I'll Justify My Reasons With Your Blood

I honestly believe that Syn has no idea where the hell he’s going. You would think that as someone’s ‘bloodmate,’ he would know where she was. Personally, I think that I have a better sense of direction, but I doubt he’d listen to me.

Regardless, we continued to stroll through the general downtown area. A park was up ahead, littered with countless humans. I bet that after Syn’s recent experience with the curse, he’s probably dying to tear into some flesh.

I stole a quick side glace to confirm my suspicions, but was oddly surprised to find just the opposite. His face was cold, emotionless.

According my mental calculations, we were about ten miles away from where the clan was right now. If I were to make a run for it and find Jared first, then there wouldn’t be enough time for them to catch up with me.

Though at the same time that would imply betraying my family and risking the threat of certain death. I bit down on my lip as I considered the two options.

Good versus evil.

Right versus wrong.

Love versus death.

Recent issues aside, I have always despised this man, even though I was supposed to consider him family. He was ruthless, heartless, and senseless. Of course Shadows considered him to be one of the greatest. I just wish I could dance on his grave.

Maybe now I could have that chance. He was a guy after all. Since I am half succubus, I could just suck his soul right out of his body. Tah dah! No more Synyster Gates. The only downside was that he was fifty years my senior, meaning fifty years of more power.

A heavy sigh escaped my lips, catching his attention. “What are you complaining about?”

My head snapped toward him. “I haven’t even said anything!”

“Just fucking say what you’re thinking. By holding it in, you’re only annoying me more than usual.”

I stopped walking and stood there with my mouth agape. He stopped walking upon realizing that he was alone and sped over to my location. Within that brief timespan, I collected myself and smirked.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this.”

*Shannon’s POV*

My blurred vision cleared with a few blinks. Without even moving, I could tell that my body was chained down. Footsteps echoed off the stone floor as Alex stepped out of the dim corner.

“Since Shadows seems to be having a hard time capturing your brother and sister, I figured he might just be satisfied with you for now,” he sneered.

I stretched my back as best as I could to release some of the developed tension in the muscles. “Mind telling me where we are?” I asked nonchalantly, shaking his confidence.

“You’re in the dungeon of Shadows’ new castle. I figured he’ll find you as a sort of house-warming present. Although he seems to be having trouble actually getting inside…”

“And why is that?”

“Some guy named Oli is preventing him from entering.”

I bit back a laugh and shook my head. So, Oli Sykes finally decided to return. Maybe it was a good thing that Shadows took over when he did, because now he has a pissed off sorcerer to deal with. And that kind of confrontation never ended well for a vampire.

“Oh, and another thing, Leto, that vampire hunter, she’s all mine.”

“You mean Mai? Quite honestly, I don’t think she’d go for either one of us. I’m the species she hunts, and well, you’re working for the enemy.”

“I’ve been on my best behavior around her, so I’d say she doesn’t consider me much of an enemy.”

“Is that what you told your family a day or two before you slaughtered them?”

Alex’s eyes glowed a bright red against the black background as he growled. I heard the sounds of clothes ripping and limbs shifting. He was turning.

The chains holding me down were strong despite their chipped, rusted texture. I gave a few fierce tugs, but only felt their foundation weaken slightly. His paws pounded on the floor so roughly that he cracked through the stone. He was charging full speed toward me.

He froze just a couple of inches in front of me, standing up on his hind legs. A clawed fist flew into my face, the claws slowly dragging along my flesh. The force was enough to whip my head to the right, almost as if I was just bitch slapped.

As a natural reaction at the smell of blood, even though it was my own, my vampiric abilities increased. Now I could easily make out his grotesque, wolfish figure towering above me with thick drops of saliva dripping from his lips.

My fangs grew past my lips, more than ready enough to bite past his fur and taste some of his blood, despite the fact that wolf blood tasted just as bad as animal blood. Some increased pulses of strength coursed through my arms, as I ripped free from the chains, obliterating the metal into several shattered pieces.

I charged forward with unnatural speed and tackled him into the wall across from where I had been chained. Dust and pieces of rock hailed down on us as I kicked and punched him faster than the human eye could ever keep up with.

He howled in pain, or at least that’s what I thought it was for. Once the howl left his throat, he lowered his head and glared at me with those piercing red eyes. He kicked me off of him and then returned to his position on all fours, sprinting toward me and pinning me down to the ground.

“I’ll be sure to give Mai your regards,” he said in his garbled, supernatural voice.

I was about to free myself from under his stance, but he acted faster. He opened his mouth, revealing a series of large canines and fangs. A horrible stench escaped his mouth and blew into my face, causing to start coughing.

He snickered to himself before leaning down and chewing into the front of my neck. I screamed in pain as I felt my windpipe collapse under the pressure of his teeth. Blood squirted out into his mouth and leaked onto his fur, causing it to turn sticky and blotchy on the locations.

I choked on my own blood and felt cool air penetrate the hole in my throat.

Alex leaped off of me and shifted back into his human form, staring at me with the biggest smirk. I watched him leave the room, locking the door behind him as I laid there in a puddle of my own blood.

It was going to take forever for this to heal. And even so, I couldn’t help but feel more concerned for Mai’s sake.

*Oli’s POV*

I guess I should’ve given Shadows more credit. He was able to figure almost everything out before I even said anything. I smirked upon catching sight of his glare. He really should’ve seen this coming.

Threats are made to be taken seriously…

March 1850, Third Person

The feud was heating up between the Shadows and Leto clans. Since the end of the Draculan era, the Shadows clan was the ruler of all vampires. They permitted the feeding and killing of human beings without recoil and developed mental abilities to control the minds of said humans and historians.

The Leto clan was against this way of life and believed that if humans must be used as food, then they should be just that, not murder victims.

Robert Sykes was a well-known sorcerer from the UK. He made frequent visits to Romania with his oldest son, Oliver, in an attempt to mediate the vampire feud. He introduced the concept of a blood substitute and less vicious ways to drink from humans using his magical abilities.

The king at the time, Charles, imitated interest in Robert’s ideas and offered him and his son a place to stay in the castle.

“Matthew,” Charles called out. “This is Oliver. I would like for you two to go play somewhere while us adults discuss business.”

Surely, young Matthew couldn’t be expected to understand what his father had in mind. He went with his new friend to play in the courtyard without giving anything a second thought. And, as it turned out, over the course of the Sykes’ stay in Romania, the two young boys became the best of friends.

“Tell me, Robert, what’s this new spell you’ve been concocting?” Charles asked.

Robert sprung to attention with a rush of excitement on his face. “It will solve all your problems.”

“You mean to say you’ll eliminate the Leto clan?”

“No, of course not. I don’t think I’d be capable of committing such a wide scale death spell. I’m here to solve both of your problems, regarding your argument over the means of feeding. In my laboratory in England, some associates and I did a few experiments. We managed to create potions that would help lessen the hunger pains, so that you can still feed on humans, just not as frequently.”

Charles lied through his teeth when he offered his praise and approval of Robert’s proposal. He simply didn’t understand. The Shadows clan enjoyed the hunt, feed, and kill. Some did it daily, hourly even.

Since their clan suffered from the Curse of Bad Blood, they had a hunger greater than your average vampire, one that no magic potion could curb.

After a mock celebratory feast in honor of the great Robert Sykes, Charles pulled him and his son aside. “Matthew, I need you to do me a favor,” he said sternly, holding his son in place. “I need you to make sure that your friend stays in place and watches what his father and I are going to do. It’s imperative that you both witness this.”

Matthew blindly agreed, fearing his father’s rage should he be disobedient. Charles led the group down into the garden, where they would have the utmost privacy.

“What a beautiful landscape,” Robert observed, sitting down at the patio table.

“It’s about to get even better,” Charles murmured, standing behind Robert.

“How’s that?”

“I appreciate the time you’ve spent trying to solve our problems, but unfortunately I don’t think your ideas will be very beneficial in the future.”

“If that was the case, then why would you throw such a large dinner party?”

“Just so I can see that look on your face,” he sneered. “And now that you know the truth, I guess I should hurry up and add a little more scenery to the garden.”

“I…I don’t follow your logic.”

Charles grinned, his fangs fully exposed. Oliver caught on to what Charles had planned and stood up. “Father, look out!”

Charles glared over in his direction and growled. “Matthew, restrain that nuisance!”

Oliver spun around and gave a pained look. Matthew wasn’t sure what to do. But in the end he knew that his father’s rage was far worse than losing a friendship. He stood up and wrapped an arm around Oliver’s neck and kept his body in place, despite the constant struggling.

Charles gripped Robert’s throat and picked him up out of the chair. He choked him slightly before throwing him onto the ground and pinning him down. He didn’t waste any more time. He sunk his fangs deep into Robert’s neck, hungrily sucking the blood from his veins.

Robert’s cries of pain and struggle started out strong, though slowly began lowering in volume until he made nothing more than gurgling sounds. Blood sprayed out from the dental incision, coating Oliver and Matthew in a sticky layer.

Oliver stood in place, completely horrified at what he just witnessed. Soon, the horror turned into rage as he shoved Matthew off of him and distanced himself from the bloody scene.

“Just you wait! I’ll be back, in the year of the millennium. I will punish whichever of you two feuding families has gained control of the vampires. You will pay!”

Normally, sorcerers and witches were considered mortal creatures, meaning we aged and died just as any human would. But I knew that I needed to live forever, without the desire to feed on blood or flesh.

I finally managed to perform an immortality spell at the age of 25, with interesting side effects. I can live forever, though I do not have healing capabilities. This meant I either had to heal myself or live through the pain. Healing spells were very tedious, so most of the time I had to rely on hospital assistance.

Regardless, I was here to keep my promise. It was only appropriate that Shadows was in control again. That way I could properly extract my revenge for his father’s murderous act.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Shadows growled.

I jumped down from the roof and landed on a lower level, still keeping my distance. “I’m only here to keep my promise.”

Shadows couldn’t hide his confusion. I could practically see his mind racing, sifting through the past century or two to figure out what I meant. “You’re here on your dad’s behalf,” he murmured.

“You are correct, sir! Now, allow me to tell you what your prize is. You of all people should appreciate it, since you’re such an old school vampire.”

“Why don’t you come down here and say that, you little prick.”

“This really is a beautiful piece of architecture. I suppose I should let your clan inside so you can really enjoy it.”

“Is that your revenge?” he snorted.

My face formed a glare as I jumped down from the landing. “No, but this will be.” I chanted the spell that I had memorized for years now. The biggest form of my initial revenge. “Would you like a translation?” I sneered, noticing all their confused expressions.

“If you had manners, you would explain what the fuck you’re doing,” Shadows growled.

“Oh, such profanity,” I laughed. “Very well. I’ll say this much. You might want to consider revising your sleeping schedules because you won’t be able to do much once the sun rises.”

“And why is that?”

“Because if any member of your clan steps into the sunlight, they will burn in a fiery death.”

*Lillian’s POV*

He didn’t seem the least bit interested in what I would have to say, which didn’t make much sense considering he’s the one who told me to purge.

I had a long list of insults I could spit out – “You’re ugly,” “You’re a bully,” “You have no feelings,” “You’re going to die alone,” “You have no friends,” “Jared could easily kick your ass,” etc.

But all of those only made me sound like a childish little girl with no real comebacks other than a poor ‘Yo Momma’ joke or ‘I know you are, but what am I?’

“Come on, Lillian. I can’t believe there’s actually a time in your life when you learned how to shut up,” he said.

I don’t know why he was provoking me so much, but I’d had enough. I lunged forward and pinned him to the ground, firmly placing all of my weight on his stomach, not caring that it probably didn’t hurt him in the slightest bit.

“You want to know what’s on my mind, Gates? I hate you and everyone in the clan. What Shadows is doing, or plans to do, isn’t right! And I don’t want to be a part of it anymore. Jared is the rightful ruler, and I’m sure deep down you all know it. Oh, and don’t even get me started on your attitude toward Nikki. You can’t fight what’s already been predetermined by your own fucking actions, so get over yourself!”

He blinked a couple of times, finally showing some sort of reaction. “Gee, Lillian, I guess your right. You’re such a persuasive speaker,” he mocked, shoving me off him. “Now quit being a whiny bitch, or else your brother will hear about your spirited confession to treachery.”

I glared defiantly up at him from my scattered position on the ground. “Not if I have something to say about it,” I mumbled. I didn’t have a choice now. He already knew that I was faking loyalty to the clan since meeting Jared.

There are a couple of different ways that a succubus can seduce a man into their clutches. They can invade the man’s dream and seduce them into have sexual intercourse. Or they can use their demonic, yet hypnotic voices to lull men into a state of vulnerability. Since I was also half vampire, I could always weaken the man by drinking his blood.

Luckily, this case made the decision easy for me. There was no way in hell I’d ever have sex with him, and I couldn’t drink his blood. So I had to lure him by song, a force even his strength couldn’t combat.

And with that, I summoned my inner demon. Wings sprouted from my backbones and horns popped out of my skull. My nails grew to the length and sharpness of daggers. It didn’t take him long to realize my intended action. He tried to tackle me onto the ground, but I was faster.

The moment I opened my mouth, a song of seduction spilled out and entered his mind, putting him under a trance. I smirked to myself as I watched him stare at me with a look of desire and obedience. I couldn’t control his actions, but this did in fact significantly weaken him.

I shoved my sharp nails into his chest with the force of a drill, leaving behind a massive gaping hole. Blood flew out as I pulled back and dripped down his shirt. There was no look of pain on his face, though I’m sure his body was freaking out inside. I slammed my knee into his face causing him to tumble into a heap on the ground, knocked out cold and bloody.

Suddenly, with my heightened senses, I picked up a strong scent of blood, different from his, coming from a nearby location. That must be where Jared and Nikki were. I followed the smell and ended up in a sketchy parking lot behind a strip mall.

There was a pile of bodies stacked neatly, with Jared standing right next to it. Before approaching him, I returned to my normal human appearance. I ran to him and took in his appearance.

His face had smeared blood all over it and his fangs were still extended. My mouth dried and my body trembled at the sight. He looked perfect.

“Lillian…how did you find me?” he asked.

“It doesn’t matter,” I smiled. “I couldn’t stand being without you. And once I heard about your new diet decisions, I couldn’t resist.”

He smirked and pulled me up against his chest. “That’s good to hear. I missed you.”

I seductively bit down on my lower lip and wrapped my arms around his neck. “How much did you miss me?”

He stared intently into my eyes, before leaning forward and kissing me. There was no middle ground. He shoved his tongue inside hungrily, as his fangs grazed along my lip, drawing small spots of blotted blood.

He reached down and placed both of his hands beneath my ass, lifting me up off the ground. I wrapped my legs around him and lightly grinded against his rock hard dick. He broke the kiss and leaned his forward against mine, gazing into my eyes with clouded lust.

I’d say that the moment was perfect, until some movement in my peripheral vision caught my attention.

The pile of bodies was moving. An arm stuck out from between the bodies as it pushed the other limbs aside. Nikki emerged from the pile, covered in foreign blood. Her face was contorted in a painful expression, the kind that someone wears just before they throw up.

She crawled out of the pile and kneeled on the pavement, heaving nasty chunks of vomit.

I turned to face Jared with a sudden new understanding. He tried to force human blood onto Nikki. “Did you manage to give her any blood?” I asked.

He nodded. “She didn’t have much of a choice.”

“I don’t know if that was the best idea. She looks like she’s having a bad reaction.”