The Kiss of Death

Chapter 14

Eleanor's POV:

Unless you count a few rowdy captives, the ride to Irodon Palace has been pretty quiet and not at all exciting. I've kept to myself and stared out the window for most of it, lost in thought, mostly worrying and wondering about Ed. I hope she knows I'm looking for her. I hope she's okay, and I hope that we find her sooner rather than later. All of this waiting around is making me antsy and I just want to get on the road and start our search. I sigh softly, and rub my temple with one hand as I stare out the window still, trying to will away this growing headache.

"Finally!" Matt shouts, scaring the crap out of me and causing me to yelp, jump up and bump my head on the roof of the coach. I look around at my fellow passengers, realize they are both eyeing me like I've gone mad, and move to sit back down in my seat and rub the top of my head in shame. After a long moment of Will staring at me, one brow raised in curious amusement, he looks over at Matt and begins to speak.

"What?"

"What do you mean, what? Look out the window, friend. We're home! Finally!" He reaches one hand up to pump it in the air, then gives a victorious little whoop as we both turn to look out Will's window and study our surroundings.

There it is.. The dreaded City of the Dead. The one place in Irodon that is absolutely flooded with blood-sucking demons who would like nothing more than to pull me out of this car and rip open my throat. I shrink away from the window, lifting a hand to rub my neck.

I have to admit, as I peer out the window again, that the city is beautifully built. Even the buildings on the outskirts of the city are elegant, with pure white walls and current gold trimming to adorn every window and doorway. As we get closer to the heart of the city, the grandeur only grows. The buildings become much taller with high arching windows and more of that gold trimming on doors, even their clothing is lined with the stuff. All of this wealth and prosperity, and here my family and I have been living in near filth, just barely scraping by. The way these leeches live continues to make me sick.

I settle back into my seat, making a point to avoid looking out the window as I stare at my feet, counting the seconds until we park this damn thing and I can get out and stretch my legs. When we finally pull to a stop, I can't help but look out again, my curiosity clearly ruling over my hatred for the monsters that reside here. Just in front of the carriage is a gate taller even than some of these buildings, made entirely of hard stone, marble I think, and spotted with, you guessed it, more gold. I roll my eyes and watch as the gates glide open to reveal the great castle of Irodon.

If I was impressed before, this place takes the cake. All of the cakes. There must be ten flipping towers on this thing, it looks like I could fit our entire village and a few of the neighboring towns as well in this one house. How many people live here again? Not enough, I'm sure. For creatures of such darkness, I have to admit, I didn't think their homes would seem so.. Light.

The cart continues forward until we circle around to the front door and it finally pulls to a stop again, hopefully for the last time. My legs desperately need a break from being cramped up here for so long. I look up at Will to find him staring at me, smirking slightly as he motions for me to get out. I stand, crouched down, of course, I don't want to hit my head for a second time today, and step towards the door and out of the coach at last. I move to the side quickly, to allow for Will and Matthias to climb out, as I do a couple of quick stretches to regain some feeling back in my toes.

"Matthias, I trust you can handle the captives and have the luggage sent to my rooms. Father wanted to see me immediately upon our arrival. I'm going to head on up." I watch as Matthias nods once and heads back to the luggage cart, barking orders at the nearby bellhops to grab their things. I stare a moment longer, see Matt yank a young girl unceremoniously down from the cart so that she falls on her face in the dirt, and instantly, remorse and a thick layer of sadness wash over me which ultimately forces me to finally tear my eyes away.

Will looks at me and tilts his head, beckoning me after him, as he begins to ascend the stairs up to the enormous front doors. Lost in thought and tortured by guilt, I follow behind him. That could be me, is the only thought that runs through my head. I could just as easily be in their shoes. Just as easily be r***d, beaten, and prepared for slaughter. The only thing that separates me from those girls is Will. In another world, I likely would've been face first in that dirt instead of walking up these steps, protected by my soulmate.

Snap out of it. I order myself, there's nothing you can do for them now. Or is there? I stumble slightly as I reach the top step and wait for the doormen to open the doors and usher us inside. Maybe there is a way to protect the others. If I could just talk to Will, find a way around all of these blood suckers, maybe we can find something to help them. I'll have to keep thinking on it, but I cannot allow myself to give up so easily.

Will grabs my wrist gently, which snaps me out of my thoughts and back into the moment, and pulls me inside after him, sending me a questioning look. How long was I standing there? Did he say something? I really need to stop spacing out and pay attention. I offer an uneasy, lopsided smile to hopefully reassure him that I'm okay and turn to focus in on the room as we steadily move through it.

The foyer is huge, with high vaulted ceilings and a grand staircase all done up in black and gold. The amount of open space in the place is ridiculous, elegant and even a little overwhelming. I could easily get lost here if I didn't have Will to lead the way. There are two hallways on either side of us and just to the right of the stairs there looks to be a much larger opening that would lead into a living area or maybe the kitchen. Of course, everything is clean and in pristine condition, since they likely have more human slaves around than they know what to do with in this city.

Looking around, even the walls are a very creamy white, the floors are a beautiful swirling marble and there are a few tasteful tables, pictures, and plants scattered throughout the room, which makes it feel more homey. I follow Will towards the stairs, soaking everything in as we climb up to the next floor. More long hallways and closed doors, some statues and end tables with expensive vases and flowers. I wonder again how many people live here and what on earth could possibly be hiding in all of these rooms.

We keep moving up, to the third floor now, and finally get off the stairs and head through one of the mysterious doors into another room, this one even larger than the grand entrance. Inside there appears to be some kind of event going on and I realize for the first time, just how dangerous of a position I'm really in. There must be hundreds of blood red eyes staring at us as we make our way through the room.

I barely have time to notice the set up but I recognize immediately that it must be some kind of banquet hall or something. There are a couple of long tables lined with food, a bunch of round tables for seating, an area large enough for dancing, and a beautiful pianoforte in the corner accompanied by a few other musicians with bows and strings and wind instruments in hand.

I make eye contact with the man sitting behind a set of drums and immediately look down at my feet. I've never seen so many angry faces, felt so many red eyes on me, all gathered together in one space. And they all look like they'd be happy to take a break from their partying to have a midmorning snack. I have a strong urge to run and hide, but I know even if Will wasn't here to protect me, the attempt would be useless and less than effective. I lift shaky fingers up to my throat, letting them run across the collar I know rests there, and try to remind myself that I'm safe even though I feel the furthest thing from it.

I keep my head down, following closely behind Will, as he makes his way through the room to a very large black felt chair atop a small set of stairs. And of course, sitting atop this dark throne is the king of darkness himself. Will's father, King Lucius.

As my eyes wander up to him, I take in his rather lazy looking appearance. He leans very relaxed on the arm of his chair almost like he's bored. He's clad only in a dark, long sleeved button-up shirt that is decidedly not buttoned up in the slightest, and a pair of stylish black jeans and black boots. Not something I would expect a king to wear, but it is sort of fashionable, I guess. My gaze slowly rises up, taking in a slight but muscular build and extremely pale skin. He looks much younger than I'd imagined, maybe just a few years older than Will, which makes it hard to believe he's hundreds of years old and a father. A chiseled jaw and defined cheekbones, dark black and slightly disheveled hair, and finally, a pair of bright blood red eyes aiming a fixed stare right at me.

Startled, I immediately look down at my feet and stop my ascent a few steps lower than Will as a sign of respect, but mostly, fear is what urges me to maintain some distance. I keep my gaze averted though I can feel his eyes on me and wait silently as Will greets his father.

"Hello father." Will murmurs coolly.

"William." is all he says in return.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Will responds.

"Did you pick up my shipment?"

"The slaves are all accounted for. Three will be sent to your chambers and the other ten are meant to be shipped out for the blood feast early tomorrow morning. They're being kept in the jails in the south wing." Will hesitates for a moment as if unsure. "Is that what you wanted to see me about? To confirm the order?"

Slight movement distracts me from my attempt at avoidance and I glance up to see King Lucius gesturing vaguely towards me. My breath catches in my throat and I freeze, unable to look away.

"I see you've picked up a spare. Is she for me?" He licks his lips, his eyes darting to my neck. A shiver runs down my spine and bile rises in my throat.

Will glances back at me, his face devoid of emotion, as if regarding me with blatant disinterest. He turns back to his father and shrugs. "She smells better than most vermin. I thought I might keep her for a while, get my fill."

Lucius's eyes dart to Will and I watch as he studies his face, seemingly searching for something. Another moment and he seems satisfied with his answer and turns his head back to look me over again, subtly scenting the air in my direction. I shrink away from him, wishing I could disappear.

"She certainly is mouthwatering. Mind if I have a taste?" He grins wickedly, flashing his fangs at me. My fear reaches an all-time high as I realize that this predicament I find myself in might very well be inescapable. Will can protect me from literally anyone else, but can he go against his own father's wishes? Would he let him bite me? Does he even have a choice? I wonder what his father would think if he denied him a taste. Would he jump to his own conclusions about us? Is he smart enough to pick up the scent of Will's deception? I quickly turn to stare at Will, noting that his back is rigid straight and his face seems somewhat tense. Is he considering this? Please don't tell me he's considering this..

"She was injured only two days ago, I had to feed her my blood to keep her alive." Will begins, hesitantly. "Feeding from her again so soon could throw her into transition, especially if I have to give her any more of my blood to make up for what you take."

Lucius seems to toss the idea around for a moment before fixing his gaze back on Will. "Why are you so tense William? Is something bothering you?" He straitens slightly, his head tilted as he studies his son closely.

"No." Will shrugs. "I just don't want to lose my pet before I've begun to enjoy her is all."

"I see.." Just how much he sees is unclear, but his demeanor seems to suggest that he's on to something based on Will's strained responses. "Perhaps another time then.." He trails off, his eyes roaming the rest of the room as if he's become disinterested in both of us altogether. "Have the vermin sent to my room relocated here. I'd like to continue to enjoy my party."

Will's shoulders relax and he bows his head. "Of course. Is that all, father?"

"No. I have a package that needs picked up within the next few weeks and I'd like you to make the run. It's rumored to be a rather rare blood type and I'll need someone with some experience in blood-typing to confirm it. As soon as I hear back from my contact, I'll have the information sent to your chambers." He rests his head on his hand, lazily scanning the room before flippantly waving his hand for us to leave. "That is all. You're dismissed."

With a single nod, Will turns to leave, gesturing for me to follow as he weaves his way through the crowd back towards the door we entered before. I follow obediently, sparing one last look behind me at the king to find him watching me as we go. I rush to keep up as Will pulls the door open roughly and storms out into the hall. The second the door falls shut behind us, relief washes over me in waves. That was a close call and for a minute there I didn't think there'd be a way out of that sticky situation. I know I'm not safe yet though. This won't be the last time I have a run in with the king and I have a feeling that he'll make sure of it.

Just as I'm about to open my mouth to voice my concerns, Will turns to me and shakes his head once and taps his ear twice with one hand, silently ordering me to keep quiet for now. I nearly forgot how good vampire hearing is, I could've really screwed things up just now. He turns away from me again and beckons me to follow as he heads down the hall. He opens another door at the end, which leads to a spiral staircase. We climb up to the fourth floor, exit the stairs out into another hallway, which leads to a cluster of doors on the east side of the castle.

He opens the door at the end and we quickly enter into what looks like a very modern bedroom. The colors are a deep royal blue, white, and black, and seem to make the room feel very deep and cozy somehow. There's a king-sized bed with royal blue pillows and a black comforter, a white armoir, black curtains adorn the windows, and there's a sleek white desk with lots of paperwork piled high. In the center of the room is a royal blue area rug with a gorgeous marble table on top and a few loungers surrounding it. To the left is a door leading into what must be the bathroom. Altogether, it's not very different from any of the rooms we've stayed in thus far, but I can tell immediately that this is Will's room.

I turn back to Will after my quick studies just in time to see the door fall closed behind us, affectively sealing us in. I open my mouth to speak, but before any words come out, Will is already on a rant.

"That was close. I didn't expect him to look at you twice and here he was asking for a snack." He growls out. "Lucky that I thought that story up on the spot, and it was only partially a lie so he might not have sensed any deception." He paces towards his bed and back again, repeating the process as he runs his fingers through his already disheveled hair. "I need to keep you as far away from that prick as possible. I don't want him getting any ideas about you. I bet you he's got it in his head to have a sample now that I've already denied him once."

I watch him silently for a moment, unsure what to say and entirely disgusted at the idea of his father's fangs coming anywhere near my neck. Shaking my head, I decide there's nothing to be done about it now but wait, and Will needs me so that takes precedence over any sense of panic that might be blooming in me right now. I take a step towards him, intent on finding some way to calm him down.

"Will, I-" He cuts me off before I can even begin to find the words.

"I can't let him touch you. The man doesn't know what a snack is. He practically drains the life out of every slave he touches when he has just a taste. He could kill you."

"Will-" I start again as an overwhelming sense of fear begins to settle into my chest. He doesn't hear me.

"If he has any inkling of an idea that you might be off limits to him, he'll think something is up. He might catch on to us, which could cause more problems than you know. He'd set out to kill you anyway if he knew the truth."

"Will.." I murmur, breathless now, as my ears start to ring and my mind starts to feel all foggy. I can't listen to this any more.

"What do I do then? How can I protect you if he knows? What if he asks again in a few days when my blood is out of your system? I won't have any excuse good enough to keep his hands off you."

"William!" I practically scream at him, my breath coming too fast and my heart racing a mile a minute. My vision starts to blur and my limbs tingle, clear warning signs that I'm on the verge of passing out. What is happening? Is this a panic attack? Anxiety? All I know is I've never felt so afraid in my life. That man is a monster. Not just a regular blood sucker. He's a 'feast on your flesh when I'm finished draining the life out of you' type of monster. You can see the evil lurking beneath the shadows in his eyes after just one meeting.

Will stops suddenly, turning to look in my direction, seemingly noticing me for the first time since we walked in the room. Worry registers on his face as soon as he notices my current state and he uses vamp speed to get to me quickly, grabbing one arm in an effort to hold me upright. Am I about to fall? One minute I'm standing awkwardly by the door and the next I'm lying on his bed wrapped up in his arms as he pets my hair and whispers soothingly in my ear little sweet nothings to distract me from my thoughts.

"Shh, calm down El. I'm so sorry love, I didn't mean to scare you." He continues to pet my head softly. " Nothing is going to happen to you. I won't let anything happen. Deep breaths, Eleanor. In, out. In, out. That's it. Slow." He kisses my temple as I do what he says, focusing only on my breathing and willing the tingling numbness to go away. A few long moments later, I feel my body start to settle and my lungs don't struggle so much to get air anymore. I've never had a panic attack before and I think it's safe to say I'll die happy if it never happens again.

"I'm sorry. That's never happened before." I mumble tiredly, repeating my thoughts back to him. God, my body feels worn out.

"No, I'm sorry." He responds. "I should've been more empathetic to how you were feeling. I'm sure none of that was what you wanted to hear." He pauses for a long moment, hugging me firmly to his chest. "I swear to you El, I will protect you. You have nothing to worry about, just be cautious and follow my rules and you'll be safe."

I nod once and close my eyes, allowing myself to relax as the warmth between us spreads and my body begins to feel heavy. "Can we forget about this for now? I don't think I have the energy to think about him anymore." He nods once and I can feel him shifting so that he's lying on his back before he tugs me to lay against him, my head resting on his chest. "No offense, your dad's a creep." I tack on sleepily, hoping it will lighten the current somber mood.

He chuckles softly. "No kidding. I hate the guy. Always have, even when I was just a kid. Though my reasons are a little different now."

"Different how?" I reply, brows furrowed with curiosity.

"He was always so distant and sometimes even cruel. It's clear the man was never meant to be a father. He doesn't have a nurturing bone in his body. It was always a tutor looking after me, or sometimes the slaves. My parents were both equally absent in my life. As an only child, it got sort of lonely." He shrugs.

My poor little William, I think sadly to myself as I stifle a yawn of pure exhaustion. Damn, those attacks can suck the life right out of you. I can't imagine what life must have been like for him. My life has always been so full of love and laughter. He seems to have suffered more heartache, even as a child his life wasn't as easy or care free as it ought to have been.

"Well you have me now, so you don't ever have to be that again." I whisper to him, feeling what little energy I had left after the attack begin to drift away the longer I lay there, soaking up his warmth.

"I know." He whispers back. "I'll always have you.." He trails off, lost in thought for a moment or two and I think I may have dozed off before he begins again. "Why don't you have a little nap? I'll stay right here. You'll feel much better when you wake up."

I mumble something unintelligible, the movement required to speak not seeming worth the effort as I settle slowly into a fitful but somewhat restful sleep in the safety of my mate's arms.