Lingering Darkness

Chapter 4

Tyran’s POV

She had watched as they stepped off the boat, gathering in their small group.  Vampires.  Her attention moving towards the human girl among them, that was why they traveled like humans.   It was strange how they catered to their livestock, could this girl be special to them? It seemed impossible the more she thought about it, for that girl was near death.  They had dangerously drained her to the point of extinction.  

Thinking back now, as she lay in the swing looking up at the night sky, she wondered why Jade had allowed them to come here.  Bothersome as it was, she kept thinking about the girl, and the memories that she pulled from her lips.  They were fragmented, making no sense and it was as though there were two sets of memories.  She could clearly see them, and she could almost feel the pain and pleasure that Yui had received at their hands. 

Her thoughts then turned towards the tall one, the one that wore spectacles.  She laughed, wondering how a Vampire could have bad sight.  “Pathetic.” She spoke aloud, thinking back to the way his eyes reflected disgust at her presence.   Closing her eyes, she let her thoughts wander, feeling the ocean breeze caress her bare skin like a lover would do.  She planned to see just how revolting she could be to him. 

“Tyran.” His voice jolted her from her thoughts, turning her head lazily as she looked to the dark figure of her brother.  “What do you want Ashlar, I figured you would be protecting Samantha’s virtue.” She laughed, and then laughed again at his obvious anger.  “Come and let us talk, that is why you’re here.” She beckoned him closer, watching the sulky shade of his face. 

“Why are they here, what the hell is she thinking?” His voice seemed unsure, and she knew that he had reason to be. “I do not know Ashlar.  I have asked myself that same question and I do not see what the benefit is.  Since that time, she has forbid contact with their kind.  We both know why, and for once I thought that was the smartest thing she ever did, but now.. They are here and she has opened a Pandora’s Box.” She sighed out in frustration, swinging her legs over the edge of the swing to stand up.  

“I did not like the way that one looked at Samantha.” His tone was cold, but she could feel the heat of anger beneath it.  “Why because he looked at her the same way you do? Ashlar, you are going to lose her regardless, because she was never yours to begin with. You are her brother, not her lover.  Do we really need to have this conversation again, it pisses me off.” She was done trying to save Samantha from Ashlar, for the bitch never listened, hell neither of them did.  

“It is not Samantha that you need to worry about, it’s Belinda. You know what could happen if she ascends, that is something that should be carefully planned.  Hell, Jade has not even told her the entire truth about it, she simply thinks it’s feeding for the first time.  She has no clue.” Her brows knit, as she walked towards her brother.  “Those men in there are going to cause us a lot of problems.  I know this has something to do with that man who visited here months ago.  How dare she bring his kind here, I don’t give a rats ass whether he is some Lord of Vampires.   I mean really, when we lived in the Cove, there were so many Vampire Lords that they tripped over themselves, and she never once bowed to one.  Why now? Why in this place?” 

She looked up at her brother, laying her head against his chest as she embraced him.  “I will not forgive her if she destroys us, and I am sure this will come close to it.  I can hardly think clearly even now, their scent is so enticing.” She tilted her head to gaze upward at Ashlar, thinking how weak he was. “Return to Samantha, there is something I need to do.” 

She entered Rose Hall, lifting her head as she inhaled the scents around her.  It was suffocating to the say the least, but at last she found who she was seeking.  Turning towards the west wing, where her own quarters were, she found the room where his scent was strongest.  Stopping in front of his door, she thought of knocking then changed her mind before opening it.  These rooms belonged to her; she should have no fear of entering them.

There was a candle lit, dimly near the window and for a moment she didn’t see him.  His voice startling her, “It is rude to enter the quarters of your quests without prior acknowledgement.”  She could hear the disgust in his voice, but there was no reason to address it.   Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it as she finally sought his spectacled visage.  “These rooms are mine you know, the entire west wing.  It just happens that this is the only room where there is a walk-in shower.  I have just come from the swamps, I needed a bath.  I am sure you don’t mind do you?” 

She had noted the tea set that was near the table, a simple cup and saucer as though he had been enjoying it prior to her arrival.  She didn’t get a return answer, seeing that he had turned away from her presence.  Was he ignoring her?  Entering into the bath, she let the door remain open and as it stood, she knew that his line of site would be directly in front of the door.  “Do you know why you’re here?” She could pose the questions, but she didn’t expect an answer.

In front of the mirror, she began to unravel the braids of her hair.  The feathers that were woven within them scattered to the floor around her feet.  The bones she caught in her hands, shuffling them before tossing them in the sink.  Their formation made her flinch, she seen death there.  Was it a warning, to tread lightly? Her fingers scattered them, erasing the message.  She undid the ties of her sarong, letting it drop in a crumbled mass around her ankles.  She turned then, looking beyond the door to where Reiji was and having caught him in the act of watching her. 

“You look as though you have questions of your own, why don’t we put our heads together and see if we can get to the bottom of this?” She asked, turning her back to him as she stepped towards the shower.  She heard the chair creak, and then the clack of his shoes as he walked towards her.  Turning on the water, she stepped inside to let it run over her head and face, before moving to acknowledge him in the doorway.  “Your manners are deplorable.  What is it about the eldest, you both lack decorum. “ His words were biting, but she didn’t know to who he referred.  “You do not even know how to properly wash yourself.” 

“Oh? I think I am doing fine, but if you feel you need to instruct me, then why don’t you?”  She turned away from him, basking in the warmth of the water.   Her arms came in close against her chest and she tucked her chin against the knuckles of her hands.   Her thoughts went to the reading of the bones, and she wondered whether she should turn her back on him.  She had not even realized he was behind her until she felt his hand press against her head.  His grip was surprisingly vicious, as though he was ready to crack her skull.  She could feel his fingers entwining within the wet strands of her hair. “I knew you were a loose woman, for only a loose woman would parade herself half naked in front of others.  Only a loose woman would strip herself in front of a man whom she has only met.”  She was forced to kneel after being dragged out of the shower and back in again, further away from the spray of the shower head. 

She didn’t dare to look at him, even when she felt him unhand her.  Laughing despite herself, “A loose woman, well that is something I haven’t been called before. But if you insist on giving pet names, then by all means.”  She wasn’t sure what he was doing, but seconds later she felt his hands moving back into her hair, this time massaging the strands.  “Amazing, I didn’t think getting my head washed would feel this good.” She snickered, turning to look up at him, only to have her head jerked forward again.

“I do not like women who show no class, are you that lazy? At least your sister has the good sense to look like a Lady.” His hands had moved to her throat, though while his touch was not gentle there was a certain caress to it.  “Who Samantha?” She laughed at that, “Yes, I suppose Samantha has class, but it’s fake for she spends most of her time looking at her reflection in the mirror.  Mirrors can become cracked, and no matter of repair can fix their reflection when they are damaged.”  

She could feel his hands tighten around her neck as though he thought about choking her, but then moving onto her shoulders and then finally her back.  “Did you like her, my sister? Are you imagining you are touching her now, as you touch me?” She had felt his hands move beneath her arms, and then onto her breasts as he had begun to wash the front of her body, but with her words his hands came away only to have them yank her head to the side.   

She had not been expecting it, but she should have.  She felt his fangs pierce her skin; there was nothing gentle about it.  It was savage and raw, as though he was punishing her.  He was drinking deeply at the wound, when he suddenly pushed her away.  She watched him stagger out of the bathroom, “I know this taste.” She heard his words and instantly stood up.  “I’ve tasted it before, a long time ago. Is it possible?” He was on her again; she didn’t have time to react and before she knew it she was face down on wet marble.   To her, it seemed that he drank forever, until at last he let go.

“You chastise me about my manners; it’s not nice to drink from someone that has not offered it.” She got to her feet, stumbling before she regained her composure.  It seemed that he was ignoring her words; as she listened to him rattle on. “I procured a small vial to use in my potions, and spent an enormous amount of money for that very small sample.  I couldn’t help but to taste it.” He had turned his eyes back on her, “But to the drink from the fount, is far sweeter.” He threw a blanket at her, “Cover yourself, it’s distracting.” He sat down, resting back in the chair. “But this is impossible, your kind is extinct.” 

She felt the heat rising in her as she listened to his words. “Because your kind drove us to the point of extinction! Heed my warning Reiji Sakamaki, do not think you and your brothers will do that here.  I do not know what it is you and your father have planned for us, but I will be damned if I let you succeed.” 

He shook his head in annoyance. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, I will honestly answer that I do not know the reason we are here anymore than you do.  I think we have a lot to learn from each other after all. So it is true, you are Fae?” 

“I prefer Unseelie Sidhe, but yes we are Dark Fae as your kind called us long ago.   We have had many names, but that one you will know best. “ There was no point in concealing what they were anymore;  she had lost on those terms.  “Unseelie Sidhe.” He was musing, she thought before he continued onward. “I read there were more than one species of Sidhe, which are you?” 

Sighing, she sat down on the edge of the bed, curling up in the blanket. “We would be considered Leanan Sidhe, but our tastes are more intimate.  In the past, we were often confused with Succubi, but we are not demons.   We may glamour you, but we are not hideous creatures beneath the mask as real Succubae are.  Our main source of nourishment is sexual energy and of course, the act itself.   This is why; I do not understand why you are here, because you are first and foremost our natural enemy.   We went into hiding a long time ago, and I watched from the shadows what your kind did to us.  Your lust for power and the need to dominate, along with our blood at your disposal, made the Sidhe into blood slaves.”  Sighing, she became quiet as her gaze turned towards the window.  Dawn would be upon them soon. 

There was silence between them, until her voice broke it once more. “They tried to procreate with us, but in the end that offspring would die within days of being born.  This was the beginning of the end for Seelie and Unseelie.  It’s nearly impossible for Sidhe to give birth, and when they do they lose part of themselves in the exchange.   In the end, they literally fucked us into a dying species.  What we freely gave in the beginning became dark and twisted; this blood that runs through our veins is something very precious to your kind.   There is power in our blood, but it comes at a price, even for Vampires.” 

The room suddenly felt cold to her, unbearable when she felt the first signs of the unseen assault.  The smell of roses which had at first permeated the room had now turned to the smell of decay.  She narrowed her eyes, looking back to Reiji, but it seemed he was uninflected.  Of course, it was not he who was spilling family secrets, and the keeper of those secrets was becoming angry.  Rose calm down, she thought to herself. His voice brought her to attention, “If this is true, then how did you and the rest survive?”

She rose from the bed then, walking close to where he was. Her hand folding against the window as she looked out. “We took from them as much as they took from us.  Gluttony and Lust, two of the seven deadly sins, they canceled each other out.” She laughed, turning to look at him. “Vampires thrive on blood, we thrive on sexual energy.  What you took from us, we took right back and it was all because the bloodline was not muddied.   Contrary to what the Unseelie Court charged as taboo, the Sjah family mated sister to brother and thus our blood and genetic makeup became pure as did the condensed power. It was because of that that we were powerful enough to live through the bloodletting, while weaker fae light was extinguished. “ She turned back to the window, memories flooding back to the time before they went into hiding.   They had been weak, and near death when her Mother released the remaining power inside her own Mother, by killing her in order to shape what was now this island. 

“Jade saved us by taking what was left of my grandmother’s light.  She killed her, committing an unforgivable sin, and with that light it was shaped into Sanctuary.   That is why I can’t fathom why you are here.  However, you are not the first to come to the island.  Two months ago, two vampires came here.  No one even knew they were here until after they were gone.  One of those men was your father, while the other, I do not know.  My brother suspected that he had once been human and assumed he was the servant of the pureblood.   She will not speak to me or anyone about that visit, but when the messenger came to announce your arrival, she flew into a rage that I have not seen in some time.   She doesn't want you here, so that means that your Father is holding something over her head and I intend to find out what that is.” 

She turned, heading for the door. “Dawn is coming and this has made me weary.  Choose carefully your intentions from here on, Reiji.” She stopped, looking back to him. “I almost forgot something important.  A fae’s blood allows a vampire to walk in the sunlight, though for how long can vary.   I would say with what you took from me, several hours at best.  Enjoy your morning in the sun.”