Forced Affection

The hands around my waist could belong to any one, but my senses kicked in, I grabbed my katana from my hip and flipped the individual; if I could get to the trap door I could seal the vamps in with the holy water. And get away from here as quickly as possible. My flip appeared pointless though, if only the individual reversing it hadn’t ended up on top of me. I landed with a thud, as the body fell on top of me, pinning me to the ground and grabbing my katana, I opened my eyes to be met with Nathan panting on top of me.
‘STOP!’ roared a voice I had longed to hear but now appeared scared off-what was happening?
‘Leo’ Marius said shocked as he got down on one knee. All the elders followed. What had I gotten myself into?
I looked at Parker, Drew and Lucas standing behind him. Nathan pulled me up and placed the katana back on my hip; still he held my hands behind my back. All their expressions were emotionless; I couldn’t read a single thing on any of their faces. Leo walked over to me and slapped me hard across the face as Nathan held me. I was in shock and tried to pull my arm free. I couldn’t read anything from Leo’s face.
‘Hold it still. You got her this time?’ Leo snapped at Nathan. Nathan grunted a response but I felt his grip tighten around me, as I yelped out of pain. The cut on my arm was killing me and I assumed the stabbing pain in my shoulder was from flipping Nathan before.
‘What are you doing here?’ Leo snapped at Marius, as he grabbed Drachen up from the floor and pushed him against a wall.
‘Do you want to explain to me why most of the Circle is congregating here?’ Leo whispered harshly into Drachen’s ear as he pressed him against the wall.
‘Do you want to explain to me why Claudio has lost his head? Why is a member dead?’ Marius snapped appearing to regain his confidence.
‘You dare question me?’ Leo snapped letting go of Drachen and moving to Marius.
‘Have you thought maybe he is dead because he disobeyed my order? Or maybe it was because he was part of this rebellion? Or maybe because he had an inappropriate thought I didn’t enjoy?’ Leo snapped at Marius, but glanced at Drachen as well.
I knew that each of those three reason were all why Claudio, Marius and Drachen could be dead. I guessed they all understood the indirect threat.
I had never seen Leo look so scary and vampire like. A tear rolled down my cheek and I knew it was over. I fell limp into Nathan’s arm. Before I could give up Drew was at my side. He and Nathan held me up as Drew discreetly wiped away my tears; he flashed me a smile and tried to work his powers on me. I wasn’t sure what he was trying to do, but I refused to let him try and help me. There was no way in hell I was going to let some vamp play on my emotions, especially when I wasn’t sure if he was here to rescue or kill me?!
‘What are you doing?’ Leo snapped at Drew. Drew winked at me before turning around and facing Leo.
‘If you want this bitch alive you will let me keep trying to soothe this pain. She has gone into shock and well since she is only a mortal I wouldn’t give her long-worthless excuse for a creature’ Drew snapped back to Leo.
‘Find continuing working on the whore. Just stop her blood. I’m sick of reading everyone’s thoughts of lust’ Leo snapped practically threatening all the vampires in the room.
‘So explain to me, why is the rebellion congregating here? Did you really not expect me to find out?’ Leo asked Marius.
‘Sir, we are not planning on rebelling’ Marius tried, as I felt his voice waive, I didn’t need to read his mind to know he was lying.
‘I can read your thoughts you stupid fuck so do not try and lie to me. Did you ever think that in your idea of rebellion it would be good to have the Prince of Darkness on board?’ Leo sneered at Marius as he walked around the room and lounged on the thrown as if he was the most important thing in the room. It was then I realised I was a fool-how could Parker ever love anyone else besides power? He didn’t love me; this was all a ploy for him to get more power.
I sighed and fell limp again, Nathan allowed me to fall limp as he supported me entirely and Drew kept trying to work his power on me but there was no chance that I wanted his help. I had no idea who I could trust.
‘But sir, you are destined to become the king anyway?’ another vampire from the Circle mumbled.
‘Oh but you think I like living under my father’s command? Where he choose which whore I should marry? How I should get my power? How I should use it for good? How I should run my country? Please I’m ashamed that you thought I was as honourable and weak! I want nothing more than to rule my country. You think you are power hungry well, you have seen nothing yet!’ Leo spoke as he engaged all the present Circle members. I listened to Parker’s speech and couldn’t believe how gullible I was.
‘You want to see greed, well give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill every single one of you right now? You went against the monarch, you went against the leader-fuck you went against me! That was your biggest mistake?!’ Leo shouted as he jumped up. An older vampire in the back mumbled ‘like you could kill us all?!’ before he even looked up Leo was at the man’s side and tore his head clean off his shoulder. The body fell to the ground and Leo dropped the head on the ground. I gasped a little and felt like I was going to vomit, blood fell effortlessly on the ground and I could see the other vamps getting tense.
‘Anyone else believe I can’t kill all you fuckers?’ Leo challenged getting back to the throne.
‘Sir, if we...’ Drachen tried.
‘Did I give you permission to speak?’ Leo snapped as he pushed Drachen into the wall again. ‘Believe me Drachen, I want you dead-do not give me a reason!’ Leo whispered. I looked coldly at Leo and Drachen. How could I be so stupid? Why had I believed Leo’s act?
‘Let go of Drachen, Parker. He has never been worth it. You want to see greed and power. Well let me give you an ultimatum’ Marius says as he walks over to Leo and pulls him away from Drachen.
‘An ultimatum, really? What do you have that I could possibly want?!’ Leo snapped like the arrogant jerk I remember with his bored tone. I could feel my resentment rising, how could I ever care for this loser? How could I have ever been so naive? It was then that I realise I don’t hate Leo-I never could. In fact I loved him-I hated myself for letting these emotions go and feeling such way.
‘We are the majority of the Circle. We can over throw your father-you could be leader without even getting your full powers, or fulfilling any stupid pacts of marriage’ Marius replied as he glanced at me. With all my will I spat at his feet and whispered ‘What makes you think I ever wanted this anyway, bloodsucker?’ I snarl.
‘Shut her up! Can’t you control it?’ Leo snaps and Lucas rolls his eyes and slaps me across my face. I knew it would bruise and I fell back into Nathan as I tried to free my arm. Nathan gave me a little but not enough to get out.
‘If anyone else touches me again, there will be hell to pay?!’ I snap as I glare at Leo. I wanted that boy dead, even if it meant making the ultimate sacrifice.
‘Can you not shut her up’ Leo snapped as he forgets Marius and walks over to me. ‘Put a muzzle on it or something?!’ he mumbles to Lucas as a few vamps snigger.
‘I’m not a mutt’ I sneer implying of werewolves.
‘No you are worse, at least they make good pets-what do slayers do?’ Leo snapped at me as he leant in close.
‘Come closer and I will show you!’ I whisper at Leo laughs and leans forward. His laughter sends a shiver down my spine. With all my force I push Nathan off me and grab my katana from my hip and spin around kicking Drew away, in my right hand is my katana and in the left is a stake ready to piece Leo’s heart-I would make the ultimate sacrifice. In the last moment I swapped hands, stake in my right hand and katana in the left, I aim for Leo. Leo apparently knowing me all too well grabs my right wrist that has the stake in it going for his heart.
‘So predictable Cortez with the katana’ he snaps feeling smug as he looks up at my wrist holding the stake. Before he realised, I stabbed my katana into his side, as Lucas realising what I had done jumped forward and grabbed me. I felt a sharp stabbing pain in my lower hip. I fall to the ground and Leo rushes forward; he pulls my katana out and holds it at my throat.
‘Wanna try that again and you will end up like your uncle?!’ Leo snaps as he throws my katana at my feet just out of my reach. My shoulders slump and I regret everything that had happened in the last couple of months.
‘You want us to deal with her?’ Drachen asks Leo as Drachen smirks.
‘You lay one finger on her you sick son of a bitch and I will kill you!’ Leo threatened.
‘Sir, please regain your control, we have a business proposition we should discuss’ Marius says as he walks over to Drachen and Leo. I see him slide his way in so all the attention is focused back on Marius. I begin to drift in and out of this haze. My hip is hurting and I look down. I must have fallen on something sharp, Nathan notices as well.
‘Fuck Cortez’ he mutters and looks down at the blood.
‘What is all the commotion?’ Drew asks smiling as if he knew something I didn’t and didn’t once fear for his life in this situation. I fall to the ground again; neither catches me in time as I land on the cold floor. I fall and feel the pain over coming me. I just want to wither and cry out in pain but remain silent. I look and realise I had fallen onto one of my own stakes, one that had holy water and dead man’s blood on it, but why was it hurting me so much?
‘Get the chair!’ Drew orders Lucas. Lucas grabs the chair and Drew places me on it. I can’t focus on anything and my head is too heavy. I keep falling and have no balance. Nathan holds be gently, a way in which I never expected.
‘Leo, she needs a healer’ Nathan said looking at Leo with grave concern.
‘What does he care? If she dies there is one less problem? Such a shame to let her blood go to waste though’ Drachen said patting Leo on the back. I looked at him one last time and saw concern written all over his face-but knew he was too greedy to ever pick me over everything he ever wanted.
‘Leo, c’mon’ Lucas also said as he was slapping me on the face trying to keep me focused ‘Hallie, stay with us. Seriously Cortez don’t do this’ he tried.
‘Drew’ I muttered as I moved my hand and showed him my hip, it now had a burn mark around it and was red, with blood seeping out.
‘Fuck, Hallie why is the stake having the same effect on you as it would a vamp?’ Drew asked as he looks at it.
‘What the fuck was on it?’ Lucas asks. Nathan picks up the stake even though it burns him.
‘Fuck, a naughty word, holy water and dead man’s blood’ he said dropping it quickly as he couldn’t say the word Deus.
‘I can try and heal her’ an elder from the back said to Nathan as he pushes past the others and walks forward.
‘Hurry up, now what was this proposition?’ Leo said ignoring me and talking back to Marius and Drachen.
‘Well we can give you the ultimate power. We will over throw your father and you can run this country the way it should be ran-vamps ruling it. We want you to lead us. We want you to have control. We need you’ Marius says. The elder looks down at me and attempts to heal me. I try to stay conscious, I want to kill Leo.
I look at the elder and want him nowhere near me...he could do anything to me after all.
‘Please, let me die’ I mutter to the elder. I watch Lucas touch the elder’s hand and the elder nods. He must have just placed a memory in his head trying to explain everything. I wish he would do that to me and give me a reason for this.
‘I don’t think that is a good idea missy’ the elder whispers as he starts to rub the skin around the stab wound. Slowly the pain begins to decrease.
‘What’s the catch?’ Leo asks Marius as he barely focuses on me. I drift in and out of conscious, but the last thing I hear was:
‘Don’t go through with the marriage, kill the bitch and we will give you everything you ever wanted. If you go against us we will be forced to kill you both. You will never lead your country.’ Marius said to Leo. With one last glance at Leo I knew this was the end. He wouldn’t choose me; this was exactly what he wanted-without the catch.