Shadows Of Desire

“Is this really how you plan to begin our marriage, as enemies?” Emilia stepped forward, placing a hand on Lord Killian’s arm but he jerked away from her and sneered.

“I never agreed to a marriage with you.” He narrowed his eyes, watching her closely. She was beautiful, there was no doubt about that but beauty meant nothing. Some of the most poisonous plants in the world were beautiful. The diamond pattern and bright coloring of many snakes were beautiful, yet their venom was deadly. Emilia’s beauty was only a mask that hid the true monster behind. Beneath her raven hair and sapphire eyes was a soulless thing, rotting from the inside, malicious, monstrous, and cruel.

“But you did.” Emilia looked up at him, her voice barely raised above a whisper. Her blue eyes shone in the candle light and for a moment she almost looked...kind. The way she batted her eyes and the gentle smile that snaked across her full, red lips. An alluring sight, but that was the danger therein. She had the uncanny ability to lure men in with her sweet words and honey voice. The promise of falling into her arms and being wrapped in her embrace. But once their defenses were down, she would strike. Killian wasn’t fool enough to fall for her seduction. Not again.

“Our dalliance was short lived and a mistake.” He told her.

“A mistake?” She frowned and lowered her eyes feigning hurt. “Was the life we created a mistake? The life that I carry inside of me? Is that not why you came back here?”

“To marry you?” He scoffed. “My Lady, and I use that word sparingly, if I ever had any thoughts of marrying you, I wouldn’t have left you that night.”

Emilia knew which night he spoke of. It was the night of her birthday gala, three months past. The first time she had ever seen Lord Killian in person. Of course, she had heard talk of him, of his exploits and his insatiable hunger for life and...other things. It was his darkness, his disregard for the rules, that intrigued her the most and so, when she heard that he was in attendance, she sought him out.

The rumors of his beauty did him little justice. When Emilia first laid eyes on him she nearly swooned. He was handsome, dashing, and oh so charming. He walked into the ball room and at once had command of the entire room. Men and women both flocked to his side, each hoping to gain his favor. It was Emilia who caught his eye that night though. Dressed in an elegant gown of midnight blue so dark it matched her eyes. Her hair in a pleated crown atop her head, small curls framed her face and upon her head sat a gold tiara.

She wasn’t royalty yet but she certainly looked the part. Especially the way she moved, so confident and regal. The crowd parted as she moved through it and some of the guests even bowed as though she were Queen. Lord Killian bowed the traditional greeting that one reserved for royals. A hand behind his back, one in front, eyes forward. A show of respect, normally, but as Lord Killian bowed his eyes rested on her round, pert, and voluptuous breasts, barely hidden under the fabric and lace of her bodice. Perhaps Emilia saw love in his eyes that night instead of the lust he felt. Perhaps she lusted after him in the same way.

Either way, she was smitten. They danced, and drank wine. Then, as the night wore down and guests began to retire to their rooms, Emilia and Lord Killian took a stroll through the gardens, hand in hand. He said all the normal things one said to a lady whom he hoped to woo her and, by the end of the night, he had her eating out of the palm of his hand. They ended up in her bed and they made love all through the night. He was a passionate and enthusiastic lover. Not gentle by any means but his rough, needy, and animistic side excited Emilia even more.

Eventually they fell asleep. Emilia curled up next to him, laying her head on his chest but Killian turn away from her and lay on his side, his back to her. Still, Emilia was exhausted and fell asleep quickly and without complaint. When she awoke again later that afternoon, Killian was gone. She searched for him everywhere only to learn that he had left and gone home to Grayholm. Emilia was devastated for she was certain that after their night of passionate love making he would no doubt ask for her hand. He never did.

Her devastation turned to despair and then anger. But, when she discovered that she was with child, she suddenly saw a light at the end of her tunnel. She penned a letter and sent it to Grayholm, to Lord Killian, informing him of the pregnancy. She was certain then that he would return. How could he not? She carried his child. Time passed slowly as she waited to hear back from him and then, three weeks later, her waiting had paid off. Killian had finally arrived and Emilia was so sure that he had come to propose that she was overcome with elation. Her dreams were finally coming true. She would marry Lord Killian, give him an heir, and after they destroyed the royal family, she and Killian would rule Basmorte together.

Things did not quite work out the way she had intended though and she had only Rowan to blame. The night Killian arrived at the castle he and Rowan had somehow met and that little whore had somehow seduced his way into Lord Killian’s bed. Emilia was sure of it. Why else would Killian suddenly ask for his hand in marriage? Emilia was furious. She knew going to the King would do no good. He finally had the heir that he wanted, even if it meant that Rowan would be Queen. Everyone knew it was Killian who would one day rule. Rowan was just there to look pretty and spread his legs for his husband.

Emilia had to stop the marriage, and fast. Once Rowan became pregnant with Killian’s child any chance she had of marrying the man she loved would be gone. That’s when she and her mother devised a plan to be rid of the omega Prince for good. He couldn’t marry Killian if he were well and truly dead. A death that not even a vampire could rise from. No easy feat but her mother had ways of getting what she wanted and so in her hour of need, Emilia went to Lady Caroline. Caroline had no love for Rowan. He was just a thorn in her side. Something that stood in her way and so, she was more than willing to help her daughter. It was just the opportunity she had been waiting for.

“You have no idea how many nights I cried myself to sleep after you left.” Emilia told Lord Killian, trying to appeal to his sympathetic side but he could not be swayed.

“That, my Lady, is your misfortune. I never once claimed to love you or to want you in any capacity other than a good fuck.”

Emilia furrowed her brow and glared at him. “But you returned. You came back for me, after I wrote you. You came back and we would have already been married if not for that whore. He seduced you away from me and stole what was mine.”

In a flash Killian’s expression changed from indifference and mild annoyance to rage. He grabbed Emilia around the throat and squeezed so hard that Emilia grimaced in pain than began clawing at his hand to release her. “Do not, ever, insult him around me.” He growled. “In fact, never speak of him again. I’ll not have his name defiled by crossing your lips.”

Emilia dug her nails into Killian’s wrist, drawing blood, and finally he released her. She gasped then rubbed at her throat as she glared at him. He wouldn’t have killed her. She didn’t need to breath to survive but he could have easily broken or even crushed her neck. It would be painful and would have taken much too long to heal. She couldn’t wait that long. Their wedding was scheduled for the following night.

Emilia sighed in frustration. She didn’t have time for this. She still had preparations to make. Arguing with Killian was just wasting precious time. “If your intentions were not to marry me then why come back at all?” She asked, narrowing her eyes to two small slits.

Killian walked to the window, turning his back on her, he stared out into the darkness and sighed. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned his shoulder against the wall. “I came here to fix a problem.” He said, his voice dark. “That little letter that you penned had somehow found it’s way to my father’s desk. The bastard has a bad habit of sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. He was furious when he read it. A servant girl or a farmers daughter, they’re easy to make disappear but, the future daughter of our King?” He laughed bitterly. “That’s a little harder to overlook.”

He turned, facing her again and Emilia cringed when she saw the rage in his eyes. “My father was worried about the scandal this could cause so he sent me here to fix the problem. He felt a marriage to you would have made for a profitable arrangement. I’d be that much closer to the crown and, having the King as our ally certainly wouldn’t hurt. I, however, couldn’t even fathom being married to someone like you. There is no way that it would work between us, we’re too alike in our greed and hunger for power.”

“But, that’s exactly why we would work.” Emilia walked to him and placed a hand on his arm, smiling sweetly at him in a way that made him recoil from her, slapping her hand away.

He shook his head, stepping away from her. “A man can not have two masters and hope to survive. We would kill ourselves competing for dominance and I have no desire to become a slave in my own house.”

Emilia pursed her lips. “So, what was your plan? Murder me? Do you think the King would not find out? You’re a fool.”

Killian chuckled. “I doubt very much that the King would have even cared. But, no. I did not intend to murder you though maybe I should have.” He stared at her, suspiciously. “Perhaps if I had slit your throat my sweet Rowan would still live. In any event, I had planned to convince you to end the pregnancy. I know of a midwife, a witch, who specializes in helping deal with unwanted pregnancies. Many a young maid has gone to her for aid when they find themselves in precarious positions. I thought if I took you there, that would be the end of my problem.”

“Do you honestly think that I would agree to that?” Emilia hissed, her hand going to her belly as if guarding her unborn child. “Do you think I could so carelessly murder my own child?”

Killian smirked. “Perhaps. If once you saw that I was serious about not marrying you. When Rowan stumbled into my rooms that first night and I saw him for the first time I suddenly saw an opportunity that had not presented itself earlier. The King was desperate for an heir but his only son was an omega and could never take the throne. The King had no hope of Rowan ever marrying. In his eyes an omega was worthless, an abomination. When I saw him though, I was swept away by his beauty. I knew at once that I had to have him.”

Killian moved to the large arm chair sat near the fire. He lowered himself into the chair then watched as the flames rose up, licking the logs piled up and he thought of the fiery need he felt the first time he had laid eyes on the omega Prince. “He was stunning. A rare and exotic beauty. If I had wed him, I would have possessed something that no other man had or would ever have. Something that wasn’t even supposed to exist. I knew my father would be furious but I also knew that once he realized what marrying Rowan meant, he would support my decision. Marrying the Prince guaranteed me the throne. How could my power hungry father deny that?”

“So, you planned to marry him merely to spite me and gain power?” Emilia was seething. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She couldn’t believe that Killian would choose Rowan over her. It was more than insult to her, it was a deep betrayal that she didn’t ever think she would recover from. She loved Killian. Loved him enough to kill for him but she was nothing to him. She was just another woman used to sate his sexual desires and then toss aside as though she were trash.

“Perhaps, at first. Though the power I didn’t really care about. That was something my father always craved but not me. I can’t stand the responsibility that comes with governing a provenance or ruling a Kingdom and, I really don’t give two shits about the people. All of Basmorte can burn for all that I care. What I craved was the challenge in taming Rowan and making him mine. It’s the same as a horseman who comes into possession of a wild mare. The joy is in breaking the mare and making her obedient. That’s what I planned to do with Rowan. By the time I was done with him he’d fall to his knees before me and beg me for my cock.”

Emilia snickered, shaking her head. “You know nothing of Rowan if you think he could be so easily broken. Thank your stars that the whore is dead. He would have caused you nothing but trouble.”

“Be careful, my dear. Do not speak ill of the dead. You never know when they might be listening.” Killian rubbed his temple and sighed. He was growing weary of this conversation, and of Emilia’s company. Another moment with her and he might very well slit his own throat.

Emilia scoffed. “I wasn’t afraid of him in life and I certainly am not going to be scared of him in death.”

“Then, perhaps, it is you who is the biggest fool. At least I do not deny my demons.”

Emilia’s jaw clenched, tightly. She walked around to the chair where Killian sat and stared down at him. The anger she felt was evident on her face as she raised her head and looked down her nose at him, appearing every bit the Queen she so desired to become. “I am sick of this talk of death and demons. Tomorrow is our wedding night and I’ll be damned if I will allow some dead, hedge-born, doxy to ruin it! Now, you will dress and make yourself presentable and, you will meet me at the alter or I’ll have your head!” Emilia turned then and stormed out of the room, slamming the door hard behind her.

Killian grinned. “You may very well be damned, my dear.” He whispered after she had gone. “We all may.”

***

When Thaden rose at dawn, Rowan was still asleep. He thought of waking him but then decided against it. The Prince was exhausted plus, vampires were nocturnal by nature. They were known for sleeping most of the day and rising at night. He was only a boy of twelve when he first saw a vampire in the day light. His father had taken the beast’s head quickly enough but Thaden questioned how it could even survive in the sunlight. Until that moment, he thought that all vampires burned to death when caught by the unforgiving rays of the sun. It was the Goddesses way of punishing them for their dark and evil natures.

Thaden’s father had explained that only blood born vampires, those who were once human, burned in the sunlight. Pure born vampires were stronger and could survive in the light though they were weaker during the day and easier to kill. Decapitation was the elven King’s preferred method of dispatching vampires though he had been known to occasionally dismember and burn the corpses. He wanted to make sure they would not rise again. Thaden was almost certain his father would have had Rowan burned at the stake if they had not fled the city. Fire was one of the most common ways to make sure that a vampire was truly dead.

Rowan, being pure born, could withstand the sun but Thaden could tell that it had taken it’s toll on him. That, combined with the fact that two of them had been up most of the night. After making love the first time Rowan rested for about an hour but after that, his heat came back full force. Thaden had never been with someone who had such an unquenchable thirst. He wondered if it was the same for all omegas when stricken with their heats or if it was just Rowan. Not that it mattered really because Thaden found that he couldn’t get enough of his feisty little mate either. After the third time they finally both drifted off to sleep.

Thaden dressed quickly and quietly, trying not to wake Rowan. He went down stairs and ordered more food to be delivered to their room. If Rowan were anything like the omegas that Thaden had heard about from Connor and the other wolves, Rowan would be starving when he woke up. As Thaden ascended the stairs once more, he was suddenly struck with a disturbing thought. When Rowan awoke, famished after their night of frantic love making, would regular food be enough? Wolves craved meat. Lots and lots of meat, as was their nature. So Thaden had to wonder, what would Rowan crave?

He tried to push the thought out of his mind. Rowan had already fed on rabbit blood the day before. He hoped that would be enough. If it wasn’t, he would deal with it. He was an accomplished hunter after all. He could easily go out and catch another rabbit if that’s what Rowan needed. He would do what he had to in order to keep his mate safe, even if it meant delivering him fresh blood when he needed it. He loved Rowan and Rowan was his husband now, at least in his eyes. The vows they spoke may not have been in the presence of a priest but they were none the less true and Thaden would abide by them. He would stay by Rowan’s side, through whatever may come, good or bad, they would face it together.

When the food arrived, Thaden brought it in and placed it on a small table near the fireplace. He closed the door, locked it again, then went to the bed and eased himself down beside Rowan who was still asleep. Rowan looked beautiful, as always, peaceful and not at all what Thaden had thought he would look. Tales that had come to Rosegate were of vampires sleeping in crypts--which he now knew was not true--and resembling freshly dead corpses. He expected Rowan to be still with an ashen completion, blue lips, sunken features. He expected him to be cold to the touch and lifeless. He was none of those things.

His skin was still fair but not sickly or gray. His lips were full and pink and he was laying curled up on his side with one arm bent under his head. He wasn’t still or lifeless either. Thaden watched the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, and the way he shifted in his sleep to adjust his position. With his eyes closed, laying the way he was, he looked merely...human. The tell-tale signs of a vampire were all but gone. All but the scent that never seemed to leave him, even as he slept. It was the one thing that was a definite give away to any creature with a nose to pick up on it.

Few humans would have a sense of smell so keen to notice but most non-humans did. It was a defense. A warning that what they had encountered was not natural. Rowan had the scent though masked with something else that Thaden still hadn’t figured out yet, but it was there. The scent of death clung to vampires as a child clings to its mother but it wasn’t a putrid smell of rotting meat and decomposing bodies. The scent resembled the smell of something old, musty, and earthy, after a hard rain. A scent one might expect to smell while walking through an ancient cemetery on a fall day. Thaden recalled his brother telling him once that vampires often smelled of sweet floral mixed with decaying leaves.

Rowan, of course, smelled entirely different to Thaden. Probably because he was his mate. But that underlying scent of death was still there, hidden beneath the scents of wild rose and lilac, or a fresh mornings rain. Perhaps others could detect it before Thaden could but, sitting so near to him, he knew it was there. The one thing that would never allow him to forget that there was a vampire in his bed.

Thaden closed his eyes and pushed the thought aside. It mattered little to him what Rowan was. Vampire or not he was still Rowan and, as Thaden was soon finding out, many of the beliefs he had of vampires were false. Rowan had opened his eyes to that realization. By stripping away the lie that all vampires were savage monsters incapable of love or compassion he began to realize that vampires weren’t so very different than the other races.

There was evil and wickedness in all species, even elves. How could one truly blame an entire race for the misdeeds of a few? Each race was like a flower garden. Tear out the weeds to reveal the hidden beauty within. Rowan was that hidden beauty among the darkness of his people. Meeting Rowan had changed something in Thaden. He allowed Thaden to finally-- despite all that he had been taught--see the true elegance and splendor of the night.

Thaden smiled down at his sleeping beauty then gently touched his shoulder to rouse him from his slumber. Rowan yawned, then turned to Thaden and opened his eyes. It took him a moment to remember where he was and what had happened the previous night but when he did, a wide, joyful smile stretched across his face. He rose up, putting his arms around Thaden and kissed him. Thaden kissed him back, eagerly, allowing his hands to slide up and down Rowan’s naked back, his fingers trailing down his spine and causing Rowan to shiver with delight. His smile took on an entirely more impish appearance and he raised an eyebrow as he looked at Thaden.

Thaden chuckled shaking his head. “There is time for that later, my love. First you need to eat.” He pointed to the food on the table and then stood up. “I hope it’s too your liking. There isn’t a large selection of food here.”

Rowan threw the covers back and stood up from the bed. Thaden couldn’t help but admire his husbands naked form. He was pure perfection. Even after a night of being ravished he was every bit as lovely as before, maybe even more so. Thaden took some pride in knowing that he alone was privy to a more intimate side of his mate. A side that he planned to explore further in the future and more slowly once Rowan’s heat had subsided and they were able to take their time in really getting to enjoy each other.

Rowan walked to the table and found a selection of porridge, bread, cheese, and two thick cuts of bacon. Not so different from what he would have had at home in Basmorte. In spring and summer he would often find different fruits or berries on his plate and most days he had eggs and ham or bacon. Overall it wasn’t a bad meal and he was hungry enough not to complain. The bread was a bit stale but he dipped it in the bacon grease which added a little more flavor. He made quick work of the food and even ate Thaden’s share of the meat after a lengthy argument about it. Thaden would have given up his bread and cheese to Rowan as well if Rowan had not insisted that he eat some too.

After their meal, Rowan dressed then he and Thaden both made a quick trip to the outhouse before returning to their room. Thaden stopped long enough to inquire about his horse, making sure that she was watered and fed, then ordered lunch to be brought to their room later. He paid Lavinia in gold for which she seemed extremely grateful and gave her a bit extra for her troubles. He told her that they would probably be staying another night or two as Rowan was ”under the weather.” Lavina gave him a knowing nod, smiled, and told him that was fine.

Thaden had trouble looking the woman in the eyes after that, realizing that she, as well as anyone else within ear shot, probably knew what had gone on in the room the night before as Rowan wasn’t exactly quiet while in the throws of a well deserved orgasm. To her credit, Lavina said nothing. She only gave a slight smirk as Thaden bowed his head and hurried back up the stairs, making a mental note that when they did settle down, he’d have to find a house with very thick walls.

When Thaden returned to the room he found Rowan on the bed, naked once more, and fast asleep. Thaden stripped his clothes off and lay beside him, grateful for the reprieve. At least he could get a little more sleep in before Rowan’s next heat hit him. If the coming day was anything like the night before, Thaden would need all the rest that he could get. He pulled the blankets over them both, closed his eyes, and was out within a matter of minutes. He had plans to make regarding his and Rowan’s future but that could wait. Their journey was only just beginning and for now, just being there, lying next to Rowan, holding him in his arms, was enough.