Chapter 24
Tobias
If he hadn’t been so worried about Lyla’s reserves, Tobias would have been grateful for the timely interruption. Instead, his frustration over Kitty’s mood simply transferred into frustration that he could do nothing to help Lyla until she finished propping up Marquez… or didn’t.
We are far too close to the wire. I don’t know if I can cope with this level of stress and still lead. I almost let Kitty get under my skin. I need to push that aside for now, there are too many other things going on.
Lyla’s breath grew shallow. It was likely she would survive a total depletion of energy, but it meant letting her mortal form expire and waiting in the lower realms to regenerate.
There was too much at stake to risk that.
Not only for the inconvenience, but the risk of Marquez seizing again in her absence.
Meanwhile, Rion and Kitty had joined him at Lyla’s side, exhibiting concern over her wellbeing.
“Go,” Tobias said to the demon. “Get the other kings, and I will deal with this.”
With a steeled jaw and darkened expression, Rion complied. He was furious at being dismissed, but that would have to wait. To Kitty, Tobias spoke at a volume barely audible.
“I don’t know who pissed in your cereal this morning, but we will talk later. In the meantime, mask your fucking emotions and let me be the king you all asked me to be.”
Her eyes widened with shock. “Tobias, I–”
“No, save it. You can yell at me later, and you’ll get to hear everything I think about that. For now, go sit your ass down.”
“I’m supposed to protect you. Do you have any idea what a full-time job that is?”
“I won’t ask again.”
She opened her mouth and closed it a couple of times, before it seemed she’d decided not to push things.
He turned to meet her gaze, with a little more aggression than he’d meant to. She shrank back a little, both brows arched.
“I’m here for Lyla; I won’t cause trouble. Take a chill pill, vampire,” she muttered.
Lyla teetered sideways and keeled over. Tobias blurred into place and caught her before she could hit the floor. Her eyes remained open, she was still hanging on, just. Marquez was already picking himself back up. They’d made it through another episode.
“I’ve got you,” Tobias whispered to Lyla. “Marquez is fine. Please feed.”
Her arms slowly wound around his torso in an embrace, enabling as much of their bodies to touch as possible. The pair sat unmoving for several minutes as Lyla soaked up as much of the Undead energy as she could. Tobias could feel the warmth seeping back into his flesh.
This was completely different from the atrocities wreaking havoc on Marquez’s undead body.
A feeding from Lyla left Tobias feeling as close to mortal as was possible and still be Undead.
At first, Lyla made little whimpers, but they soon evolved into sighs of pleasure.
For Tobias, there was nothing erotic about the experience, but the sounds Lyla was making certainly told a different story.
“Seriously…” Kitty muttered.
“Find your happy place, Silverwood,” he warned.
As he spoke, Lyla completed the ritual and disentangled herself from the embrace. “Thank you,” she said.
Without any further explanation, Tobias blurred over to where the mortals sat.
A split-second judgement told him two were nephilim.
Probably third or fourth generation, but still better prospects than regular mortals.
He fed from the palace feeders first, then took on one of Westergaard’s nephilim as a mortal servant. Finally, he fed from six more mortals.
After this was complete, he blurred from the building and fed from two dozen more mortals in some of the less desirable parts of Brooklyn. He returned, oathed a second nephilim, and blurred back out into the city to feed again.
In thirty minutes, Tobias had taken on two nephilim servants and two mortal servants.
It required an insane amount of mortal blood to accomplish it, and regrettably, he’d had to switch from degenerates to innocent citizens.
He prayed for forgiveness from the Savior, as he fought not to take more than necessary, and glamoured each one afterward, to forget it had even happened.
By the time this had been completed, the high he’d experienced via Lyla had dissipated.
He climbed back onto the throne at mortal speed, and observed that Rion and Will were both seated on either side.
Turning back to the room, he saw ten unfamiliar males standing with Westergaard.
He could only assume it was the two original kings and their guards.
“What the fuck did we just witness?” A Zimbabwean male demanded.
“We talked about the situation with the eighth lord and who is or isn’t dead among the kings,” Will said, “but not what you’ve just been doing.”
“They have also witnessed Marquez have another seizure,” Rion added. “Which are occurring more frequently now.”
“I am Tobias Martelli, King of New York. For reasons I will not yet explain, I am immune to the eighth lord’s attacks.
Westergaard has oathed himself in service to me in order to receive said protection, and I just took on servants twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen, in order to oath Marquez. ” Tobias massaged a temple.
“What sorcery is this?” Asked the well-dressed Japanese man standing with Westergaard.
“It is not sorcery, though he is competent with that, too.” Westergaard laughed. “Have you not heard of Marquez’s former enforcer, Stregone?”
“This is Stregone?” The male let loose a string of Japanese. Nobody offered a translation, but Will snorted at whatever he’d said.
“Am I supposed to know who that is?” The Zimbabwean male turned to Westergaard with a frown.
“Martelli, meet Rafiki Ngdugu and Takeshi Yamamoto,” Westergaard said, gesturing to each of the males.
“I’m never going to keep up with all these new names,” Will complained over a link. “This whole thing is heading into crazy territory.”
“Ya think?” Tobias gave him a look.
“Never mind the names, prioritize. We should continue before our options are no longer viable,” said Rion.
“I’m ready to continue,” Tobias said to the room.
“You are willing to become subservient to this male?” Ngdugu asked of Westergaard.
“There is no becoming, it is done,” Westergaard stated. “I have no regrets; I value my Undead life and I trust Martelli not to be a prick. Unlike you, hmm?”
Ngdugu flipped him the bird. “Fuck you Westergaard.”
“They fit right in already.” Will chuckled.
Tobias glanced over at the table of mortal servants, the initial eleven. All appeared to be in good spirits, continuing their banquet.
“As I said, I am ready to begin the next phase,” he announced. “Angels, I’ll need you close by.”
Ngdugu and Yamamoto turned to look at the angels as if they hadn’t realized any were present. Both began speaking in hushed tones with Westergaard.
Marquez approached the dais and dropped to one knee before Tobias. “Forget everything I said before this moment. I take it all back, I am yours, whatever that entails. Please take my oath before I have any more of those fucking seizures.”
Silence fell over the other original kings. Marquez’s arrogance was legendary, so for him concede anything was unheard of. To witness him kneel before a subordinate had rendered them speechless.
Tobias removed his jacket and rolled back both shirt sleeves. He presented the left arm to Marquez, who immediately opened a vein and chugged several mouthfuls. He paused to swear fealty to Tobias, before he resumed drinking.
The first angel stepped onto the dais, and Tobias too, began to feed. He ran through fifteen angels, and paused to assess the situation. The moment he stopped feeding, Lori, Christo, Vixen, and the next two servants fell instantly. A couple of minutes later, Charisma fell too.
“They’re dropping too quickly,” Will hissed. “You’re going to have to use me as well.”
With a grim nod, Tobias fed from Will, stopping on the brink of causing him to pass out. The angel sagged in his chair, but remained conscious. This time the reprieve lasted longer, but then Dominic fell, and at regular intervals, Aaron and two of the servants he’d oathed that very night.
Rion appeared in his head. “What would you like me to do? Revive Will and continue feeding him like last time?”
“Maybe? They’re dropping too fast for me to keep up with.”
Kitty approached the dais. “Feed from me.”
“No,” Rion said aloud. “You are still not at capacity after your near death experience. If you are truly his guardian, he may need you before this is over. Save your strength for that.”
“You don’t get to decide, brother.” Kitty’s eyes grew glassy as her gaze moved to Tobias. “Please, feed from me.”
Rion rolled back a sleeve and used a dagger to open a vein for Will. Moments later, once Will had perked up a little, Tobias resumed feeding from the angel a second time.
Three more angels materialized in the throne room, and approached the dais. “We are all that can be spared. The Savior hopes this will be enough,” one said.
Tobias halted the Will and Rion feeding, relieved not to have to drain them both at such a crucial moment.
He burned through all three additional angels, and realized the bond still wasn’t fully forged.
Maybe it was more difficult because Marquez was his sire.
What if it’s not possible to have your own sire swear fealty in exchange for protection?
I can’t think about that. I won’t. In the process of deciding how next to proceed, another servant fell. Only one remained. Fuck.
“Will and I are not depleted yet,” Rion reminded him.
“Someone find more mortals!” Lyla shouted.
Nearby, Kitty flashed out and reappeared among Westergaard’s mortals, next to the last servant Tobias had taken on. He hadn’t let her feed from him, so it appeared she would give herself in a different way instead. She placed a hand to the male’s shoulder, and nodded at Tobias.
He sank his fangs into Will’s wrist a third time and resumed feeding. This continued until Rion grew weak enough to stumble forward, thus breaking the connection with Will. The angel passed out and Tobias stopped feeding.
Locking eyes with Kitty, an apology lurked within his gaze. He watched her like a hawk, looking for the faintest signs of fatigue, and prayed to the Savior for the second time in fifteen minutes.
After a few minutes that felt like hours, six mortals arrived from elsewhere in the palace.
These volunteers hadn’t been on the feeder list earlier as they were already mortal servants to other vampires.
Desperate times called for desperate measures.
Tobias depleted five of them back to back, leaving them barely clinging to life.
About halfway through the final female, Marquez let out a shout of joy. “It’s done! The bond is forged!”
Tobias cast out his senses and felt a permanent connection between them. Relief hit hard. Exhausted, and finally allowing himself a moment of reprieve, Tobias sank back into the throne and lay there barely conscious.
“Martelli!” Kitty cried.
At first, he assumed her panic was because it probably looked like he’d pushed himself too far. Then a lot of shouting could be heard. He lacked the energy to sit up and take a look. The next thing he knew, He’d been shoved to the ground and Westergaard’s body obscured the view. What the hell…
“Get off me!” Kitty again… “Marquez, I swear I will end you!”
“I’m trying to save your life, you ungrateful wench!”
Again, Tobias tried, but couldn’t piece it together. “What…” he murmured.
In the distance drums could be heard.
“It’s okay,” Westergaard said quietly. “I have you covered. Marquez is protecting your angel female. Your enforcers are taking care of Ngdugu and his minions.”
“What?” Tobias tried to sit up.
Westergaard grunted, and the sound of steel upon steel could be heard. “Stay down. I’m a large male but I cannot protect all three of you if you try to pull something stupid.”
Did he mean Will and Rion as well? What the fuck is happening? The drums grew louder, until the sound of barking overshadowed them.
“Hellhounds!” An unfamiliar voice yelled. “Get back!”
“Marquez!” Kitty shouted again from across the room.
“Martelli is fine,” Marquez shouted back. “Stay down.”
Inside, Tobias could feel a rift forming.
He’d successfully made the bond, but he shouldn’t have stopped feeding.
It’s not enough. This is like when I oathed Althea’s crew.
I need more blood to sustain the new bond.
I didn’t feed enough. Fuck. There isn’t anyone else to feed from and whatever shit is going down needs my attention.
Ugh this pain is like nothing I’ve ever felt before…
“Martelli, stay with me.” Westergaard slapped his face a few times to try to rouse him.
“Blood…” Tobias managed.
“More?” Westergaard asked incredulously. “You’ve damned near consumed an entire civilization already.”
Barking continued nearby, with what sounded like Lemures issuing orders. Two hounds stepped up onto the dais, one with a goblet in its mouth.
“I think they want to feed you,” Westergaard managed in disbelief.
Tobias forced his eyes to stay open and looked at the two beasts. Would it even work? If he already possessed hound blood, it couldn’t hurt right?
One of the hounds opened the carotid vein on the other and allowed the flow to collect in the goblet Westergaard had quickly put into position.
The next thing he knew, Westergaard was holding the goblet to his lips.
As he drank from it, he saw first hound tending to the carotid of the second who’d donated blood, licking it closed, the same way a vampire would do. It was DaVinci, Rion’s favorite hound.