Roses Wither: Into the Darkness
Fourteen

Chase

I had slayed demons, hunted vampires, burned villages and killed people who I now knew were innocent. I had spent millennia controlling myself and keeping my emotions under guard. How could this be?

How could one beautiful young vampire female, almost make me lose myself?

I had almost bitten her. I had almost claimed her right here, in the sparring room, with her brother watching on.

I had never felt anything before. I had never thought of anything, other than the hunt or the fight. Ever. I had been numb to everything around me, but the second our arms made contact during the spar something happened to me.

I felt her. I felt the silkiness of her skin, and could take in the scent... The scent of her body... All were things I had experienced before, from the women that found themselves in my bed, but I never truly felt them or scented them. Not like this. She was pulling me into her.

“Cold shower?” I heard Marcus’s amused banter toward his sister, but didn’t turn. I couldn’t. My body was a live wire.

“Shut the fuck up.” Rosa snapped, before I heard her footsteps carry her from the room.

When the heavenly scent left with her, I finally began to control my beast.

“Well, that was more interesting than I thought it would be.” Marcus stepped toward me, a new scent hitting my nostrils.

How? How had I never noticed how a being smelled before? His scent was different from her’s, and it didn’t pull me to him, like her’s did to me.

“You look like you need a break, man.” He chuckled.

“Yes.” I gave a nod and removed myself from the sparring room without another word.

Her scent was thick in the hall and I wanted to follow it, but I needed to make my way to my chambers. I needed more than a break. I needed to converse with my brother.

This wasn’t normal.

****

“You are saying that you smelled something?” He gave a low whistle through the line.

“This isn’t amusing.”

“Well, the first time you encountered her, as an infant, you gained a sense of emotion and physical consciousness.”

“Something is happening to me.” I hissed, “I cannot control myself.”

“Tell me brother, is she as pretty?” His amusement was really grating on me.

"What?" Was he serious?

"Did you look at her and think "wow"?"

“You are ridiculous.” I paced my quarters.

Marcus and Nico had set me up in my own quarters, which I wasn’t used to, since the last I was here, I was a guard and stationed on the other end of the castle.

Everything there was tolerable in the guard wing. I had utilized it for a few centuries. Those rooms had a nice bed, my own bathroom and a couch in my room, but the quarters I stayed in now had a sitting area, two bedrooms and a mini bar.

“What you need to do, is replace out what it is she smells like, drown yourself in the scent and stroke one out to calm your ass down. If you don’t, it could get awkward with Dracula Junior real fast.”

“What is wrong with you?” My brow furrowed.

“I’m just trying to help.” He snorted.

“You are no help.” I glared at the couch, because my brother wasn't in the room with me.

“Obviously, you are tied to the princess.” The amusement in his voice was clear.

“That can not be it.” I sighed.

“When I met Emilia, everything within me kicked into gear,” He was referring to his wife, “It was as if I had been sleeping and something in her woke me.”

I sighed deeply. Could that be what was happening to me? Was I waking from a millennia long dream? Was she waking me?

That afternoon, it was just her and I, while Marcus did his research on my markings.

Given that our earlier spar had triggered me in some way, I thought it might be better to work on her other skills. Something that may involve less physical contact.

I swung around and charged, but before I could reach her she threw her blade got me in the heart.

I paused and looked down at the knife in my chest. This was a first. No one had ever been quick enough, even with a blade, to get me in the chest. Not even my brothers. Was I slowing with this awakening or was she that fast?

“Okay, that was a good shot.” I pulled the blade out of my chest cavity and handed it back to her, still covered in my blood.

I found it intriguing that she examined the bloody knife with a deep seeded grin.

“It wasn’t just good.” She grinned wildly, twirling the knife in her hands, “It was a deadly accurate shot.”

“You are a little bit crazy, you know that right?” I mused, “Just like your father and grandfather.”

“I haven’t met my grandfather.” She shrugged, still examining the knife, “So, I dont know whether to take offence to that or not...”

“Why not?” My brow furrowed in question.

“I don’t know,” She shrugged, “But I’m guessing because he’s not the warm, fuzzy, “let’s bake some cookies” type. He is Vlad the Impaler after all.”

She shrugged and flung the blade again, hitting me in the exact same spot, before I had even fully healed from the last time she’d lodged it in there.

“Okay. You know how to throw knives.” I yanked it out again, this time tucking it into the waist of my sweatpants, “I think I will hold onto this for now. Thank you.”

“But it’s MY knife.” When I looked to face her again she was pouting like a little child who had gotten her toy taken away.

Okay. I noted that. She liked throwing blades and was a phenomenal aim.

“Then fight me without it, let us see if you can steal it back.” I said, before thinking.

Another note: I could fall for this crazy little woman.

That night, Nico called me to his office. I assumed it was to discuss his daughter’s capability and strength of fight.

This was not out of the ordinary. He had me report nightly when I trained Marcus in the past.

When I entered, he was seated behind his mahogany colored desk, nothing in front of him.

“Report.” He ordered.

“Her battle skills are good, she has been taught well, but she has been taught to guard and defend, not attack.” I gave a nod, “She seems to shut her emotions down during the fight, which does not help her, but her skill and accuracy with knives is excellent.”

“And her Goddess ability?”

“I believe it’s linked to her emotion.” I told him, “When she closes off her emotion during the fight, I sense her wolf surfacing.”

“The wolves don’t fight unless necessity calls for it.” He spoke thoughtfully.

“Exactly.”

The door swung open and the siblings entered with big smiles on their faces.

Marcus was dressed in a red dress shirt, black tie and suspenders, with black slacks and impeccable dress shoes. While Rosa was barefoot, with red leather pants and a t-shirt that said, "I'm just here for the cupcakes."

“Kiss ass,” Rosa teased her brother.

“Say what you will,” Marcus straightened his tie, “But I follow the rules and I look pretty fricken good. Look at the shoes, custom made.”

“Custom sitting shoes?” She laughed, “He just said red, he didn’t say kiss ass apparel.”

I couldn’t look away. This was the first time I saw her in something other than sparring gear and it caught my breath.

“Remind me to be more specific tomorrow then.” Nico sighed, “You could at least have brushed your hair.”

She shrugged and flopped onto the chaise with an oomf.

“Hey, Chase, you coming out with us tonight?” Marcus grinned at me.

“I haven’t asked him yet.” Nico sneered, but Rosa was perking up.

“Wait! We get to go into the out?” She looked around cheerfully, “Like out out? Can Clara come?”

“She can, if she can dress you properly.” Nico eyed his daughter.

It seemed that she was purposely not looking at me, but she appeared happier than she was when she playing with knives earlier and it lit up her little face.

“I can,” She sat up quickly began to nod with a huge grin encompassing her face, “I promise!”

“Go.” He waved his hand with a slight curve to his lips and she was off, before he turned back to me.

“Chase, we eat dinner because Rosa still uses food for nurishment, if you would like to come, you can join us, but I do have to inform you that Nitala has taken someone from your past under her wing and her and Rosa are close. I will need you to control your natural instincts.”

“Who, sir?” My brow furrowed

“A witch, who was recently turned.” Marcus explained, “She’s a vital part of Rosa’s future. They’re like sisters.”

I gave a nod, that was obviously all I was going to get, but if they all thought this woman was important, than I had to leave it.

“Thank you, Sire.” I gave a nod and went to change.