Chapter 10
Rion
Losing control of his abilities had been a shameful moment. It had been bad enough to have Kitty and Will aware of what he’d done to Lori. Now, he had to swallow the humiliation of knowing he hadn’t just projected onto Lori, but to their whole circle of immortals and servants.
I must learn better control. I cannot have this occur every time I choose to be intimate with my lover!
With so much going on, Rion could not afford to be distracted. He needed to gather all his wits and pay some damned attention.
He called a notebook to his hand; the one where Lyla had written down the names of the original vampire kings. Arising from the couch, he strode over to the desk and parked it in front of Tobias.
“These are the names of the kings. I have also noted the makers of the murderers. I believe our next course of action should be to determine where all your vampires have originated. If we can complete the family trees, we can figure out which ancestral lines have been affected.”
“Good,” Tobias said, reading through the list. “Maybe we should also use whatever connections we have to figure out where the kings are and what is going on there.”
“Well, we have a pretty good idea of what Marquez is doing,” Althea added. “But so far, we can’t really tell if any of his vampires are affected, since the only ones we’re in touch with are now under your protection.”
“Are you all suggesting Tobias is able to protect other vampires from whatever is causing this?” Kitty asked, turning to look at the vampire king.
“Apparently.” He shrugged. “Maybe it’s something to do with the twenty percent of my soul you were able to save.”
“Twenty point six three.” Kitty’s protest, accompanied with narrowed eyes and pout, was almost comical. “It’s possible, I guess.”
“Do we really think Rion’s father is the one pulling the strings?” Christo asked.
“It seems the most plausible explanation,” Rion answered.
“Does anyone know when he created the first vampires?” Kitty took the vacant seat on the couch beside Christo.
“Do you remember anything?” Tobias asked, with a pointed glance at Rion.
“Unfortunately, no. Perhaps we should speak with Lyla.”
“Huh…” Will said, as though he’d just had an epiphany. “I wonder if this is connected to Lemures claiming he and Tobias are related.”
“He said what?” Tobias gaped at the angel.
“Yes, do go on,” Rion added with a frown.
Will arose to his full six-foot two-inch height and started to pace. “It was when we first realized Althea and her females were in the throne room. Initially I thought the hounds had come here to aid Tobias because of your bond to Rion through our Immortal Trinity.”
“You didn’t think to mention this before now?” Tobias prompted.
“It wasn’t on purpose, your sexcapades kind of overshadowed it. Kind of makes us even though, right?”
“Wait, Lemures is one of the hounds?” Althea asked, struggling to keep up with it all.
“Yes,” Kitty said quietly. “The Hound King, actually.”
“Shhh,” Tobias hissed at them. “Keep going, Jones. I want to know everything.”
“While they do respect and honor the alliance we’ve made, Lemures has a greater connection to you, than Rion or me. You’re related.”
Tobias subjected him to a wide-eyed stare. “Have you lost your ever-loving mind?”
“What the fuck have you been smoking?” Christo demanded soon after.
Rion on the other hand, had a very peculiar expression on his face. “We require much more detail, angel. What precisely, did Lemures say?”
“Uh, well, he said that Tobias is his brother.”
Tobias began to blink rapidly. “What?”
“I suspect this will be a conversation better held with Lemures present.” Rion murmured.
Tobias nodded in agreement. Silently, Rion reached out to the hound to request his presence. The huge black beast arrived in a fraction of a second. He bowed before Rion briefly, then resumed a regal pose where he could observe all the people in the room.
Hound king and vampire king regarded each other for a moment. Rion was relieved to see respect present in Tobias’ gaze.
“Thank you for joining us,” Tobias said.
Lemures opened his mouth, baring his teeth. It wasn’t menacing and could have been mistaken for a smile. Uncertain what this meant, Tobias looked toward Rion and Will for answers.
“I believe he likes you,” Rion said, sporting a bemused expression.
The hound sat watching Tobias with his black furred head cocked to one side, clearly waiting to be enlightened.
“How could we possibly be related?” Tobias asked softly.
This brought a series of staccato barks from Lemures.
“Shared blood runs in your veins,” Will said, awe lacing his tone.
“How?” Tobias almost shouted. “First I was a vampire with a piece of a soul, and then I had a guardian angel… now I have the blood of hellhounds in my veins?”
Rion let out a gentle sigh. “Perhaps the question we should be asking, is how the original vampire kings were created.”
Lemures let out a few more barks, looking to Will at once. The angel nodded. “Lemures believes it is time someone beyond the eighth realm understands some of the atrocities forced upon his kind.”
“Were they ordered to donate blood?” Christo asked.
Will averted his gaze. “Not blood. Their lives.”
“Oh damn…” Althea breathed.
Rion’s heart felt as though it had split in two.
He stared at Lemures in utter horror, eyes glistening with unshed tears as he knelt down before the hound.
With a gentle hand on Lemures’ shoulder, he pulled himself together and prepared to speak.
“You have my deepest apologies for all you have endured at my father’s hand. ”
After a short silence, during which Lemures refused to break eye contact with Rion, the hound gave one short simple bark. There was a momentary pause, before a complicated canine dialogue ensued.
Will sucked in a deep breath and continued.
“Each undead King was created by combining the power and life force of a hound with an expired mortal who had wound up in the lower realms. Lemures doesn’t know how the mortals were chosen, but the vampire his father helped create, Eduardo Marquez, was the first to survive the process.
Prior to that, many many hounds lost their lives for nothing. ”
“Fuck.” Tobias muttered.
“No…” Kitty whispered.
“That’s disturbing on so many levels,” Christo mumbled.
Rion had experienced several lifetime’s worth of self-loathing in the two millennia he had walked the realms. Today, he reached a new low.
Seeming to pick up on his emotional turmoil, Kitty approached Rion and wrapped both arms around his waist. It was the perfect hug he wasn’t aware he even needed.
It was the first time he’d received emotional support from another empath.
“What does this mean for you, my friend?” Tobias asked the hound. “Do you require something from me?”
Lemures responded, and Will prepared to translate.
“No, quite the opposite. Lemures does not care for Marquez, whom he believes is a scourge on his father’s name.
Apparently, you,” Will glanced at Tobias, “are the only vampire in existence sired directly by Marquez, whom Lemures believes worthy of the inherited power. This combined with your alliance with Rion, has caused you to become an ally of the hounds as well. He knew trouble was afoot here when Althea arrived, especially after the skirmish in the alley. He came to assist.”
One glance at Tobias, and Rion could see just how much the vampire was struggling to process any of this.
“So, he can look down on the In-Between any time, just like the angels can?” Christo asked.
Will waited for Lemures to answer, then continued. “Yes. He could not do it from the lower realms; there he was bound to Rion’s emotions alone. However, since ascending to the Outer Realms, he has discovered he can look down. He has also become aware of his blood connection to certain vampires.”
Anguish pulsed outward from Tobias.
“There is no obligation, or guilt here, Tobias,” Rion said telepathically in Tobias’ head. “Lemures is choosing to serve you. It is an honor, one we may sorely need in days to come.”
“What if I am not worthy of this honor?” Tobias replied silently.
“You are.”
“I’m not so sure.”
“Then, you must earn it.”