The Two Kings (Afterlife Saga) Read online

  I cringed at the sight and after first doing my morning routine I decided to splash some cold water on my face to calm my hypersensitive skin that I had put through hell last night. I ducked my head and cupped my hands ready to capture the running water and when my hands were overflowing I threw the contents over my face. I took a few heavy breaths before re-examining the tired face that belonged to me. I lifted my head expecting to see my stormy eyes judging my features but couldn’t help the scream that erupted at what my vision found there.

  A pair of blood red eyes frozen in time. A heart shaped pair of plump, hungry, lips that overflowed with blood. Purple fuelled veins that spread out from my eyelashes over my cheeks, like an infection that was slowly being pumped through my blood stream. As my mouth opened to scream once more, a pair of large white teeth gleamed in the morning sun.

  I was faced with not the Keira I knew….No…I was now faced with the Vampire Keira...

  The one I didn’t ever want to know!

  Chapter 24

  Changes

  Was I dreaming?! I closed my eyes so tight until they hurt and I was shaking my head but none of these actions helped get the image from my memory. It was only when I felt the presence of someone behind me that I tried to force out the breath that had locked in my chest. It couldn’t be him! Lucius may have dominated my dreams but this was real wasn’t it? This morning with Draven had happened?

  I felt a hand come to my cheek and I let out a scream.

  “Keira, what’s wrong?” Draven’s voice interrupted my fears and when I opened my eyes I saw that it wasn’t only my demonic reflection there in his mirror. Draven’s worried frown looked at me but he couldn’t see me the way I had seen myself. I had to try and find some words that would make sense but considering all I could see was my perfect Draven behind me, as opposed to my Vampire image that still remained.

  Why couldn’t he see me? Why did he not turn his head away in disgust? My eyes held no normal stormy blue in a pearly white frame. They had been replaced by a black iris in a pool of blood. My skin looked that of a diseased dead girl and my lips looked hungry for flesh. I looked further down to my bare neck which held two bloody spots where my life had been feed on. I closed my eyes again and told myself to wake up.

  “Keira look at me! What’s wrong with you?” Draven’s voice was shouting at me now. It was only when Draven started to shake me that I felt myself returning. I expected to close my eyes and once opened again, I would find that I was still in bed but I wasn’t. I was still in his bathroom in front of the fairy tale mirror that held the source of my new nightmare….this one staring at me and what I had become.

  Then something happened. It was like a black veil that had been lifted from my face and cleared my senses. It took me a minute to realise that I was finally back! My face had returned to its usual mundane self and I let out a gust of air like I had not been able to breathe in hours. I turned round into his tall body and sunk my head into his chest. He was waiting for an explanation but he at least gave me a minute to think of one. His hand held the back of my head to him and I wrapped my arms around his waist, linking my fingers at the base of his back. He leaned down his head to talk into my hair.

  “Tell me little one, what did you see?” He whispered in such a way that I would have been a fool not to tell him the truth. I wanted to tell him everything that I had been keeping from him but when I played it out in my mind it didn’t go as well as I had planned. I kept seeing his rage again and again like someone was showing it to me on a loop and although his anger wasn’t focused on me, I would no doubt receive the brunt of it. He would hide me away from everything. I would never be able to live one minute of the day that wasn’t completely controlled by Draven.

  This would give him the last reason to lock me away to keep me safe. I couldn’t do it! I had to win this battle myself. I had to make my own mistakes and follow them through. I mean, it was only his mental control over me that I had to fight and let’s face it, if I could blank out Draven then how hard was Lucius going to be. I just needed to find his weakness. I needed to learn more about him to figure out the key to beating him.

  Then something even stranger happened. My mind flipped suddenly and I found myself wanting to tell Draven everything, to open up and have it all spill out like a downpour. It was the strangest feeling to be so torn, like half of my mind wasn’t my own....what was wrong with me?

  Just as soon as these thoughts entered my mind and before my mouth could open I was once again flipped around and thinking the opposite. I couldn’t have Draven worrying even more than he should be. Deep down I knew I was making a huge mistake and knew I would pay for it at some point but for now, I set my mind at it current course and walked down its path.

  “It was nothing…I just stubbed my toe and nearly fell but I’m good now.” I know I wasn’t putting on the best show of mental health and when he grabbed my arms and pushed me back so he could see my face, his however, said it all….disbelief.

  “Keira, you screamed out, like you were terrified!”

  “I guess I’m still a bit nervy that’s all.” He looked like he wanted to say something more but he could see that if he pushed the matter then it wouldn’t have helped the situation. He would never know how thankful I was for this.

  “Come, you need more sleep. You look exhausted.” This was Draven’s way of saying that I looked awful, I was sure. Actually he wasn’t wrong. It was like I needed to wake up for an explanation of the night’s events but now I knew it was all ok again, my body started to relax and the signs that it had been deprived of its usual eight hours sleep were starting to show. Of course the only problem I had now was that I was terrified of what I might dream!

  “No I shouldn’t….if I do then I might not wake up till tonight and then I would miss out on the day. I have too much to do as it is.” This made the hand, that he had on my side, tighten slightly.

  “And that is?” This question I found a little insulting, considering I did have other things in my life that needed my attention. Ok, they weren’t much but I still wanted to do well in college and get myself a degree, even if I had messed it up the first time. But still, better late than never…right?

  I decided to keep my thoughts to myself but it did make me turn my back to him and I walked back into the room without a word. Just the sight of his bed made me let out a yawn that was big enough for bats to have flown out of.

  “That wouldn’t happen if you slept.” Draven’s voice was behind me at my ear making me jump. My reaction made him rub the tops of my arms as though trying to reassure me that I was safe.

  “I will have you know that I have lots of stuff to do!” I said lamely but I could feel his smile before I could see it.

  “Ah is that what this is…bruised pride. Let me rephrase my question, what I meant to say is, what is more important than much needed sleep for my beautiful vixen?” His tone was so easy and confident that I tried not to smile.

  “Umm let me see…a ton of college work, cooking a Sunday roast, my job, friends…”

  “Preparing for the human Justin to take out!” Ok, this made me wince as I remembered we hadn’t actually talked about Draven overhearing my conversation with Libby in the kitchen.

  “Ah!” Was all I could muster.

  “Yes ‘Ah’ indeed!” I turned to face him and could tell that this was one conversation I wouldn’t be able to worm my way out of. I took a step back to look him in the face without straining my neck at his impressive height. It was only now that I realised he was fully clothed, wearing a long sleeved, light blue cotton T shirt that was V necked. This was added to dark indigo jeans and black boots. My eyes traced his fine-tuned indents of muscle that could be seen through the material and when he folded his arms across that hard chest I couldn’t help the gulping noise I made.

  “Look, could we at least hold off this drilling until I put some clothes on?” I nodded to him and then motioned back to me. Of course I was still only wearing a sweater t
hat was barely covering my nether regions. This thankfully worked in my favour as it brought a devilish smirk to his lips.

  “I happen to like this look.” He said as he tilted his head in order to get a better view. Then I saw a brief purple tinge flash in eyes that looked as though they wanted to devour me. I felt the heat invade my cheeks before turning away like a shy little girl. I looked about the floor for my jeans but came up empty, which now had me wondering what he had done with my clothes last night?

  “My side!” Was all he said and I suppressed a giggle at the idea of us already having our own sides in bed.

  “You know, if you had let me grab some stuff last night then I would be searching through a bag right now, not to mention fresh clothes.” I said as I walked around to his side finding my underwear and jeans, along with a pair of odd socks that I had put on yesterday. These weren’t the only things that I noticed. On his side of the bed there appeared to be more room than I had first thought.

  From the other side of the room it looked like the bed was at the very end of the space, with his side very close to a stone wall. But now I was here I could see that there was even room for some more furniture. There was a bedside cabinet which was made from oak with wrought iron studs all down the legs. The base held a burnt orange and red tiffany lamp that looked like a wilted flower that was melting down to the black metal base. I followed the stone wall along to find another tapestry hung there.

  I wondered why I had never taken in these details before but then the answer spoke behind me.

  “It was a gift.” He was referring to the old looking picture that ancient fingers had constructed God only knows how many years ago. The edge was a series of different symbols boxed round their own frames and inside the main picture consisted of a peaceful sunrise casting its warm glow over a sandstone kingdom. Little yellow homes topped with terracotta roofs that wound round and round the hills until they met up with a spectacular curved stone palace. The palace itself was a work of art and reminded me of something right out of the Lord of the Rings novel. I couldn’t help but reach my fingers out to touch the material, as if checking it was real. I could feel Draven behind me, watching me as usual, which is what made me hesitate.

  “Its fine, go ahead,” he whispered and I ran my fingers over the thousands of little bumps that made up one of the most beautiful pictures I had ever seen. I don’t know what it was about it but it captured you into its world. It made you want to see its own view from those windows and feel the heat on your skin from those powerful sun beams.

  “It’s beautiful!” I wanted to ask him about it but before I formed words, he was making it disappear with one strong sweep of his arm. He had it gathered up and pushed it to one side like a curtain. I turned and looked up to ask him what he was doing but he just nodded back to the empty space which now wasn’t so empty. The magical picture had gone but it had been replaced by a dark, mahogany door.

  “Do you want to know why I told you not to bring anything?” I stared at him blankly before speculating.

  “I thought you meant…well you know, girly things, which I found, thank you.” I was referring to the box of supplies that had been left out for me to find in the bathroom, which I had been greatly thankful for while completing my morning routine. He laughed lightly before shaking his head.

  “That you can thank Sophia for but this…well you can blame me for, she was only doing what I asked, so please, keep that in mind.” I didn’t see his face when he said this as he was opening the door for me to walk through first. He didn’t give me much time to think about what it could be, because as soon as I walked in, I quickly discovered what it was he thought I might freak out at.

  I took one step down into the biggest walk in wardrobe I had ever seen. The ones on MTV cribs had nothing on this baby!

  It was a huge room, almost double my own at home, and had every wall covered with hanging material. I couldn’t tell but I think my mouth was hanging open. I looked to one side and it was obviously Draven’s side as it had hundreds of suits hung in a specially designed closet that looked as if it rotated. There were lights above that made the colours stand out, not that there was much colour to speak of. Draven obviously preferred his black suits above any other but there was another section that held his more casual stuff, t shirts, row upon row of jeans and then there was a whole other section with nothing but men’s footwear.

  There was a massive island in the middle that was suitable for Draven’s height but I just felt like a child next to it. It had frosted glass doors that fronted different size drawers, which filled every space on all sides.

  I heard him laugh behind me and before I could turn to him he had turned my body to face the other side opposite his.

  “This is your side,” he said happily and I nearly lost my balance. Was he joking?! Of course when I saw what he called my side, I knew he wasn’t. There was a wall full of clothes that looked all to be in my size. It was only when I looked closer that I noticed it was everything that I had seen yesterday. Tops I had picked up and put down because I refused to pay the stores prices, some I remembered hoping they would be on sale and I could get them later at a much lower cost. I even recall Sophia frowning at me when she would see me putting the clothes back.

  I walked up to the endless amount of clothes and ran my hand along them. It was then that I would see some of Sophia’s choices for me that she had seen in her expensive designer stores. Oh my God, there was even a dress there that had a price tag of six months wages!

  “You…you can’t. I can’t let you do this!” I stammered out but I had a feeling as soon as Draven heard it, that it wouldn’t make much of a difference.

  “And why not?” He said unfazed by my refusal.

  “Because, it’s too much! I don’t need all this…I can’t pay you back for all this” This made him come up behind me and take me by the waist.

  “You know I don’t want you to pay me back, that’s not why I did this! And besides, don’t you think I owe you from all the clothes I have destroyed. This way at least I won’t have to feel guilty” My mind was swimming with excuses and ways of saying no but it was as though his voice was trying to smooth over these thoughts with ones of acceptance and approval. Of course the added arousal his hands created on my sides did make my own thoughts harder to hear. And then he tipped it his way by speaking but a few words at my neck.

  “Please, just let me do this.” At this I couldn’t refuse him.

  By the time I had finished getting fresh and ready, it was now lunch time and I was starving. Draven had left me to conduct some business which I refrained from asking him about. After last night I thought it best to give myself a little breathing space between me and his ‘Work’.

  I had showered the last traces of the night’s horrors away. However, I still couldn’t bring myself to look at my image in the mirror. The thought of me changing again was just too much to bear. When Draven had been around I had used every ounce of will power I had to push that vision from my mind but now I was alone, I just couldn’t do it.

  What the hell was happening? Was this the power that Lucius had over me or was this part of his sick plan he had in store for me? I kept repeating over and over the part when Draven had first explained about Vampires. He had told me that Lucius couldn’t change humans, only the supernatural. So why me? Surely this was just a trick, a sick and twisted stunt to make my mind weak. I didn’t feel any different that was for sure, ok maybe a little stronger but that had happened ever since I had been with Draven. I had put it down to the happiness I felt whenever he was near.

  But most importantly, why whenever I found enough mental power to think about telling Draven everything, was it quickly replaced with doubt and denial?! I was fighting myself and it was so exhausting I felt like crumbling to the floor every time I thought about it.

  I had hoped the shower would have worked in washing away all my fears but as I let the water flood my skin I had still felt his hands on me. I scrubbed and
scrubbed my skin until red and blotchy but that didn’t help the feeling that gnawed away at my brain. It was as if Lucius was right behind me mimicking my every move. When my hands were washing my hair, his fingers where running through every strand. When my palms soaped up my body there were his thoughts of desire looking down at me. Those icy eyes taking note of every curve, every mark years of living in this skin had made. I closed my eyes and tried to banish what the idea even did to me. Why was I getting aroused by the idea? I wanted to hate myself! I wanted to scream out “What is wrong with me?”

  I felt like I was in some way cheating on Draven. I wanted to put it all down to Lucius and his control but deep down I was just terrified that there was some substance behind it. I couldn’t help myself feeling something more for this tortured soul that had been consumed by bitterness. His touch had been gentle but I had to keep reminding myself that the motives behind them were deadly.

  Now, of course, here I was with a towel wrapped round me looking at the vastness of colour which was my new wardrobe. Trying to pick from all of this was, I know, the least of my problems but for some reason I was finding it next to excruciating. I mean before I didn’t feel that what I wore around Draven was that important but now I felt like it was an issue. I started to question what he actually thought of my dress sense. Well not that there was much sense to it…I mean comfort always played a big part.

  I let out a big sigh and after standing there for nearly twenty minutes I decided I was being paranoid. When I started to filter through the clothes they were all items that I would have chosen for myself anyway, so that meant if he did have a problem with the way I dressed, then wouldn’t he have picked other stuff? New outfits that he hadn’t seen me wear? But the more I looked, the more it just looked like a replica of the stuff I had at home.