacking. I turn around to look at him and smile my thanks. He holds my gaze and simply nods.
I realize Baron’s hand still rests on my back. I cast a glance over my shoulder at him again. He’s handsome. Undeniably so.
But he’s hard, and his beauty is one that seems untouchable. He’s untouchable. And there’s something about that feral quality to him that pushes me away in the same way it attracts me. I can’t explain it.
I follow his eyes as they trail up and down the length of my legs. When Baron catches me watching him, he turns his head. I wait for him to hurl insults and accusations at me about my being Succubus which is the reason he can’t take his eyes off me, but the insults never come.
My foot catches on a crack in the cobblestone and I gasp as I start to lose my balance. Immediately, Dragan’s arms wind around my waist to steady me. He just as quickly releases me, yanking his hands away as though I’ve burned him. Then he clears his throat and feigns extreme interest in his surroundings.
Cambion glares at me with his striking gaze, and I feel a shiver race down my spine. He quickly turns away again to continue leading our motley crew up the uneven road until he stops in front of a collapsing hovel with a blue door. It’s exactly as Raflamir described it.
Runes cover the wood and Cambion brushes them with his hand. Light flashes across the dark planes of oak, and the door creaks open of its own accord. Once the door opens, I focus on the shape of a woman, where she stands at the center of the room. She motions for us to enter. Dragan and Cambion share an unreadable glance.
I hear Dragan curse under his breath as Cambion mutters something unintelligible.
“Raflamir sent us,” Cambion announces, by way of greeting.
The woman nods without a smile. “I assumed.” Then her attention shifts to me and only me. She appears surprised. She reaches out, as if to touch me, before noticing the enspelled bonds that hold me captive. “I see things are more complicated than the stories would imply,” she says and looks at the men though none of them respond.
“Who are you?” Dragan asks.
She faces him and appears unimpressed. “My name is Saevel.” She takes a breath. “You are all welcome here. You’re lucky to have made it this far.” I’m not sure what she means, but no one questions her. Instead, we all stand there, watching as she moves across the room. When she reaches the other side, she tugs on a rope that hangs from the ceiling. A staircase drops down from a hidden trap within the ceiling, to reveal a long, narrow corridor that leads to a hidden second floor, high above.
“Head up the stairs,” she instructs as her eyes land on me again. She seems to realize I’m… something, even though no one has mentioned it to her. Of course, I imagine Variant’s informed everyone that Dragan and Cambion are traveling with an angel. So maybe I shouldn’t be surprised.
“There are only two rooms,” Saevel continues. “So, you’ll have to share. Hot baths and fresh linens are in each chamber. I’ll prepare supper while you bathe and dress. Raflamir will return shortly. You can discuss your plans then.”
“What about me?” Flumph asks, rudely. “You got any place special for fae folk?” I figure he considers himself a “fae folk.”
“I have only what I mentioned,” Saevel tells him, matter of factly.
“Flumph, you can room with me,” I offer.
“As will I,” Baron adds. I can’t help my surprise and when I look at him, the expression on his face is one I’ve never seen before.
“That’s not necessary,” Dragan cuts in, narrowing his eyes as he focuses on Baron.
“It is,” interrupts Baron.
Dragan takes a deep breath and clears his throat.
“What do you bloody well care?” Cambion demands of him.
Dragan takes another breath which escapes his lips in a hissing sound. But then, as if catching himself in his own jealousy, he simply nods. He glares at me, as though it’s my fault Baron offered to room with me. Who knows, maybe he thinks it is? Maybe he thinks I’ve enchanted Baron with my Succubus magic…
I chance another look at Baron to try to figure him out. Though there’s something about him that terrifies me, I’m not up for listening to Cambion and Dragan tear away at me, or at each other. So far, Baron is the only one who hasn’t treated me differently for my Succubus nature. In fact, he treats me with the same irritable disinterest he treats the others.
Flumph gives me a look of uncertainty and whispers, “You sure Vampy is the best bunk buddy out o’ the three o’ them?”
“I don’t know,” I reply honestly.
Cambion is the first to climb the stairs. He and Dragan search both rooms as though they’re afraid of an ambush. It’s smart of them, and I feel like a fool for not thinking of the same. We are wanted people; therefore we must be aware of our surroundings.
Maybe Dragan was right when he said I can’t take care of myself.
Cambion signals the rest of us, and I wonder if he’s aware of how well he and Dragan work together. When they’re united on a mission, their steps are in tune and their music is one of harmony rather than discord. If everyone wasn’t so keen on arguing all the time, we might have made more progress in our mission by now.
Baron takes my rope and leads me up the narrow stairs, holding my elbow as he guides me. Flumph floats at my side. When we reach the top, Dragan glares at Baron’s hand on my elbow but then turns around and trudges down the short hallway before pausing in front of the first bedroom. He opens the door for me and I step inside, Baron behind me. I notice the way Dragan hovers at the entrance to the bedchamber, watching Baron intensely.
“She’s our prisoner which means she’s under our protection,” he says, spearing Baron with his pointed gaze.
“Understood,” Baron replies, and doesn’t spare a second glance at Dragan or the room in general. Instead, he flops down on the bed.
Dragan continues to stand there before he shakes himself and stomps away, slamming the door behind him.
I circle around a privacy screen and find a large copper tub filled to the brim with steaming water. A handful of glass bottles sit on a small, wooden table nearby, filled with perfumes and scented oils. Flumph screws up his nose as he reads them out loud.
“Why all you pretties gots to smell like flowers ‘an pastries and whatnot?”
“Isn’t it nice to be and smell clean?” I ask in response.
He shakes his head. “I don’t care what ya smell like, so long as it ain’t like shit an’ demon semen. Ha ha, that rhymed!”
My mouth quirks into a smile as I find a robe that might fit. Baron makes no move to leave the bed, so Flumph flies over to him.
“Hey, you gonna bathe yerself or what?” he demands.
I notice the vampire doesn’t respond. Flumph inches closer to him, but his knees begin to knock together and it’s obvious he’s afraid of Baron. It’s almost charming, in a bizarre way. I’m glad I’m not the only one scared of something.
***
BARON
Pain lances through my head like a wildfire blazing through the forest. There are too many smells and sounds for me to attempt sleep. I feel a slight breeze against my cheek and open my eyes. The useless little creature that never shuts up says something to me about bathing, but I don’t bother answering.
Instead, I sit up from the mattress to see Eilish struggling to remove her clothes with her hands still bound.
I stand and walk silently across the floorboards. A fire crackles in the hearth beside the tub, and she glances over her shoulder at me with that bashful look in her her eyes—one I believe to be legitimate, even if the others don’t. If they bothered to study her mannerisms and the way she acts in general, they would come to understand she isn’t playing a part. She honestly has no idea what it means to be what she is. But that’s the problem with Cambion and Dragan—they’re so busy attempting to assert themselves to one another that they miss everything going on around them.
Fools.
Yes, Succubae are the epitome of seduction. Yes, Eilish exudes sex appeal, but no, she doesn’t realize it.
At the sound of snoring, I look over my shoulder to find the sprite passed out on the bed, beside the hearth. It’s just as well, as the bloody thing irks me to no end.
“He must be tired,” Eilish points out with a hesitant laugh. I say nothing, because it’s easy to see she’s attempting to make small talk to cover the fact that she’s nervous. I’m not nervous.
I take her in from head to toe and I appreciate what I see. Unlike Cambion, whose overt hatred is overdone, and simply masks the fact that he wants this woman just as badly as all of us do, I want her for other reasons.
Her pretty face and body are simply icing on the cake. It’s the cake I wish to possess.
Even now, with the way she holds her roped wrists out in front of her, pleading with me to remove them, with that look in her eyes, she might as well be asking me to fuck her.
“I can’t do much of anything with my hands bound,” she says.
I say nothing as I approach her, absorbing her soft appearance. She can sate my hunger—both sexual and beyond. She’s already proven she’s able to offer me sustenance with her life energy. I’ve never sampled her blood, but I yearn to taste it. I can only imagine her flavor. Perhaps it’s ironic, but this demonic angel has awakened in me desires I didn’t believe I had. In the beginning of my acquaintance with her, I was convinced that physical desires characterized every other man save myself.
Yes, I’ve fucked women since my rebirth, but I can’t say I actually enjoyed it. There were many moments when I was not able to reach orgasm and after a few less than satisfying lliasons, I had, more or less, decided to forego the sins of the flesh altogether.
Until now.
Now I experience physical desire in a way I never have before. And while this newfound part of my personality causes me some chagrin, as no man wishes to be slave to his lust, I also am grateful as I feel… invigorated and, dare I say it, alive.
I bring my attention back to the lovely vision before me as her pink tongue darts out to wet her succulent lips. The heat in the room causes a pretty flush to blossom on her cheeks.
When I step closer, I feel a sharp pain at my temples. It’s gone a moment later, though, once I stare into the depths of her cerulean gaze. I close the distance between us, until perhaps only a few inches separate us.
Eilish looks up at me, her eyes wide and questioning. There’s fear in their depths. She’s wise to fear me as, to her, I’m unpredictable. She doesn’t understand me. Furthermore, I am vampire and I was created with death magic. I am death just as much as I’m a death dealer.
Eilish is right to fear me, though I would never harm her. No, according to the Midnight Queen’s message, I am now Eilish’s caretaker and protector. And I will champion Morrigan’s cause for she is the reason I am here.
I lift my hand, and my fingers brush a lock of Eilish’s hair from her face in a gesture too tender to be my own. I glare at the appendage as though it’s betrayed me, instantly dropping it back down to my side. There are very few moments when my body does or feels something that must harken back to the days when I lived as Baron. And I do not enjoy those moments for they feel foreign and strange to me.
A puff of her warm breath caresses my face and I feel my fangs lengthening of their own accord. I bite down on my tongue. Copper floods my mouth.
I could take her right now. And she would allow me due to what she is.
I wouldn’t debate the deed in my mind, such that I’m quite certain Dragan does. Yes, I witnessed their tryst in the woods. No, I wasn’t jealous. I was more transfixed by the sight of them than anything else. And after witnessing their sex, it only made me want to experience the angel hybrid all the more. So, no, I would not regret my decision to fuck her. My morals aren’t hazy. I don’t see in shades of gray, but rather in stark, contrasting colors that allow me to admit I’m no hero.
I never claimed to be.
“Why did you offer to share a room with me?” Eilish wonders as she studies me with undisguised curiosity.
Without responding, I reach forward and start to remove the cloak from around her shoulders. My movements are so quick, they appear as a blur. She gasps and looks around in shock as the fabric drops to the floor. My eyes land on her bound wrists and my blood begins to heat. The ropes add to the eroticism of the moment, because she’s victim to whatever I choose to subject her.
“Baron?” she whispers.
“My name isn’t Baron,” I retort with iciness on my tongue.
“Revenant,” she amends, and I nod.
The air between us is charged—not only with sexual tension, but with something else. Eilish and I are of the same mind; we have a mutual understanding that neither of us have with the others.