Roses Wither: Into the Darkness
Twelve

Rose

My music blared from the speakers in the corner of the room. It was the only solace I had in this room with stone walls and cold stone floor. Aside from the door that led to the courtyard, that is.

This was a daily thing. It had been for years now.

Our father had my brother and I sparring for hours a day, but now it was a whole different dynamic. Now we were doing this as vampires, not wolves... Well, sort of, if I could get mine to come out to play.

Today, I had already been healed from a broken rib, nose and clavicle, that I had endured during an earlier spar with my father. Although it was only after the gaping wound he had left across my forehead when he had slammed my head into the stone wall, that he healed me.

When my vampire didn’t take over, I needed the healing. Normal vampires couldn’t shut it off, but I couldn’t get it to come forward on my own. Thankfully, vampire blood healed- Yeah, who knew? So Tati or Marcus would always open a vein and force me to drink.

I glanced to my right, at the offending wall, that was still covered in my blood, and winced. I knew that it would be rinsed off tonight, by one of the 137 staff members here in this particular castle, but it was just a reminder of the daily pain I’d suffered for years now.

Tati had a rough hand here in Romania and had to be firm, not the father we knew back home in the US. He was amongst his own people now and any weakness from the prince could be exploited.

I understood that being of the original line could be hard on him, but throw in a charismatic, compassionate son, a sarcastic, witty daughter, a couple of prophecies, and an Earth Goddess that saw the future, and you had one very paranoid vampire with a bloody streak in his own domain. That vampire was my father in this current time and place.

He tried to hide the evidence of his ways, but I knew he had prisoners in the basement, impaled in one of the courtyards and had killed numerous traitors while he thought I was unawares.

“I can feel your vampire.” My brother prowled toward me, low across the concrete floor. I knew he had participated in my father's form of punishment, and for some reason, it never bothered me.

“If you release yourself now you can stop my next attack.” He smiled ominously.

“You act like I haven’t been trying.” I clenched my teeth, obviously annoyed. He knew I would have used it to heal myself if I could open. Hence the endless training sessions.

I healed so easily when my vampire released, but until then, I was subject to all of the wounds that had been inflicted.

“I can see your muscles rolling. You can’t shift, sis. You know I’d catch you mid wolf.”

I couldn’t fault him. My brother was right, but he had control over his vampire, where I did not. I did have full control over my wolf though, and she wanted out.

I had been taught to fight as a wolf since I was seven years old and had my first shift. Now, at the age of 21, I was comfortable as the wolf and it felt as though they were trying to rip her from me.

My shifter was dominant though. She was letting us all know exactly how strong she was, with the Earth backing her. Which is why I was put through this blood bath on a daily basis. We were trying to force the wolf back so I could let my vampire stand forward. It wasn’t going well. I couldn’t trigger my vampire.

Seeing my inner anger with my vampire, Marcus pounced, but I was quicker. I jumped out of his path, letting him hit the stone wall behind me. How could my brother be so smart and so stupid at the same time?

When he hit the wall, I pounced by sweeping his feet out from under him. He hit the ground on his back and cussed, before coming at me again. This time he went low and I countered by going high, rolling over his back.

I knew my shifter half was strong, but my vampire half had always been fast. It was a deadly combination and in wolf form, it made me vicious. Now, if I could only get my vampire to come out and play, before I lost my stamina.

If she came out, we could call it an end to today’s training and I could sneak out for a run. I could connect to Aiden and replace out what was going on back home.

Marcus countered by reaching around and grabbing my arm, to pin it behind my back, but I twisted with his movement and elbowed him in the gut with my other arm. He landed face first on the ground, pulling me along with him.

I was supposed to be stronger than my brother. Wasn’t I supposed to be this almighty Queen? So, why couldn’t I do this?

When I hit the ground he landed on top of me like a brick. As I tried to break free I gave mumbles of, “You fucking bitch.” And, “I fucking hate you.” To no avail. He wasn't letting up and he just laughed at my attempts.

“Really, Marcus?” A deep, heavily accented voice came from the door.

My body suddenly snapped at the sound, as goosebumps broke out on my flesh. It was so instant that I couldn't control the shift of my eyes.

His accent was one that I knew, but couldn’t place. It was a deep, rich accent, with the hint of something old. Why couldn't I place it?

“I don’t remember teaching you how to run into walls, or beat up a princess.” The man tsked, continuing to chide my brother.

When I turned to see who the intruder was, I was astonished to see a man that had to have been made by a Goddess herself, and I felt my jaw drop in awe.

His face was so immaculately chiseled, with dark eyes, that would leave any woman swooning. Added to that was the messy blonde hair that was nearly white in appearance and his broad muscle mass, with his height, which was well above Marcus’s 6 foot frame, and he was built.

I paused. This was the man from my dreams. The one that I had dreamed about for years.

He was a vampire, which didn't surprise me, but there was something off about him. He had a different vibe from other vampires I had met. It was stronger and heavier, as it called me to him.

Along with the power, he had this dangerously sexy edge to him, in the black on black leather he wore.

His presence was one that said he was not one to be messed with, but with the way he leaned at ease against the door frame, and the cocky grin on his face, totally contradicted his appearance.

“Hey, man!” My bloodied brother smiled and stood tall, rushing to greet the vampire, giving him one of those half hug/handshake things that men do, “About time you showed! I leave in two days. Glad you actually came though. We need the help.”

“You requested me, so here I am.” The man smiled brightly at my brother, showing perfectly aligned white teeth.

He didn't feel it. That had to be it. He didn't feel the pull toward me that I felt toward him. That was good. I had a mate, I couldn't be messing around with a vampire. Especially an old one, that I couldn't place, but had dreamed about.

“Wait! Am I supposed to bow now? Like the other vamps do?" Marcus teased the guy as I made my way the corner to collect my shirt. Somehow I felt oddly inadequate in this guy's presence, "Oh Master, I owe you my allegiance.”

“You little shit,” The man scoffed with a grin, “You bow to me and I will rip your head off and shove it up your ass, Prince or not, I’m here because my services were requested, nothing more.”

He towered over my brother with an heir of authority, even though he had none here- my family was the highest ranking in the vampire community, for good reason. He appeared friendly with Marcus now though, and he wasn’t one ounce afraid of my brother, like every other vampire alive was.

“Yeah.” I could hear my brother’s exhaustion more than see it on his face, because I was too busy gaping at the blonde.

I rolled my eyes and pulled the shirt over my head, suddenly wishing it covered more of me. I Knew why his services were requested and it embarrassed me. Especially when I felt those deep colored eyes move in my direction.

It was almost like more goosebumps rose everywhere his eyes roamed. Great. Just what I needed.

Marcus turned to me, “Sis, this is Chase. He’s known around here as “The Guard.” He’s the one that trained me.”

“I did teach him a few things,” His smooth voice rolled over me as he watched my brother with a sly smile, “Although, I didn’t train you to run into walls, Marcus.”

Something about the sound of his voice sent a shiver down my spine. This wasn’t right... I had a mate. My wolf had chosen Aiden.

Something was really different about this guy though. His presence was drawing me in, calling me like the moon did.

I could even feel my vampire coming to the surface as my body began to heal. Shit! This must be what guys felt like when they got an erection in public, but my public was my big brother.

Instead of focusing on my brother, or The Guard, I watched my arm as a gash stitched together. How was this happening? How did my vampire come to life now?

“She doesn’t like to fight without her wolf. She’s fast, and good with avoidance of impact, but she's unable to bring her powers to the forefront willingly.” I heard Marcus, but I was focased on my arm as it healed.

“If this is defensive sparring, why is she covered in blood?” Cold goosebumps ran down my body again as the guard’s dark eyes raked me a second time.

My heart rate was slowing. Flying fuck, what was happening to me?

“She normally can’t unleash unless she’s hurt.” Marcus continued as they both turned back to watch me, like I was some kind of strange animal at the zoo, "This isn't normal. You okay, Sis?"

Focus Rosa... Focus on anything else...

Did they have zoos in Romania? If they did, I bet Tati would take me, if I bugged him enough...

The guard’s mouth formed an O shape, then he pointed to the stereo and smiled cockily at Marcus.

“And the Slipnot?” He questioned my big brother.

I was so fixated on my musings and unease over what the guard’s gaze did to me, to notice that the music still played.

My brother was saying something or other to the guy, but I was scoping him out again, trying to place the hum of power coming off of this vampire. I hadn’t heard a single thing he was saying.

The vibe he gave off was that he was old... but yet... He wasn’t hard or aggressive, like the others I knew to be older... And that accent... I knew I had heard it before, it wasn't Romanian though. Not English either, or Irish, Scottish, or Italian. Had I ever come across it before?

Other than in my dreams...

“Sis? Hello?" Marcus’s Southern, United States accent, pulled me from my thoughts, “You okay over there?”

Shit! What had I missed?

I glanced from my brother to the blonde and our eyes met for the first time. His were such a deep brown that they would appear black unless someone examined them closely, but I could have sworn, for just an instant, that his eyes shifted to the silver of his vampire before going back to their normal, deep shade of brown.

The draw was nearly suffocating, pulling me to him. It had my eyes fully silvered over in an instant.

I knew it couldn’t be possible. Aiden was my mate, but it was there and it was all my vampire as she tried to break from her box.

“I’m going for a run.” I told my brother when my gaze shifted back to his and away from the vamp that was pulling my vampire to the surface, in an optical hard on.

“Sis, you're vampire is out." Marcus gaped at me.

"I-uhm." I closed my eyes to try to clear my senses, but This guy's presence was too much for me, "I have to go."

"You know, if Dad catches you shifting-” Marcus began to warn me as I marched past them and out of the room.

Both of them turned to watch me take my exit and Goddess, he was so tall, I didn’t even reach his chest. He had to be over a foot taller than my five foot four inch frame.

I began to shake as I continued to move, so my body wouldn’t throw itself at this foreign man.

“I’ll deal with him later!” I shouted back.

Chase

Wow...

It was all I could think, as I watched her walk away with an unnatural speed for someone with a heartbeat. If I hadn’t seen her eyes shift or felt her power emerge, I would have thought she was just a normal wolf, like her mother and brother had once been.

She was in a hurry to be away from me though. I knew she was. No doubt she had felt it too. The connection was so strong between us that I even had trouble controlling myself, which never happened.

She was more stunning than in Marcus's visions, with auburn hair that had the most beautiful shade of red I had ever seen.

Her messy, blood matted curls framed her heart shaped face perfectly, and her very petite frame was curvy, calling to be caressed, but those eyes were something to behold. They were a cloudy gray with hints of green before they had silvered over, showing the beauty that lay beneath the surface.

“Strange girl.” I covered my intrigue, making it sound as though there was no connection. Eventhough I felt the pull heavily beconing me to follow her.

“Yeaaah...” The sound in his voice made me turn to him, as he watched me with interest.

“What now, Marcus?” I asked dryly.

“She’s pretty too.” He was watching me for my reaction and he wasn’t going to get one, “Just like the Goddess she’s meant to be.”

“Fuck,” I huffed a laugh, “Are you trying to hook me up with your sister now?”

“I saw it.” He pointed to his eyes, “You have the connection. My visions were at least somewhat right.”

In his visions that I had seen, she needed more than a vampire, so something didn’t add up and, until I knew what it was, nothing could happen between us.

I shrugged it off, “I am here to train her, as requested. Nothing more.”

I was here for one propose and, even if I did feel the draw, I wasn’t going to act on it. She needed more than what I had to offer. I was here to protect her, not bind to her.

"Her eyes have never been a flat silver like that, even for Aiden." Marcus snickered, "And did you feel her vampire emerge. There's no hiding it."

Ah, yes. The mate I had seen in Marcus’s history, when I tasted his blood weeks ago.

I had to admit that it took a little effort to control the silver in my eyes, knowing what I knew now.

I knew of these wolf matings, but the thought of another man’s hands on her sent my mind into a frenzy. One that I had to cover up.

“I saw the claim when you and Rosa locked eyes.” He smiled at me, “You can’t hide it from me. You two have the connection.”

I rolled my eyes, playing it off, “Shut the hell up, Marcus.”

“This could turn into some Twilight shit, you know that right?” He chuckled, “Who’s better, the vampire or the wolf?”

“Except this really does involve a war and she has a mate.” I told him, “I am merely the guard sent to help her learn how to fight, nothing more. She needs a King, not a Guard.”