Apprentice of Death

Cinder bathed and changed into a black nightgown that reached the floor. Her meal was brought to her room, and she ate at it as best she could, but she couldn’t get the day’s events out of her mind. What had happened with Dominique striking her and licking her blood haunted her, but not nearly as much as the image of the little girl and Sean lying there, of Dominique feeding on them and doing much worse than he had just done to her. She feared Dominique, but she feared for the prisoners more.

She sighed, giving up trying to sleep early, and wandered onto the balcony to enjoy the night breeze. She heard a knock at her door and called out to answer it. She walked to the doorway to her room from the balcony and smiled at Adrian, who had come to check on her.

“Sebastian is still working but promises to be along shortly,” he said, shutting the door behind him. She gave a short nod of acceptance and turned to walk back onto the balcony.

She felt him join her, walking up behind her and then joining her at the railing. Cinder looked up at the moon; it would be just under a week, and it would be full. The Summer Solstice bonfire was planned for the night before the full moon, and she was very much looking forward to it; she simply loved dancing.

She gazed up at the moon and the stars, thinking about what had happened that day. Her feelings of fear, horror, and worry were so strong as she thought about the prisoners slowly dying there that her eyes lit up with heat behind them. She heard Adrian’s intake of breath, and her eyes slid from the glowing orb in the sky to him.

His head cocked a little as a look of total fascination and awe was there to greet her gaze as he studied her. His lips parted, and his brow wrinkled slightly as he very slowly reached up with his fingers to gently caress her cheekbone just under her eye. His eyes were so intense on hers, studying hers, transfixed with the sight of her golden glowing eyes.

The look in his eyes had her breath catching; his beautiful blue eyes flickered and slowly glowed more and more vibrantly as he studied her, his palm sliding onto the side of her face. He stood right in front of her, his body brushing hers, holding her face, transfixed by the sight of her.

“Cinder, how is this possible?” he asked, completely unable to tear his eyes away from the sight of her.

The pull he felt for her at that moment was so strong he felt hypnotized; he couldn’t stop from leaning over her, pulling her close to him. Her palms came to rest high up on his chest, just under his shoulders, as he held her close. She just looked at him, resting in his embrace, which made her heart pound, a feeling she had only ever felt from Sebastian and Garret before him.

He ran his thumb along her face, just under her eye, unable to look away from her wild beauty that matched his own, calling to him.

“How?” he mentally whispered.

A small smile crept onto her lips as she thought, “Sebastian is my Bondmate, as you know. What you may not know at this point is that he can’t infect me because I have been vaccinated against his virus. The man who raised me developed the inoculation over several years that, when mixed with a werewolf’s venom and injected, protects that person from that particular wolf’s virus. A side effect of the inoculation is the glowing eyes of a wolf when you feel strong emotion, just like any wolf.”

His mouth dropped open as his brow wrinkled deeper, taking in this new information. Cinder had done it again, shaking the very foundation of all that he knew and considered an absolute.

“It is individual, and Harold, the man who raised me and created the vaccine, warned me that a single person could never have more than three or four, or the virus would overwhelm their system, and they would turn.” He was stunned, his eyes roving over her golden ones with his ice-blue ones, which still glowed.

“This is how you’re not afraid?” he asked.

“No, Adrian. I have never been afraid of Sebastian, and even without the vaccine, I would still choose to be around and love him. I made that choice, even the choice to bond with him before I knew the inoculation was possible. The vaccine made it risk-free, but I still would have been willing to risk it all to be with him. With my abilities, I was able to help him maintain control from the very beginning.” That caught his attention.

“What do you mean, Cinder? How did you help him in the beginning? That first month you were around him, and nothing happened?”

She smiled at him with a sense of pride for Sebastian, thinking, “I’ve been around him every day since we met in the forest at five years old. I was with him right after his Coming of Age change, standing before him in his Lycan form unafraid, even touching him. He saved me that night but left me completely unharmed; he was still himself. The following morning, his anger was getting the better of him, and I was able to use my Seer powers to travel down into his core and help him maintain control. There were a few times over that first month that I had to help him after that and other moments when he needed a reminder of who he was, like when he killed a Hunter.

“It is possible for new wolves to have control with a little help, Adrian. It’s just a lack of understanding and confusion there. Suddenly, you’re ripped from two into three forms in your core, the emotions overwhelming while the different forms fight for control. When the human one asserts themselves as the Alpha, things settle down, and the person can remain in control. It is the same when I help Ferals, Adrian. It is only because their wolf form has literally gone feral on their mind, gaining absolute control. When I help a Feral, I enter their mind and put the human form back in control. It’s how I bring them back.”

He had no words; he was so in awe of her, utterly speechless as he looked at her.

“So what emotion were you feeling just now that had your eyes glowing?” he asked.

A pained look crossed her face, wrinkling her brow, as she answered, “Fear for the prisoners in Dominique’s dungeon. There are so many of them, and I fail them daily; some die every time I go there. I have to watch the life drain from them as their eyes lose the light behind them. There is a little girl there, and it absolutely breaks my heart every time I look at her. She is so young, so innocent! She doesn’t deserve that; it would be awful even if Dominique wasn’t feeding on her. And then there is Sean. He has always been fed on with suchviolence, and he seems so. I don’t know. Alone, maybe?I’m not sure,” she thought, looking to the side, thinking about Sean. ”He’s special; I don’t know how to describe it. He shows nothing, staying hidden, but then there are times when I see the real him, or he helps me, and I get a glimpse of what he hides underneath that exterior. I wish I could help him. I wish I could help them all. No one deserves what they are going through. I don’t want them to die. I don’t want to watch that little girl die in my arms. I don’t want to watch the light fade from Sean’s green eyes,” she ended up finishing with a sob, tears rolling out of her eyes. Adrian’s face contorted in pain at seeing her tears, and he gently pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her and holding the back of her head.

Cinder could hear Adrian’s sigh, feel his pain for hers and his overwhelming desire to protect her from Dominique but also the complex and challenging horrors he was heaping on her, from the evil and pain. She felt Adrian swallow, caress her head and then gently plant a kiss on the top of her head before tucking her back under his chin. She leaned into him as the tears and sobs came out, not hiding her grief from him. He held her close, cradling her to his chest, and let her cry.

At last, she quieted but didn’t pull away from him; she just remained in his arms, relaxing against him. She stared at her palm resting on his chest, feeling a myriad of emotions over being in his arms. She felt both comforted and uncomfortable with being there. Safe but scared at what else she was feeling. She also felt guilty, guilty because she brought death with her. But if she felt guilty, that meant there was something to feel guilty about. It meant she was already in love with him.

The thought had her sucking in a breath, and fear gripped her once more, her eyes lighting up where she lay on his chest. She wanted to help Adrian, not hurt him, so she decided to tuck it down inside of her; she wouldn’t tell him. She was so lost in her thoughts and realization that Sebastian’s voice behind her startled her.

“Is everything alright?” Sebastian asked, still concerned. Cinder turned to look at Sebastian, and Adrian released her.

“I was upset over the prisoners,” she said, looking into his eyes. She saw his understanding as it crossed over his yellow eyes; he knew her so well she didn’t even have to elaborate. She could hear his thoughts zone in on the little girl and Sean, both of whom she had mentioned to him previously.

Sebastian reached for her hand but looked up when Adrian said, “I’ll leave you two.” Adrian excused himself and went through the secret door to his chambers.

“Come on, Cinder. You need some sleep before you head to Celeste’s tomorrow,” he gently said.

She followed him inside. He turned down her covers and guided her to the bed, where she sat down on the edge of it.

She looked up at him, thinking, “Stay with me tonight?” He smiled at her, and a patient, understanding look crossed his eyes.

He reached out and caressed her face, replying, “I’ll be right back.”

He left to his own room and changed into his soft sleeping pants, returning. He slid in on the other side of the bed and pulled Cinder to him, holding her while she settled into the bed. She hugged him to her as she relaxed into the bed, sighing.

“What should I do, Sebastian?”

He sighed, thinking about it to himself for a moment, and then thought for her, “Well, the best way you can help them right now is to do what you’re doing. Helping them, being there for them, and, unfortunately, staying on with the work release you have. If you run from this one, your opportunities to help them would be nonexistent. You may not be able to save them, Cinder, but you can at least help what life they have left to be better. Sometimes helping someone isn’t saving them from the obvious. Sometimes helping someone is more subtle, more complicated than that.”

Cinder absorbed his words and knew that he was right. She could do nothing else for them at this point in time except be there and bring them what comfort she could. The thought gave her the strength to face the fact that she had to return to Dominique’s in two mornings.

She snuggled deeper into Sebastian’s embrace and whispered, “Thank you, Sebastian. I love you.”

He raised her face to his and whispered, “I love you too, Cinder.” He bent his face to hers and kissed her. She laughed and pulled him over on top of her.

“Guess you better show me, then,” she teased. A breathy laugh escaped Sebastian as his eyes lit up. He bent to kiss her again and did just that.

The following morning Sebastian escorted Cinder to Celeste’s fortress and kissed her goodbye at the gate; he still had a lot of work to do for the festival that was fast approaching, on top of his other duties as Second.

“I’ll see you tomorrow; after your work at Dominique’s, I’ll pick you up there. I love you, and remember that you’re one of the strongest people I know, Cinder,” he said. She watched him ride off and then urged Obsidian forward into the gates.

Celeste met her in the courtyard, and the two made their way to the rooms she kept reserved for Cinder and Sebastian to talk. After Cinder described the horrors she had seen, what she was doing for Dominique, and his abuse of her, Celeste went to the local council to discuss the legalities of what was happening. The answer disappointed them both; they could do nothing about it legally.

“I am sorry, Cinder. I’ll admit I don’t know what else to do for you without bringing Dominique’s anger down on us; he would petition the council if I tried to do anything else. If all of your other time is taken up by the werewolves, then that is the best we can do now. I am disappointed to have to say so, but there is nothing that can be done. Will you stay with us for the night before you head to the Keep?”

Cinder nodded and retired to her chambers to get what little sleep her thoughts would allow her to before facing the horrors of Dominique’s Keep. Everyone was distressed about her working there.

After Cinder had slept at Celeste’s the following morning, she rode to Dominique’s to work. She arrived, and her escort met her at the gate. She went to start working, and the escort stopped her.

“Dominique has requested that I bring you directly to him instead,” he said in a deadpan voice before turning and walking up the steps and into the castle doors.

His words filled her with a sudden dread; what could Dominique want? She had never been inside the actual Keep, always just in the side room for the prisoners, and walking up the massive black stone steps felt intimidating to her.

She heard a ruckus, looked behind her, and saw some guards opening a hidden door on the outer wall in the back of the courtyard that she had never noticed before. She turned and ran after her escort before she got left behind and was in more trouble.

The escort led her into the main hall, where the only spot of color was the long, narrow, red carpet marking the walkway up to a platform with a throne. Dominique sat upon the throne and spared them a quick glance when they entered.

A man knelt before Dominique, and by the sounds of their discussion, the man was paying Dominique to hunt down and kill someone who had stolen a lot of money from the man. Dominique agreed on the condition that half of the gold he found was to be his, on top of the payment for killing the man. The man begrudgingly agreed, rose, and left.

The escort bowed low and presented her to Dominique.

“Leave us!” Dominique barked at him.

Cinder had the feeling that she was in a very dangerous position for some reason, taking in the anger in Dominique’s voice and mind; his mind was positively blazing in rage with her. She didn’t move as she looked at him, transfixed by his eyes that had flashed and then glowed a deep blood red as he looked upon the subject of his ire. She desperately wanted to flee, for she could feel the violence and darkness brewing inside him as he looked at her. She flinched when his angry voice met her ears.

“You think to escape me?! I heard about Celeste’s visit to the council, seeking legal aid for you to escape me. Did you think I wouldn’t?!” he demanded of her as he flew out of his throne and sped up to her quicker than her eyes could track. He was suddenly there, right before her, looming over her with his blazing eyes of crimson and bared fangs. Her heart sped up to a demanding beat, and she knew he could hear it as his head cocked ever so slightly, the change registering in his eyes as well.

“How dare you try to bring the council down on me!” he hissed at her, full of rage. He slapped her, sending her face whipping to the side before painfully grabbing her hair and jerking it so her face was looking upwards, exposing her strained neck. “You are mine, for me to do as I please!” She closed her eyes as he yanked her head back tighter, a tiny cry escaping her at the pain.

“I think you may need another lesson on healing yourself this time,” he whispered close to her ear. He pulled his face back, looking down into her eyes with his crimson, glowing ones that now held a hunger; his lips parting to accommodate his lengthening fangs. Dread filled her being at the sight, his threat, and cold hands on her skin making her shiver, as his intentions became clear by the look on his face; his dark thoughts only confirmed them.

“No, Dominique!” she whispered to him, pleading at him with her eyes that held genuine fear in them.

He smiled cruelly at her, saying darkly, “I have been waiting to drink from you for some time. Your blood is intoxicating, with so much magic flowing in it.”

She struggled, but he held her firm to him, with his grip on her hair and a hand around her neck. He slid his fang points down her neck slowly, pricking her along the way, making her whimper. She struggled, attempting to push him away, but he was too strong for her; his arm that held the back of her neck pinned her to his body. She felt his cold lips on the base of her neck, tears of fear starting to flood her eyes just before he bit down with his fangs.

She screamed as his fangs pierced her, and he began pulling on the wound with his mouth, consuming her blood. Draw after draw, he pulled from her as she screamed and pleaded with him to stop and release her, still trying to struggle the whole while. Her struggle became weaker and weaker as he drained more and more of her blood. His mind was in such a state of ecstasy that he forgot himself.

At last, he pulled away from her neck and held her while looking at her with blood on his lips. His eyes had a new, almost crazed light behind them, his thoughts confirming to her that her blood was intoxicating to him. He was riding a magical high as he gazed down at her. She could feel lust rising in him; he was considering dragging her up to his chambers but, in the end, thought better of it for the time being.

“I will have you eventually, Cinder. You will belong to me for eternity.” He bent and kissed her slowly, savoring the lingering touch of her lips on his; she tasted her blood on his cold lips.

“Now leave before I change my mind and keep you here with me,” he whispered; the images of him taking her up to his chambers and possessing her filled his mind as he spoke. More fear filled her as she listened in on his dark mind, spinning its desires.

He released her to fall to the floor at his feet before he turned and disappeared through a door behind the throne. A sob escaped her as her fingers touched her lips which were trembling. She tried to heal herself, wanting to close the bleeding wound on her neck, but for some reason, she was unable to.

Cinder’s hand went to her neck, trying to slow the flow of blood running down her back and chest. She was struggling to rise but finally managed. Her blood was still flowing out of her neck, seeping through the fingers that she held there. She could feel herself growing even weaker by the second; he had taken too much, and still, she was bleeding profusely from the wound. She ran from the building as fast as she could and mounted her horse, taking off out the gates.

She urged her horse forward, pointing him in the right direction for the werewolf Kingdom. He ran without her guiding him, and she ended up slumped over in the saddle, still holding her neck, with blood running through her fingers; it was all she could do to stay on top of Obsidian as he ran home; Cinder was so weak; this being the second time in only a few days that she had to have faith in him to carry her home, while she bled out on top of him.

Finally, she passed out on his back, unable to stay conscious anymore; this was how she arrived in the palace courtyard. Sebastian and Adrian were under the terrace, discussing an upcoming festival when her horse came clattering into the courtyard. Seeing her slumped over, they both ran down the steps toward her. Sebastian reached up and pulled her to him, gently pulling her off of the horse and into his arms. Her hand slipped from her neck, revealing the wound she had held as she lay limp and unconscious in Sebastian’s arms. He gasped in horror at the sight and immediately began applying pressure to the wound himself.

“Call for Jenny!” the King barked at his soldiers. “We should move her to her room, Sebastian.”

Sebastian adjusted his hold on Cinder and turned to run to her room with her in his arms, worried. Jenny had come running up with a med kit and followed him down the hall to Cinder’s bedroom.

Adrian turned to another soldier shouting, “Send the fastest rider to bring Celeste here. We may need her assistance!” The soldier ran off to do as he was told.

Adrian turned down the hall and quickly made his way to Cinder’s bedroom, full of worry for her and seething anger at Dominique. Jenny was there, putting pressure on Cinder’s wound, stopping the bleeding as she held her wrist, monitoring her weak pulse. Sebastian was pacing close by, trying to control his anger and worry while he stayed out of Jenny’s way. Adrian approached him and clasped a strengthening hand on his friend’s shoulder; their illuminated eyes met.

“Why did she not heal it right away?!” Sebastian asked out loud, confused. Adrian sighed aloud and gave him a squeeze of comradery with the hand resting on Sebastian’s shoulder.

“Jenny?” Adrian asked, “Will she be alright?”

“I have stopped the bleeding for the moment, but if she can’t heal herself, she will have to heal the traditional way, which takes a lot of time. She has lost so much blood she is severely anemic. He took far too much. Hopefully, Celeste will show and be able to help her and explain what is going on with her magic.”

Jenny stayed by Cinder’s side, and Sebastian came to lay next to Cinder on the bed while Adrian sat at the foot of the bed.

“Boy, what a gloomy crowd,” Cinder coughed out after coming to and opening her eyes. Jenny was relieved and laughed at her poor joke. Sebastian, too, breathed a sigh of relief that she was coherent. He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

A knock at the door, and Celeste was with them.

“What happened?” she demanded.

“Dominique fed on her,” answered Adrian.

He and Jenny stepped to the side to allow Celeste access to Cinder. She examined her and began healing her wounds, the bite mark, and the bruising and sore places from Dominique’s slap and rough treatment of her.

“Why can she not heal herself?” Sebastian asked Celeste, still sounding worried.

“Cinder’s capacity is within her, but it is her blood that carries and delivers the magic, just like in yours. He took so much of her blood that she doesn’t have the magical strength to heal her own wound at this time. He is more dangerous than I thought. I will start looking into solutions to this problem, but for now, you must care for her. I can heal her wound, but I cannot create more blood. Her body will be weak for a while as it replenishes itself. I will strengthen her system to replenish itself faster, but that is all I can do.

“I will send word to her supervisor that she will not be working for the next couple of weeks, needing time to heal from sickness. Dominique will understand fully, but legally he can do nothing about it. Keep her here, and no strenuous activity like swordplay! She needs plenty of rest and must take it easy to allow her body to heal itself. Call me if you need anything else.”

Sebastian nodded at her and drew Cinder deeper into his embrace on the bed; he had no intention of leaving her side for some time. Cinder murmured her contentment at his comforting arms and weakly reached up to cover his forearm with her hand.

Celeste looked upon the pair, still amazed at how comfortable Cinder was with werewolves and how close Cinder and Sebastian were; you could tangibly feel their bond at times like this, as it radiated their power and deep connection. It was a wonder for her to behold, one that she could appreciate.

The King walked Celeste out of the room and down the hall.

“Thank you, Celeste,” he said to her, his gratitude evident in his tone of voice. She stopped and looked at him closely, meeting his gaze as she silently evaluated him.

“For what exactly, Adrian?” she asked him.

“For helping Cinder. For being willing to come here to do so, even though I know you dislike being here. For sending Cinder to us. She has been a big help at the hospital, saving lives that Jenny could not. She is an amazing witch and woman and has been a blessing to us. I am learning much from her and appreciate her company.”

Celeste narrowed her eyes in thought as she listened to him. She had known Adrian for a very long time, hundreds of years, and he had never shown so much interest in a woman after the princess she couldn’t save.

“You love her, don’t you?” she quietly asked him. He said nothing as he looked back at her, afraid to admit the truth out loud. She nodded her head, whispering, “I thought as much. Goodbye, Adrian.”