Candy: Book 5 of the Lord Emperor Vampire Saga

All I can say is...whoa....*blink blink*

*Correction: I have Vladimir telling Kain X’s titles, our white Russian is tailing Claudia. (minds out of the gutter Loyal) Since Baojia is off being Ripley’s tail, this leaves the rest of the Imperials and the most talkative one of the remaining pack is Manu. So it should be Manu speaking there. ~gomen~


Chapter 221: Mindfucking 101

Kain took the news better that I would have. Here I was, a bleached out skinny version of him because, like him, I had the bloodline of an ancient and fantastical race. Too many lies especially on my behalf, had gotten us to this point, so I had no intention of giving him any more bullpocky; but, I realized that I didn’t want to send him screaming to a loony bin either.

He sat numbly in a leather wingback chair under the portraits of the Von Drachenfeld pod and held onto the beer I handed him. I had just finished explaining that all those things that he thought he saw or went bump in the night were real and actually could do more than just bump. His eyes were wide but unreadable as he stared passed me at the Lycan ranging around the grand table. Lunch was being served or it was brunch...no, what came between lunch and dinner? As if on cue, my stomach began growly grumbling.

I gave him a shy smile, “I’ve got a rumbly in my tumbly.”

He made a half hearted laugh and just stared at me.

I turned toward the table and that’s when I knew that he wasn’t taking this seriously. My wing snapped out and he ran full tilt into a wall of white feathers. He staggered backwards and would have fallen but Manu grabbed him arm and steadied him. I kept my wings out and turned toward him. Kain stared at my wings with big green eyes and a very, very pale face. “But...but, you said you were a Vampire?”

“I am.”

“You’re an angel!”

“Trust me, Kain. I’m no angel. Sang Kyu, may we have demonstration number two, please?”

Kain sat heavily in the wingback chair as Kyu shook himself down into his black wolf form. Clothes were kicked off of forelegs and the Lycan came and sat at my feet. Black and White.

“You’re not kidding, are you?”

“If you weren’t in danger, we wouldn’t have dragged you out of your home and I wouldn’t be giving you a crash course in Blood. Because of who I am, and the indisputable fact that you are my son – someone is out to kill you. Von Drachenfeld has closed ranks, and you are a part of us. I do this to keep you safe.”

Kain’s face just got hard. “I needed a father when I was young. I sure as hell don’t need some....pale freak...” He squeaked as a dagger embedded itself right next to his ear in the leather upholstered chair.

“Young man, I hit what I am aim for. You would do well to remember to speak to your Father with respect. Anything less is unacceptable under his roof.” Claudius paused at the door. Maybe the effect would have been a little more commanding if he wasn’t back in his skaterboi clothes. My nose twitched as I could scent the acrid smell of urine. Maybe the effect was more daunting that I assumed. Claudius came forward his eyes never leaving those jade green orbs on my newly discovered son’s face. He leaned forward, one hand on the wing of the chair and then stroked the backs of his knuckles down Kain’s face. “Do I have your attention?”

Kain just stared at him.

“You answer with a yes, sir or a no, sir. I will ask a final time. Do I have your attention?” Carnage was still a scary game face when it came out to play.

“Yes, Sir.”

“As Xavier has said, if the times were different, you would have been introduced to the family piece by piece but as we are at war, you sink or you swim in the deep end. A Sorceress has declared war on our bloodline however, she has not stopped there. She has already killed a very dear friend and ally. She has attacked our seat of power.” Carnage called back to me, “Xavier, there were traces of Serephina in our stalkers den. She has tried to kill our Empress. You will not be allowed to make things easier for her.”

“Claudius.” I cautioned.

“There is no time for kid gloves, Xavier. You, will stay here until the threat has been neutralized. Out of the whole of the family, you are the most vulnerable because you are just a human.”

“What are you then?”

I didn’t know to be impressed or appalled. Great black wings spread out arching high and wide. Claudius spread each feather making it seem larger and more expansive. Showoff. He took the dagger and yanked it out from the back of the chair. “I am your Grandfather.”

Pytor handed me a couple of dagwood sandwiches. He tossed Sang Kyu a slice of roast beef then slinked over to Manu.

“Why? Why is this happening?”

Claudius straightened up and folded his wings behind him. “There will be time to learn your lineage when this is all said and done, Sigmund.”

“Kain.” Both Kain and my voice rang out together.

Claudius turned and looked over his shoulder at me. “There is nothing wrong with the name Sigmund.”

“Your crazy bitch of a Grandma wasn’t trying to rape you while calling you Grandfather’s name.”

“Your name is Sigmund?” Kain’s voice sort of squeaked.

“My Name is Claudius. Like the rest of your siblings, you may call me Ded.”

“Siblings?”

A black wing came back, arching up high over my head and sweeping me forward like a big feather duster. It was all done so smoothly but there was enough force in the motion that I wasn’t going to avoid it unless I wanted to make a big fuss. Kain was sitting in s puddle of his own fear right now.

I spoke hopefully with calmness and assuredness. “You have two sisters and a brother...make that two brothers. They are Vampires.”

“Is this why you never looked for me?”

I met my son’s gaze evenly. “Kain, I never knew about you, nor your Mother.”

“But you said that big guy was your lover. He said he was my father...”

Claudius turned to me. “That is another reason I have come in search of you, Xavier. Marcus would like to meet with you in the music room.”

“That guy’s name is Marcus?”

I lifted a hand to my head. I think Kain had enough surprises right now. Finding out about the brotherhood and the two uncles would just be a little bit more than he could handle. Claudius took over. “I will take Kain in hand, my son. Sang Kyu, could you raid Marcus’ closet and see if there is something there that will fight my grandson. We will get cleaned up and we shall go and greet your brother and sisters.”

“Manu, Potyr – Kain is your new best friend.” I got a wink from the Maori.

“I will replace the chair, Xavier. I think I have a couple in storage. Come, I will show you to your rooms and you can get cleaned up.”

I had no doubt that Claudius had chairs in storage somewhere. Shopaholics Anonymous needed to intervene. Naw, I just needed to sic Sex on him again.

I took a giant bite of my sandwich. Hmmm mmm mmmmmmm. I’ll stuff my face so my stomach wasn’t making so much noise that it drown out the ache in my heart. Betrayal. What Sex had felt at Father’s perceived betrayal was nothing compared to this. Armor had knowingly sent my son away. I stood there trying not the think munching on my sandwich until I nibbled my fingers. Huh, apparently I ate the whole plate full of meat.

/This is not like you, My Liege./ I got a wet nose pushed into my hand.

“Don’t you do that too, Sang Kyu.”

/You are not a waffle./

Waffle? Confusion must have been all over my face.

/You do not dillydally. If Lord Armor has shaken you, you go and shake him back. He is your touchstone. You are his. Together you are the foundation that this house is built on./

“In other words, My Liege.” Manu dropped a hand on my shoulder and took the empty plate from my hand, “Get your ass down to the music room, and get your ass. Black Death, Pytor and I will keep your new winglet safe. Set your house to rights.”

My, my some one’s gotten bold and...they were right. I wasn’t looking forward to a confrontation with Armor. Confrontations never end well with us. Broken Cheek. Raped and bleeding. No, that was all that happened to me when I got confrontational. Azrael was the one who beat the crap out of Armor. Damn it. I was dillydallying.

I dissolved my wings and pivoted on my heel. Faint heart was never one of my attributes. Still, my feet slowed to a drag as I got closer to the music room. The sound of a violin’s mournful cry crept down the corridor as if it were a physical thing. My issue was with Armor, not Marcus. Yes, they shared the same body but like the brotherhood they were distinctly different. This body and that big brown apple essence one were lovers --intimate and intertwined. Like Lanny had said, our fates were wound around each other. Azrael and Marcus. Armor and I. Still...he turned away a child in need.

I wasn’t going to get any answers standing out in the hall. The music stopped and I looked up from the tiled floor to find Marcus standing in the corridor with his bow in one hand and the violin in the other. Strained silence was between us.

“Xavier, I don’t know it this makes anything better, but he kept this from me. I didn’t know that he was capable of blocking me. Now that I have become aware of this, I now know that he has blocked many parts of that first year from me.”

“Where is he?”

Marcus glanced passed me then gestured to the music room. “It might be better to work this out in private before letting the rest of the House know.”

Music soothes the savage beast. I could do with some soothing music right now. I moved passed him heading right to the crimson grand piano that still occupied most of the room. There was a blue baby grand set closer to tall and airy cathedral windows I had installed about ten years ago. The tempered and magically sealed glass left the room safe for the winglets and Sex let it be known that watching Father play under the full light of the sun was something magic and under the full light of the moon -- ethereal. Wasn’t like Sex to wax poetic but sunlight and gleaming scads of black and blue hair did something for his little motor boat. Right now, it felt a little odd to be standing in direct sunlight while my heart was trying really hard not to shrivel in on itself.

Marcus shut the door. He carefully returned his violin back to his case then set it against the wall beside Azrael’s cello case. “I can’t allow him to shoulder all the blame.”

“You just said that you didn’t know.”

“Armor is...Armor is how he is because that is all I allowed him to be.”

I sat down on the piano bench mainly because my thighs were beginning to shake. We had just shared a very special moment then this landmine went off. I wasn’t prepared for it and took it full in the chest. I was bleeding internally.

“Xavier?”

I lifted my head and caught Marcus’ soulful brown eyed gaze. “Maybe you better explain that, Marcus.”

Marcus’ face winced a bit then he straightened his shoulders. “Armor and I have always known of each other. There are some cases where the dominant personality doesn’t know about the other and vice versa. We’ve always known. We just didn’t interact or share. I only allowed Armor out when things got to be so bad I couldn’t handle it and things were pretty bad when I couldn’t handle it.”

“So it was something like Sex...”

Marcus shook his head. He had tied his hair back at the nape of neck. I was in agreement with Azrael, so grateful that Marcus didn’t slouch anymore, but now there were some times I didn’t know who was in control at a glance. The solution was simple. Armor left his locks long and lovely; Marcus tamed his tresses.

“No. No, this was not like your interaction with Sex. You cared for him. Together you worked through your pain and issues. I left Armor on his own. I made him stand on his own. I gave him no support and, even worse, I let him know that he was just a minor part of my life. I have never stood up for him. When you were gone those seven years, when Father blamed Armor, I just stood by and watched. I never vouched for him. I never offered a single word in his defense. This isn’t something that I’m proud of, Xavier.”

Marcus walked passed me heading to the cathedral windows. The sun made his hair gleam a rich otter. “This body is that of an Ancient. You have to get to two hundred and fifty years to be considered an Ancient. I am two hundred and forty-nine of those years. That is not the sign of a caring brother. When I, me not Armor, found you; I thought your mind was fascinating.”

“Like an boy with an ant farm?” Oh, my voice was sarcastic.

Marcus turned his head back over his shoulder and an eyebrow arched. “I could have carried out the contract, Xavier. You were fascinating but you were just another contract. Armor was the one who fixated on you. We’ll leave my mania out of this right now. He had roughly one year worth of life experience. Snatches here and there. Three hundred and sixty-five days compared to my seventy-three thousand. He was basically just entering the terrible twos when we all meet. He scared me when he came out and decided to stay. He had never done that before. And he was so strong and determined.”

“Marcus...”

“I denied him everything, Xavier. So when he reached out and grabbed for what he wanted, I could see why he didn’t want to let it go. I didn’t really end up fighting him too hard, I wasn’t a bastion of strength and confidence at that time.”

“But...”

“I raised Armor to be a killer, Xavier. That’s what he came out to do when I let him. That is all he did.”

“You’re defending him!”

“I am trying to explain things. Too little, maybe; not too late? Come hell or high water, Armor was going to keep you. Honestly, you might not want to hear this, Xavier, but I’m surprised he let little Kain live.”

I looked up shocked. “He was just a child.”

“He was a threat. That little red headed boy would have been a link back to the human world. Blood ties are stronger than just sex. The Armor we know and love now, is not the Armor who greeted little Kain back then. Humans die so easily. A Human child, even more so. Remember that, Xavier. He sent Kain packing. He could have sent the little boy home in a box.”

I think my face just took a stricken expression.

“I would never harm any of your children.” Armor turned so he was backlit. His face shadowed in shade. “I can’t ask for forgiveness for what I did, but even then, I knew that if I hurt your child, you would never forgive me.”

I actually squawked as Armor rushed at me. He dropped to his knees and lowered his head until his forehead rested on the tops of my bare feet. “I never meant to hurt you, Xavier.”

“You mean, you never meant for me to find out.” I tried to pull my legs free but he just tightened his grip.

“No...I never wanted you to find out.” Armor’s voice was low but I heard it. I jerked my left leg free and kicked at him, pushing him away. I didn’t kick hard. If I truly wanted to hurt him, I probably could have punted him through the window. As it was I knocked him back a couple of feet so he sat on one hip with one arm pressed against the floor.

My breathing was harsh and I could hear the pounding of blood rushing through my ears. “I got that loud and clear. Why? I want to know why, Armor!”

“Little One...”

“WHY!!” I ended up standing in front of him. My hands were clenched in tight fists. I didn’t even know when my wings came out but they were shivering with the rage that was ripping through me. The music room was filled with the sound of rain. How appropo.

Armor bowed his head, “For the same reason I made you without your consent to the Covenant.”

“What?”

“I needed you.”

“You selfish bastard.”

His shoulders tensed. “Yes, I am a selfish bastard, Little One. I wanted to be the most important person in your life. I couldn’t let a rival in...”

“He was a child!”

“He was after a piece of your heart.”

“He is my son.”

“You didn’t love me at that time. You hated me. You feared me. I...” Armor lifted his head, “I needed you to need me. I made sure no one knew you were missing in the human world. I kept up appearances and rented your apartment to keep suspicion away until you started to view me as part of your life. Kain showed up unexpectedly when I was checking your mail to pay the utilities.” He reached out toward me. My wing swept down and kept his hand away. I took two shaky steps backwards from him. “Beautiful...”

“You’ve lied to me, Armor. You’ve lied to me for twenty-three years. Not only have you turned my son away, but you told him you were his father.”

“I never said I was his Father. He came up with that on his own.”

“ARMOR!”

“I love you, Xavier. I took one look and I knew that you were one I wanted to be with for the rest of my life. My Vampiric life. I fixed your eyes with Laser surgery and saliva drops. I changed your body because I knew that you didn’t like how you looked. Since you were going to be with me forever, I wanted you to be happy. I couldn’t let someone come between us before you realized just how much I could mean to you.”

He levered himself up to his knees. “You are my world, Little One. You have always been my world. I changed so you would want to stay with me. When the rest of the Nation encroached, I knew I could not keep you all to myself. I told myself as long as you smiled at me it would be enough. I hung around in the background because with you, I have value. I’m more than just...Armor the assassin.”

I shook my head. Tears threatened. I didn’t know what I should be feeling. Here was the love of my life. I thought I knew him. To keep this from me for so long. Did I ever know him? Was this all built on...what? A lie? An obsession? Was it love?

“This is more than just understanding about the lack of the Covenant. If it was just you and me…we could work things out but…this is bigger than us. It’s more than just us. You hurt one of my kids.”

“You never met…”

“I never knew about him.”

Armor lifted his head and met me full on with those deep melted chocolate eyes. “That is not my fault, Xavier. He was eight years old before you came into my care. There are eight years that are not of my making. If you had told his mother the truth, maybe, your sister would have taken him in and raised him. He could have grown up with your nieces as sisters and with your mother and father as grandparents. I did not deny him that.”

“Shut up.” Armor’s strike was true and lethal. My heart was bleeding. He didn’t need to point out my failures.

“I am not the only one here at fault. I will bear my own guilt. I cannot bear yours also even though I want to.”

“I said, shut up.” I snarled back like a wounded animal.

I was seeing red when I got tackled. Armor slammed hard into me and the back of my head bounced off the floor. One hand pinned my shoulder to the floor and the other pushed my right wing hinge up and back forcing me flat on my back. Red flame flared as Armor glared down at me.

“There is a serious lack of trust and communication between you two.” No, not Armor; Marcus. “I thought you talked to each other.”

“Get off me!”

“I’m a crappy example of an older brother, but I will take a page out of your brotherhood.”

I shot my hand up and punched Marcus hard in the shoulder. He grunted then tried to splat my brains all over the polished wood floor with two more rat-a-tat-tats . I brought my knee up to try and shift him off my hips and now found my legs splayed wide as Marcus laid his 100+ lbs advantage down on me.

“You treat Armor like an afterthought, Xavier. You expect him to be at your beck and call and he will be because he loves you that much. You give him peace and purpose. Yes, he went after you like a rabid dog but in the end you tamed him. You can kick him in the face; neglect him for days on end but he keeps coming back to you. He will wait on your lack of attention for all eternity. He doesn’t deserve that…not from you, not from me…especially not from Father.” Spittal hit my face. Marcus was pissed.

So was I. I could feel the blue flame begin to burn in my eyes. “Marcus, get the fuck off...this is between Armor and me.”

Sadness filled the big man’s face. “Azrael is my muse. He is the light of my life. Until you planned an intervention, we were fucked. We weren’t going to make it. I’ve treated my little brother horribly over the years and I have no excuse. I was selfish but not any more. I’m part of the problem…so I have to be part of the solution.”

“How can I trust him now? Tears burned at the corner of my eyes. “I still don’t trust you fully.”

“Then, I’m going to have to make you.”

Marcus shifted his hand from my wing to my forehead and from there ripped into my blood shield. Both of us started screaming as our worlds, physical and mental began to dissolve into blood and pain. For the first time ever, the scent of apples didn’t bring me comfort.


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