Blood Rose Kings

Ryker Chapter - 4

I watched Evelyn storm off to her bedroom, her fiery spirit and curses still lingering in the air. The other three vampires - Kael, Asher, and Cormac - turned to me, their expressions ranging from amusement to annoyance.

"Well, that was entertaining," Asher said, chuckling.

"I've never seen anyone dare to curse us before."

"It's not funny, Asher," I said, my voice firm. "We need to talk about this. Evelyn's blood is special, and we need to protect her."

"Protect her?" Kael repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"She doesn't want our protection, Ryker. She made that clear."

"That's because she doesn't understand the danger she's in," I replied.

"We need to make her see reason."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Cormac asked, his deep voice skeptical.

He added. "We're using her for her blood too."

I hesitated, unsure of the answer.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Of course, but we need her to trust us to make our plan work."

Evelyn's attraction to us was palpable, but so was her hatred.

We needed to find a way to break down her walls and gain her trust.

"I don't know yet," I admitted.

"She's a tough one", Asher chuckled, licking his bottom lip.

"Can you not?" Cormac said with annoyance.

"We need to show her her place" Kael said with rage.

I don't blame him, I am angry too. No one spoke to us like that.

Asher must have sensed my anger, because he said, "Seriously ry, all it takes is a little patience."

Cormac nodded.

Kael groaned while I frowned.

"We need to earn her trust. And we'll bend her to our will," Cormac said, with a menacing smile.

"I don't want to warm up to some human because she won't cooperate" I spat.

Asher rolled his eyes. Kael agreed with me.

"Do you want her blood or not, brother?" Cormac said with anger in his tone.

"Fine!"

"But we need to try. We can't just leave her unprotected," Asher said.

"We're using her for her blood. Why do we need to protect her?" I asked annoyed.

"So that other low-rank vampires won't feed on her, and we can have her blood all to ourselves" Asher said, matching my tone.

The others nodded in agreement, and we began brainstorming ways to win Evelyn's trust and protect her from those who sought to exploit her special blood.

Posey walked in, her eyes scanning the room with a mixture of concern and annoyance. "What's going on here?"

Evelyn stood up, relief written across her face. "Ryker and Kael were just trying to convince me to cooperate."

Cormac stepped forward, his voice smooth. "We're willing to work with you, Posey. We want to find a solution that benefits both humans and vampires."

Posey raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're just trying to get what you want without caring about the consequences."

Asher intervened, his voice calm. "Posey, we value our relationship with the Elder's Society. We want to work together to find a solution that works for everyone."

Posey looked at Asher, then at Evelyn. "Fine. I'll listen. But if I think for one second that you're trying to manipulate or exploit Evelyn, I'll walk away and make sure the Elder's Society takes action."

Posey's words hung in the air, and I could feel my temper rising.

How dare she question our motives?

"Enough, Posey," I growled, my fangs bared.

"We don't need your permission to do what's necessary."

Kael's eyes flashed with anger, and he took a step forward. "Yeah, we don't need some human telling us what to do."

Posey stood her ground, her eyes flashing with defiance. "You're not going to bully me, Ryker. I know what you're doing, and I won't let you use Evelyn like this."

I snarled, my patience wearing thin. "You don't know anything, Posey. And even if you did, you wouldn't understand."

Evelyn stepped forward, her voice trembling. "Posey, stop. Just stop. You don't know what's going on."

Posey's eyes narrowed. "Oh, I think I do, Evelyn. And I'm not going to let them get away with it."

Kael's face twisted in anger, and he took another step forward. "You're just a human, Posey. You don't get to dictate what we do."

Asher intervened, his voice calm but firm. "Kael, Ryker, stop. This isn't helping."

But I was beyond reason. "No, Asher. We need to make it clear who's in charge here."

Cormac's deep voice cut through the tension. "Ryker, Kael, that's enough. We're not going to resolve this by fighting."

I took a deep breath, trying to rein in my temper. But I knew that Posey was getting close to the truth. And if she discovered our secret...Let's just say that it won't look good for us.

I glared at her. She glared back.

Bitch

Evelyn's eyes narrowed, her gaze flicking between us. "Fine. I'll talk to you. But I'm only doing this because I want to know what you're planning, not because I care about any of you."

Posey's face twisted in disapproval. "Evelyn, don't do this. You can't trust them."

Evelyn's jaw set in determination. "I can handle myself, Posey. And I need to know what's going on."

I felt a surge of triumph.

We had won the first battle. But as Evelyn's gaze met mine, I saw something there that gave me pause. A spark of attraction, quickly hidden behind her anger.

We sat down in the library, the tension between us palpable. Evelyn's arms crossed, her eyes flashing with hostility.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" she spat.

Kael leaned forward, his eyes locked on hers. "We want to discuss your blood, Evelyn. And how we can...work together."

Evelyn's laughter was harsh. "You mean how you can use me for my blood? No thanks."

I felt my temper rise, but Asher intervened before I could speak.

"Evelyn, we understand that you're angry. But we're willing to work with you to find a solution that benefits both humans and vampires."

Evelyn's gaze flicked to Asher, her expression softening slightly. But then her mask slipped back into place.

"I doubt that," she said, her voice cold.

As we talked, I couldn't help but notice the way Evelyn's eyes flashed with anger, the way her lips curled in disdain.

But beneath that, I saw something else.

A spark of attraction, a glimmer of curiosity.

And I knew that I wasn't the only one who saw it.

Kael's eyes locked onto hers, his gaze burning with intensity.

Asher's expression was calm, but I saw the hint of a smile playing on his lips.

And Cormac...Cormac's eyes never left hers, his gaze piercing and intense.

Evelyn leaned back in her chair, her eyes never leaving ours. "So, what's the plan? How do you intend to use my blood?"

Kael's smile was charming, but I knew it was fake. "We're willing to offer you protection, Evelyn. In exchange for your...cooperation."

Evelyn snorted. "Protection? From what? You're the ones who need my blood. What could you possibly protect me from?"

Asher leaned forward, his voice calm. "There are others who would use your blood for their own gain. We can keep you safe from them."

Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "Others? What others?"

I hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. But Kael jumped in, his voice smooth.

"Rivals, Evelyn. Other vampires who wouldn't hesitate to use you for their own purposes."

Evelyn's gaze narrowed. "And what makes you think I'd be safer with you?"

Cormac spoke up, his deep voice commanding attention. "We have the resources to protect you. And we're willing to make concessions to ensure your safety."

Evelyn's eyes flicked to Cormac, her expression unreadable. "Concessions? What kind of concessions?"

Kael smiled again. "We're willing to offer you a place in our world, Evelyn. A place of power and influence."

Evelyn laughed, the sound harsh. "You think I want power? You think that's what I'm after?"

I leaned forward, my voice low. "What do you want, Evelyn? What do you really want?"

Evelyn's gaze locked onto mine, her eyes flashing with anger. But for a moment, I saw something else.

A glimmer of vulnerability.

"What I want," she said, her voice cold, "is to be left alone. To live my life without being used by vampires like you."

The room fell silent, the tension between us palpable.

I knew we had to tread carefully.

Evelyn was fragile, and we couldn't afford to push her too far.