“Why me?” She sighs and he looks over his shoulder.
“I have a feeling if you did not, the other monsters would revolt and simply kill them. You, Dawn, have shown them they do not need to follow someone just because they are told to. You have to accept the change you wrought.”
Dawn keeps hold of my arm as Lucifer leads us up the stairs, ignoring the corpses of the fallen outside, and then up another set of stairs before he turns left. He carries on walking, taking twisting, turning corridors until we come upon a large black double door blocking the path. I can feel the magic pulsing from it from here. It’s warded, like he said.
The actual door is decorated with skulls and bloody handprints and Dawn grins. “Now that’s more my style.”
Lucifer presses his hand to the door above one of the handprints and looks back at her, his eyes blazing like a fire. “Thought you might like it, little walker.”
The door hisses and then swings inwards, the interior dark and gloomy. Lucifer steps through, whistling as he goes, and I follow after with Dawn still holding onto me. I would go anywhere at the moment if she kept touching me. She feels so good, so warm. Looking down at her, I can’t help but soften inside. This woman is incredible, a true leader. So strong and brave and she doesn’t even see it.
She’s a true warrior.
“There are numerous bedrooms, but my favourite one is at the base of the tower. There is also a kitchen, a living area, a place to fight. Make yourselves at home.” He sweeps his arms out to encompass it all. I gaze around, noting the walls are covered in an old-style paper with wood at the bottom. Large candelabras are attached to the wall with candle chandeliers above. Lucifer snaps his fingers and they all light with a sizzle, illuminating more of the hallway.
It’s so different from the rest of the mansion, I actually settle a little. It feels more real and reminds me slightly of home.
“Lead the way,” I tell Dawn. She reaches up and kisses my cheek before exploring further as we all follow along behind.
“Hurry up, Vasculo, I’m tired and want to wash this blood off,” Griffin snarls.
“Poor angel, too harsh for your delicate sensibilities?” Aska taunts.
“Carry on, lizard, and I will—”
“Do nothing!” Dawn shouts, and then storms into their midst, her eyes narrowed and black. “You will not hurt each other. If you do, then I will kill you myself. Mate or not. I need you all, and I know it will be hard, but for me? Please? I’ve had enough fighting and hate in my life, and there’s so much more to come, but in here...with us, can we not? Please?” she implores, and seems to slump.
Nos glares at everyone and sweeps her into his arms. “Any infighting and you will be kicked out. You heard our mate. Now let us find somewhere for her to rest. You can finish butting heads out here like children while the rest of us take care of our mate,” he growls, each word filled with power that almost bows us backwards.
We wander the corridor until Nos finds the room under the tower. We step inside the door, looking around. It is certainly big, with a bed upon a pedestal large enough to accommodate most of us. I’m not leaving her side, even to sleep.
She must hear my thoughts, because her mind brushes mine. Good, I’m not letting any of you go.
I grin at that, my little warrior. So fierce. I can’t wait to see where this life takes me. Maybe this time I will get it right, not my second chance...but third. The final one with the woman destined to be mine.
Her vampire.
I watch the little walker be carried into the room, my old room. Well, the place I stayed whenever I felt like staying here to scare the council and cause chaos. I knew if I let her walk out that door downstairs, this little blood thirsty woman would have disappeared. I had to keep her close while I figured out why she seemed so important, and why I had been dragged into her circle of power.
So I had made her stay. The people seemed to support the idea of her leading. That won’t always be so, and when it settles, they will question why this outsider is leading, then they will try to kill her. Overthrow her. They will use mind games and verbal trickery. It will be interesting to see how she handles it.
“Tomorrow, the ceremony will be conducted early to settle the power disruption and unrest, be prepared.” I nod and then turn to leave. There is a shuffle, and suddenly a small hand lands on my arm. I look down at the pale, dainty thing and follow it up to those big eyes.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“I did nothing.” I smirk.
“Thank you,” she repeats, searching my eyes until she nods and turns away. I have the strangest urge to grab her and pull her back, to make her look at me again. To make her touch me. But I don’t.
I turn away as well and leave her to her mates, no doubt they have a lot of…making up to do. I ignore the fact that it fills me with jealousy and the fires of hell at the thought and leave the room.
As I shut the door behind me, I feel a tug, a pull in my stomach to go back, but I ignore it and head farther down the corridor to the double doors at the end, pushing them open onto the stone balcony. I ignore the gargoyles and stare out into the night sky. From here you can see the world laid out below. So small and distant.
People have fought battles over less—the view I mean...not Dawn.
Why is she under my skin so?
I am used to doing what I want, when I want, without concern for the consequences, simply living in the moment, spreading death and bloodshed wherever I go. But when I thought about killing her, it didn’t feel right. In fact, it made me sick to my stomach just at the idea.
Fool. She has clearly done something to me, the question is what?
All these years, all these millenniums, kings, queens, and Xaph have tried to get me to take my place, to take my role seriously and care for someone other than myself. They used their bodies, riches, words, and laws, but I still didn’t fall in line. I revolted, I burned the world and walked through battles I started with joy, relishing it.
But now?
As I debate leaving Dawn to the chaos she has sowed, I find myself unable to move from this balcony. I am split in two, my need for blood, for death, wanting to leave this place and seek it out in the world, start another war, anything. But the other half...it wants me to stay, to keep her close.
Why?
To kill her? No, that can’t be it.
Maybe to toy with her?
It’s infuriating to say the least, and putting a damper on my world burning plans. So, I will stay. I will get rid of these pesky feelings and do my duty for once, maybe then Xaph will leave me alone for a couple hundred years and I can go and find a war somewhere. Wash with the blood of my enemies and sleep surrounded by the most beautiful creations this world has to offer.
But even that image feels empty and cold, and the black eyes of the woman sleeping down the hall burns that vision away, mocking me.
Under it all is fear, fear because I know what she is...who she is.
My mate.
She represents change, she represents restriction, and...fondness. That scares me. Change is the ultimate sacrifice. I was made into this creature of darkness, to burn and kill. To cause chaos, but…but if I choose Dawn and turn away from that, who knows what I will become?
Is that what the woman meant all those millennia ago? The choice is mine, to burn or love?