The Heir - Blood Secret : The Chosen One - Secret Heir, page 24
Come on!
Come on! It had to work.
If it didn’t, I risked losing my newfound family. The hybrids' body eventually stopped thrashing about and his cold hard stare locked onto mine.
A sinister smirk slowly spread across his devilishly handsome face. How someone could be such a creature yet be so handsome was beyond me.
He raised a brow “You’re good” He snarled “Just not good enough.” He moved so fast it was a blur. I looked frantically side to side.
“Behind you!” He growled callously.
My breath caught in my throat, and my body shuttered as fear truly gripped me to the core. His speed was like nothing I had ever seen before. He was much faster than vampires. Even speedier than breachers. Like a bolt of lightning, he was striking fear among us all. He gripped me aggressively around my waist, pulling me closer to him, his other hand rushed, grabbing me by the throat and applying pressure. Within a fraction of a second, he had turned us to face my father and Anton, slowly backing up.
“Let her go!” Anton bellowed, stalking closer. His eyes blazed with fury. Ruben held one hand over my shoulder, warning him.
“Any closer and I might…just…have to kill her.” He was enjoying every second of this. I could hear the satisfaction in his tone. He traced his long jagged claws against my throat, silently threatening his next move.
I swallowed a sob.
Anton instantly sensed my distress and stopped. I thrashed and struggled to try and free myself, unable to concentrate to be able to use my powers. He was much stronger than I ever thought was possible for an immortal.
He took pleasure in me struggling.
“Let me...go.” I croaked.
He gripped me viciously.
“Please fight...I beg you. Let the great elder see you being treated like the slave our kind once were.” He grated, venting his anger toward my father.
“Your fight is with me, not my daughter!” Armacey warned him.
“You are wrong!” He argued, his tone harsh. “By killing her, we kill you. A little piece of you will wither and die at knowing you killed her. The one you went to great lengths to keep hidden from all your enemies.” Ruben said.
The cold tip of his nose brushed against my neck, savoring my scent, his moist tongue licked over my pulsating vein in my neck. My body shuttered at him touching me in such a manner. I closed my eyes and I tried my hardest to gasp for air, my hands pulled and scratched at his claw hands, trying to loosen them enough to take a lungful of air. It was no good, the more I struggled the more agitated he became, gripping me even tighter.
Darkness wasn’t far behind. I could feel my body slowly shutting down from his tight grip. I knew if I didn’t get air into my lungs, I was going to pass out.
The same overwhelming weakness was flooding through my body, like all the other times before. I thrashed some more but even that was to no avail, his nasty oversized beastly hands restrained me with every move I took.
Please don’t let me die…
Please don’t let me die…I kept repeating over and over in my head.
“Let my daughter go!” My father warned, staying exactly where he was. Even I knew, that he knew, that it was my life that hung in the balance of the outcome of this argument. The hybrid yanked me again, reminding us all who really had the upper hand.
“Or what? Will you kill me? Make me a slave again? We both know you can’t kill a hybrid only Valhalla magic can and we wiped that bloodline out in the early nineteenth century.” He gloated “Admit it! We are stronger than any vampire that walks this earth” He released a low fool chuckle at having gotten one up on the elder of the vampires.
I suddenly remembered the magic he was referring to.
Valhalla magic. There was a full paragraph on that family in the grimoire. They struck fear in everyone - even their own kind.
They were the only known bloodline that matched my level of ancestry magic. The family of witches was Scottish; five siblings born to the most powerful witch and warlock known to that side of the globe. As each child was born each and everyone grew stronger, their bond as siblings unbreakable. Other witches tried to destroy them, believing their magic was black and not pure, only to be unsuccessful and hexed or worse killed at the hands of one of the rebel sisters who was thought to have been a little theatrical when it came to showing off her powers.
“Release her now!” my father demanded. The look of fear was etched on his flawless face, something I hadn’t been able to see before. He was the leader of his kind. The one even demons call fearsome, yet he was unsure of how to deal with this situation. Or was he? I had to believe he had some elder plan.
Maybe that was just wishful thinking.
“Show me the great Armacey! Come on, don’t you want to save your daughter?” Ruben hollered in somewhat of a mocking tone, waiting for some reaction. My father stepped closer. Ruben was wanting revenge at Armacey for having locked up his kind in the past, forcing them into being slaves. Nothing good would come of this showdown that much I knew.
Revenge meant settling a score. I wasn’t born yesterday, whatever the hybrid had planned, it was to harm me, in one way or another, he was seeking revenge against my father and getting his full attention by threatening to harm the one person he had promised to keep safe at any cost.
Me!
Maybe death would be easier than this life.
I was tired. Tired of fighting a battle that I couldn’t begin to truly understand. I had been attacked by breachers, betrayed by witches and had even summoned a demon.
A Demon!
An actual demon!
Death to me in that single moment seemed blissful, compared to this life that vampires see as normal.
Death would be much easier to understand.
Were born – we live – we die. As simple as that.
But there was a fire within me ready to erupt. I had come too far now to give up. I’ve cried, I’ve screamed and I have fought. The thought of never being able to hold the little girl I had envisioned or carry the baby that was grown within me, had me pushing past my exhaustion ready to fight the fight.
“Get up and try again” I heard the words in my head.
My dad’s gentle but encouraging words from when I was little played over and over like a broken record. It could easily be mistaken for the fact I was getting the life choked out of me but I had to believe my dad was guiding me from the other side.
I closed my eyes, clearing my thoughts.
I can do this! I am the daughter of a powerful witch and the heir to the immortal – I got this! Surely I’m not the only one that talks to themselves when in distressing situations.
Ruben had the upper hand and he knew it. The hybrid was ready to wreak vengeance on his enemy and relishing every single second of it.
Suddenly my eyes shot open from the flare of panic that didn’t come from me, but from somewhere in the room.
That was new. Were my powers extending?
My gaze flickered to Anton, he stood growling and baring his fangs. It wasn’t coming from him.
Armacey couldn’t risk attacking Ruben, he could end my life before he could get to me, which had immediately stopped him in his tracks. I watched as my father closed his eyes as despair washed over him. I realized that second, my father had to endure Rubens twisted sick thoughts of what he had planned for me.
I could only imagine the level of emotional pain, my father - the man that has protected me from the day I was born must be going through, to see him unable to protect me and in a situation, he had no control over was heart breaking.
I was positive the waves of fear was coming from him.
Whatever my fate was, I had to let him know it wasn’t his fault.
Please, look at me I asked softly in thought. My father’s eyes sprung open having clearly heard me. Knowing it was safe for me to communicate through thoughts. I continued to tell him what I had held deep in my heart.
I’m sorry for everything, all of this is my fault.
My father shook his head disagreeing with me, allowing everyone to hear “This isn’t your fault my darling child. This is my fight – Our fight!” He said, focusing on Ruben.
Ruben laughed “Well, would you look at that, clever little witch you got, huh? Talking to you in thought. It’s not nice to leave others out of the conversation!” Ruben warned, gripping me tighter, punishing me.
He seemed to know everything.
My magic.
My father’s ability to hear thoughts.
Armacey was right about one thing. It was a fight, one that had nothing to do with me. I was simply getting caught up in the crossfire. It’s clear for anyone to see how much they detest one another. It was a power struggle among the species.
“You think this is a fight? This is only the beginning.” Ruben warned, he swiped my hair out the way and his soft lips brushed against my ears as he took pleasure in watching Armacey unable to do anything to help me. Within seconds he chomped down on my neck with his razor-sharp teeth, searing pain shot through me, paralyzing me. I could only watch the look of shock spread over my father’s face, as tears pooled in my eyes, blurring my vision.
There was so much pain in his dark red eyes.
He had found his true love Eliza dying, taking her last dying breath in his arms and now he was forced to watch me do the same.
“Stop!” Anton screamed, rushing toward us, trying in vain to save me. Ruben was too speedy he simply had moved us in a blink of an eye, throwing Anton to the floor from rushing past him. Deliberately sinking his sharp teeth into me again, into the same bite ripping each vein refusing to release me from his clutches.
I scrunched my eyes shut. His venomous bite was lethal, like scorching fire flowing through my veins it began shutting down my body a little bit at a time. I tried so hard to keep my focus and not succumb to the darkness.
He pulled back, releasing his fangs from my aching neck, blood trickled down my throbbing puncture wounds.
Anton rushed to his feet, ready to try again.
“Stop! He will kill her. I order you to stand down!” Armacey warned his right-hand warrior, he could do nothing but stand by and watch.
“We cannot allow him to take her!” Anton argued.
“We are no match for hybrids. You know that! She will die if we try to stop him, do you want that!” Armacey roared, striking Anton in a scolding tone. My father was simply stuck in between a rock and a hard place.
Fight the hybrid and risk killing us all.
Vampires were no match for hybrids. Even I knew that.
My gaze drifted to Anton and my father. I didn’t want them to die from trying to save me. If Ruben took me then maybe he would spare them. Maybe my vision of my future family wasn’t meant to be.
What if my destiny was to save them?
I had to try and prevent them from putting themselves in danger. Knowing what I had to do, to prevent my own vision or the vision Eliza had shown me from coming true. I held my hand up with every intention of keeping them safe. I was unsure if my powers would even work with being so weak. I closed my eyes, pushing past the searing pain that had me wanting to collapse to the floor.
“Protection.” I croaked, surrounding them in the most peaceful white light I had ever seen. No one, good or evil could enter the space they stood within.
“How very noble of you, protecting them even at the risk of dying yourself.” Ruben mused, he sounded somewhat surprised.
I would protect them at any length. Just like they had with me.
“Francesca...!” Anton screamed, rushing to me only to get thrown back into the protective bubble. It worked both ways, no one could leave either. Not until they were free of any danger.
The room was closing in on me. I was losing too much blood.
This is it, death was coming for me.
My legs gave way, only I didn’t fall to the ground with a thud as I should have, strong arms scooped me up. My body had become weaker from using all my energy to save my family.
The family I would protect with my last dying breathe.
“It’s such a shame you had to get caught up in all this.” Ruben said softly against my ear as if trying to prevent Anton and my father from hearing his apology. He was nothing like the monster he made himself out to be in front of my father. He was more chivalrous towards me at that moment, nothing like before when he chomped on my neck. He held me in his arms, morphing back to man, no claws insight, my head rested listening to the rise and fall of his chest, the rhythm surprisingly calming me from the panic of all the chaos. Without as much as a parting glance, Ruben held me firmly, walking out the door and down the long narrow hall, the sound of grunts and heaving had me force my head up to see what was happening.
There was a fleet of bodies lunging and attacking, moving among each other. Everyone was fighting. Vampires, breachers, and hybrids. I couldn’t tell who was winning or how many causalities there were. There was blood smeared everywhere, the stench of death and beheaded hybrids scattered across the room.
It wasn’t just a fight it was a massacre.
My body was shutting down. I could feel Ruben’s venom attacking every human cell within me. He cradled me closer to his chest, walking freely through the castle untouched by the vampires, protected by his hybrids at every angle, allowing him to leave with me limp in his arms. My head rolled back catching a glimpse of Ruben looking down at me, his expression softened at having seen me watching him.
Why is he doing this? I had done nothing to him. I was merely being punished for who my father was.
Tears that I had tried my best to keep locked within me, escaped, falling freely down my cheeks.
He leaned closer and pressed a gentle kiss on my forehead.
“This is no kingdom fit for a queen.” He whispered.
Queen? I’m not a queen!
I wanted nothing more than to go bat shit crazy and use my powers on him, but my body wasn’t healing from his bite as fast as my body had healed from being attacked from breachers. I lay paralyzed in this annoyingly handsome hybrids arms, nowhere to hide from the darkness that was sweeping over me, ready to consume me. Within seconds everything went black.
Pain is no longer consuming my body. My mind is not over-thinking every little memory or thought.
….Am I dead?
If so, why do people fear death? It is somewhat calm.
Even in the darkness, I am alone, no one stands by my side. There is no bright light at the end of the tunnel, no loved one waiting for me. I don’t cry, there are no tears willing to escape. I am not scared, there’s nothing to fear.
It’s almost as if I have a thick warm blanket wrapped around me, keeping me safe within this darkness.
Will anyone come for me? I don’t know. Maybe this is death, maybe I have yet to find my own way to the tunnel of light. All I know is that it will only make me stronger.
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THE HEIR - BLOOD SECRET
Coming Soon
The Heir
Valhalla
I have taken the one person that Armacey, the elder of the vampires loves the most. Under lock and key, she will have no choice in joining us by our side to fight and bring down the vampires once and for all. They don’t deserve to walk this earth and be known as the immortals.
We are the greatest.
We are the strongest.
Hybrids were born to rule, with my blood entwined with the witches’ blood, she will be the one to stand by my side. My name is Ruben Eyman and Francesca the greatest witch of all will rule by my side.
I have the strength and she has the power and together we will rain terror on the vampire society.
Watch them fall…
…. So, hybrids can rise.
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A.H.S SALT, The Heir - Blood Secret : The Chosen One - Secret Heir
