Chapter 6
L ukas
I hadn’t given nearly as much thought as I should have over what I was going to do with Cassia once I had her. All that mattered at the time was that I wanted her.
She was obviously broken; a mere shell subjected to abominable behavior by her boyfriend. Her emptiness was spread all around her, filling the ether with a heavy weight.
Normally, broken humans such as her sought whatever they could reach to fill the void within, but not Cassia.
As far as I could tell, given her behavior at the coffee shop, she was a civilized, responsible human.
And beautiful, with her long, shiny brown hair, oval face and bright blue eyes. Her neck was slender, my fingers nearly touching when I wrapped my hand around, resting my thumb on her pulsing veins. As soon as we’d arrived in the First Realm, I’d placed her unconscious body on my bed.
My home lay beneath the earth, a place never meant for humans. She wouldn’t last a day without me. Nor would she ever make it as a slave.
No one spoke of this Realm—not out loud.
“This is your home?” Kiam asked, perusing the contents of my bedroom.
His gaze lit on a pile of scrolls, and I had to give him credit for not touching a single one. He likely knew he’d pushed me to the edge. “It is. You will not be staying here.”
A flicker of unease ran through the normally composed man. His steady aura was one of the things that first drew me to him—and stopped me from killing him when we first met.
Truth be told, he stopped me from killing several people when I was awakened.
The air tightened as he reinforced his energy field. “I will find somewhere.”
What he’d find is extinguishment if I didn’t do anything to assist. I was sorely tempted to allow him to flounder about and meet his demise. It was telling that the transition left him intact. He seemed no worse for the wear, but he wasn’t my main concern.
“I will arrange something for you.” I smoothed Cassia’s hair from her forehead and placed a blanket over her. “But that does not mean I forgive your flagrant disregard for my authority.”
His lips pressed together, and he took a deep breath. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
Motioning him towards the door, I closed it behind us and locked the room with a ward. No one could touch her with my magic keeping her safe. No one would dare.
I hadn’t marked or claimed her. We hadn’t shared so much as a single kiss, nor had I fucked her and drank from her veins. That would be remedied, and soon, once I gave the order that she was untouchable.
As a vampire considered one of the Ancients, my actions were unheard of. None of us went to the Third Realm, the world of humans. Humans were either brought to us by other humans or the demons we employed and used for sustenance and service.
Kiam followed me down the hallway, noting everything we passed. Doorways, chambers, gathering spaces. He didn’t miss anything.
Before we reached our destination, Kalix stopped us. “Annalise is looking for you.”
The man was nearly as tall as I, but his skin had a golden tan that made him very popular with humans and not so much with our Queen. “Very well,” I replied.
“Keep Kiam company for now.”
Leaving my friend with the man, I heard him ask who Annalise was. I was going to have to tell her about him as well as let her know about the woman. Our Queen didn’t take kindly to change, but she would have to accept Cassia.
The Queen’s guards ushered me into her quarters where I found her eating chocolate truffles filled with sugared blood.
When she saw me, she tilted her face toward a comically muscled and very young male she’d acquired from one of our territory’s villages.
He dabbed her mouth with a bright white tissue.
“Lukas,” she purred, “you came back to me.”
Kneeling before her, my forehead touched the ground and then I stood. “Yes, my Queen. Where else would I go?” It had infuriated her when I left.
“I was beginning to think you were gone for good.” She tousled the ends of my hair as she circled. “You didn’t dye it.” She giggled.
“No.” It took me a moment to realize. “You wanted my hair blond and my eyes green to match yours, did you not?” The change was a personal curse by her.
She huffed and then smiled. “I’m flattered. And impressed by your appreciation.”
“Of course, my Queen. I do have business to discuss.”
She strode away, her bare feet gliding over the marble flooring. She patted the sofa and I sat. “Tell me,” Annalise said, her liquid jade eyes appearing truly interested.
“I have found a wife. Her name is Cassia. No one is to touch her under pain of extinguishment.”
Her smile fell as she peered at me, her glacial beauty hardening to the point it could crack if I touched her. “You’re not asking me, you’re announcing your intentions.”
“Correct, I am. I will get her settled in and instructed.”
A sly smile spread across her face. “You haven’t claimed her yet. I want a taste.”
A blaze of heat burned through my veins. “If you touch her, I will kill you,” I hissed. “I won’t warn you again.”
Cool fingers tapped my hand. “As if you could stop me, my sweet Lukas.”
I could feel her, she was trying to get into my head. It felt like little worms were digging into my skull and trying to force their way through. I blocked her, even though she was my Queen and could order my execution on the spot.
The only reason I’d survived her this long was because she liked me. The same went for a few of my peers. There used to be more of us, but... not anymore.
Eternity could get boring unless one livened it up.
Before I stood, I took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “What are you wearing?” Her nose wrinkled.
“I will be getting changed. There is one more thing—I did not come back alone. A vampire named Kiam took the liberty of following.” Annalise raised a single brow. “He is unique.”
My Queen snapped her finger and her slave approached with a glass. “No, that’s not what I want.”
She lifted her dress, baring a hairless lower body. The young man set the crystal flute down and pulled his long tunic over his head before he tossed it to the floor.
“I will introduce him to you later,” I stated. She didn’t look at me as her fangs descended.
The slave approached her outstretched arms. “I knew I smelled something turned. Enjoy him while you can.” She waved a dismissive hand at me.
I had the distinct feeling she wouldn’t be able to kill him, though I couldn’t say why for sure. It was a quality that would save him in a Realm full of natural born vampires. We were the First Realm, and we didn’t forgive.
We prided ourselves on being born vampires and coming from the first of our kind. We also prided ourselves on only mating with our own.
Which meant Cassia was at risk.
And Kiam was about to find himself employed for the first time in hundreds of years.