Roses Wither: Into the Darkness

Rose

“Good form, Marcus.” Chase muttered from the door. I hadn't felt him until now. He must have just come in to watch and he was a distraction I didn't need in this current situation.

Marcus and I were both crouched low and prowling toward the other. He had just taken a bite out of my shoulder, having missed my artery by mere centimeters, and it throbbed like hell as it continued to gush blood.

“When will she heal?” Chase asked my father as he walked further into the sparring room, his shoes not making a sound on the stone floor.

“When her wolf is ready to give up the reigns.” My father spoke with barely suppressed anger, his Romanian accent was weighted as he walked around the floor to stand behind me, “She needs a debilitating wound.”

I turned and lunged at my father, knowing what his intent was by getting behind me. I wanted to be a step ahead of him, but as I made contact with him, he slammed me onto the floor. My head hit the stone floor with a resounding crack.

I could smell my blood, now heavier in the air, as the wound on my head caused the liquid to seep around me in a puddle.

I grabbed my father’s wrist and attempted to push his hand back as it tightened around my throat, but it had no effect on him.

I knew that he was getting sick of this, but I couldn't breathe. I also couldn't let go of the wolf. She was pacing in the forefront, cursing my father up and down, ready to tear him limb from limb.

“Her wolf is strong because of her training,” He explained, letting up only to slam my head into the stone again, “She relies on it."

"Can she not draw healing from her mate?" Chase's voice was clear and monotonous.

"No," My father ground out as my eyes began to roll back, "It does not work that way. Whatever bond she has with the wolf is not a factor in her strength and ability. He is weak. Wolves cannot heal like vampires can. They do not share power or ability with each other. Wolves must be in form to draw healing from the pack."

"Father-" Marcus warned him and he loosened his grip slightly. Only slightly.

“You can’t shift if I have you pinned like this though. Can you, Princess?” He mused, “Your wolf doesn’t have enough open space to allow it. She knows that if she tried, the force of my hand would take your head off. I bet she is whimpering and pacing in your mind.”

“Fuck... You...” I choked out.

He was right. She was. She wanted out and saw no sign of being able to free herself.

I closed my eyes and my head fell back. I was attempting to allow the dark to consume me.

If I blacked out and lost consciousness Tati would use his blood to heal me and call it a day. That was the only good thing about vampires, their blood could heal, if enough was given. What I didn't understand was that I was their Goddess, so why couldn't I open myself to that part of me?

“All you need is one more critical injury.” He whispered in my ear, "Right, my baby."

When I opened my eyes again, the blonde vampire was now standing over my father and I, his head cocked to the side, with a mix between concern and curiosity marring his features.

His eyes locked with mine and there was something different in those deep colored orbs as they began to swirl with silver. It was calling to my vampire, pulling her to the surface with a vengeance.

I didn't know if he meant to do it. If it was a spell, or if it was his vampire instincts calling to mine, I had no idea. But, as our eyes remained locked, he drew her out and there was no mistaking when his irises began to fully silver over.

I was so entranced that I barely noticed when my father’s eyes moved from my face and to my legs.

I felt it instantly though- the piercing pain of broken flesh and bone- but once the harm was done, all of my shifter instincts went on the back burner and my wolf whimpered within, because she couldn't shift.

My vampire rose snarling, and with the release of my vampire, my power pooled and I healed instantly. All I could feel now, was the throbbing, almost electric, power inside of me.

My father was still holding me down, but there was a nearly ominous smile spreading across his face.

“That was quicker than usual.” He watched me contentedly, “There you are my beautiful child.”

I threw him off of me with both legs. The force caused his body to thud into the wall across the room, as I couched low, waiting for another attack.

My brother stood grinning at Chase as he watched with a blank expression now, his eyes back to their normal shade.

All of my senses were heightened as a vampire. Which meant that it didn’t help that this foreign... Whatever he was... was drawing me in.

“As you can tell, she has a lot of power.” Marcus spoke enthusiastically, stepping up to Chase’s side, “This isn’t even all of it. She’s still holding the Goddess back.”

“I have never felt anything like it,” Chase watched me curiously, “She is strong?”

“Very.” Marcus smiled lovingly at me, but I didn’t return it, “As you know, she is our Queen.”

“Are you okay, Princess?” My father’s voice was full of concern now.

I knew Tati loved me, he just wanted me to protect myself. This was the only way.

“Per usual.” I scoffed, popping my neck as I rolled my head around my shoulders.

The power that ran through me was heavy and electrical. Every day the vampire was released and every day it felt like she was coming out of her cage and stretching for the first time in years.

“I want Chase to spar with you.” Tati nodded to the blonde, “I want him to see what you’re capable of, so he knows what you still need to be taught.”

“I could hurt him.” That statement caused everyone, but me, to laugh.

“You are strong, my love,” Chase chuckled from behind me now, as I glared at my father, “But that means very little to me.”

When I turned around to face them, neither was looking at me as Chase removed his shirt to reveal not only full, solid muscles, but a significant number of markings.

I honestly didn’t know whether it was the site of his markings or his muscles that did me in, but he was absolutely gorgeous, and my jaw dropped.

His body held a prophecy, and I found myself wanting to read every part of it. Up close and personal, as I felt every muscle he had. In his entire body.

Wow, Rose... Head out of the gutter. I shook my head to clear it as I reminded myself, You have a mate.

“You got some new markings.” Marcus examined Chase curiously, while he followed my brother’s line of vision to some writing on his abdomen.

“Some appeared last night,” He shrugged, “I can’t decipher them though. Got any thoughts on what they say, bookkeeper?”

Marcus was fluent in many languages and had learned the prophecies of our people through and through. He was the keeper of our histories, for both shifter and vampire kinds.

“I’ll look into it when we finish here.” His gaze moved to Tati, “I leave tomorrow morning, so I’ll see what I can decipher later tonight.”

Tati gave a nod and left the sparring room, leaving me with Marcus and the guard.

“Okay then,” Chase gave my brother a nod and turned to me. As he strode forward he gave me a lazy grin.

Honestly, did he know how sexy he was?

“Are we ready?” He asked as he drew closer.

Not when he smiled like that, I wasn’t.

My eyes were solid silver. It had nothing to do with the fact that my vampire had surfaced though. It honestly had everything to do with this vampire creeping toward me.

Why was this happening to me? Why was I so drawn to one man when I was mated to another?

Was that because Aiden had become closed off toward me? Our mating was real. I had been there. I knew what I'd felt.

“Let’s see what you’ve got.” He spoke when he was a mere foot away from me.

I gave a nod, but he didn’t need it. His attack was instant as he fell to the ground and attempted to sweep my legs out from under me. I countered by jumping over his leg and as he came back up, I went for his head. Which I unfortunately missed when he moved back with a speed I hadn’t seen any vampire use before.

“You are fast. That is good.” He watched me as he began to pace, “I makes it easier for you counter attacks. Have you seen battle?”

“Yes.” I held my head high. I was proud of the battles I had fought to keep our boarders clear.

“As a wolf?” He cocked a brow at me, seemingly amused by my admittance.

“Yes.” I gave a nod and he paused in front of me again. His broad shoulders well above my head and I found myself not meeting his eyes, but instead meeting those solid muscles.

Just one touch... My inner voice told me, before I could push her back.

“Show me your attack.” He spoke gently, which had my eyes darting to his.

His brown eyes glinted with the silver beneath once again and I melted.

This connection, this need to reach out and touch him was impossibly strong.

“She doesn’t attack,” Marcus spoke up, “She counters, guards and defends. It's what the wolves taught her.”

“That is a good stance to take, in most instances.” He turned to Marcus with an understanding grin, “It shows some reserve on her end, makes her strategize her movements.”

He rapidly turned, as though he hadn’t just been talking to my brother, and attacked again.

This time he went for a hit to my gut, but I jumped back, just beyond his reach, and countered when the next blow attempted to land.

I bent my trunk forward, into a crouch, attempting to thwart his next punch, but he changed direction and aimed to come down on my back.

I rolled forward in my attempt to get out of his reach this time, but when I came back up his elbow was coming down and about to make contact with my shoulder. I couldn't allow that, so I put out my arm to guard myself.

A charge whent through me, as our bare skin made contact, and it rocked my body to the core.

It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was as though a fire was burning deep inside of me and it was dying to erupt.

He continued on, showing no sign of feeling it, and every spot that our bodies connected, left an invisible imprint on my skin, where it wanted more contact.

By the time I had lost the match, he had me pinned to the concrete floor, his fangs to my neck, and I was more than ready for him to bite me. To claim me, even though I had a mate.

“Do you see what you did wrong?” His hot breath on my sensitive skin, had my body on fire with need.

The scent of my desire rose in the air and his weight on my body felt like a warm blanket that I wanted to envelope myself in.

Goddess, what was wrong with me?! I had a mate!

He pulled his head back to examine me. That was when I saw that his eyes were a flat silver.

I couldn’t be mistaking. There was no imagining it. We were face to face on the floor, mere inches from each other, as his weight pinned me under him.

Why did I react this way for him? Was it because I was two species? What was happening to me? I looked into those beautiful silver eyes, that almost had an ethereal glow to them and said the first thing that came to mind, to answer his question.

"I was born." I whispered, hating myself for this betrayal to my mate.

“As you can tell, she has a lot of animosity toward her vampire, but I’m sure you’ll work it out.” Marcus cheerfully chimed in and Chase stood, helping me up, before quickly moving away.

He moved to the far end of the sparring room, the furthest corner from me, and pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed.

“She needs to accept it, to fully open herself.” He spoke through clenched teeth.

“I-uhm...” I cleared my throat, knowing full well, that my brother and The Guard could scent my arousal in the air, “I need to go.”