The Blood King

3: Fall From Grace

RAYN...

I SAW her again and she looked straight at me. I felt her within a close proximity from me because I had marked her and I always knew where she was or what she was doing. I felt her happiness, her sadness, her confusion and at times her fear. Whenever I felt these feelings, I always wanted to be where she was,  to assure her that everything was going to be alright but who was I kidding? 

Everything was not alright.

For the past six months I have been running for my life. I was being hunted down like a wild animal by those I once called family and trusted beyond anyone else. That last thing I needed was to have Olivia in danger as I was. What I did to her was wrong but it was only choice I had to try and save her life. If she had died, I would have been consumed with a guilt I knew that not even in the next life I would have been forgiven. Her friend died that night because of Cedric and I. 

I felt overwhelming relief running through me and I knew it wasn't only mine but hers as well. I made the habit of visiting her in her dreams but she was always plagued by the events of six months ago. That night was manifesting in different shapes and forms every single night and everyday, as her fear for that night got stronger, the dreams also got stronger. I could no longer win the battle in her dreams and I had to come and make her realize that I was alright but she needed to move on from that night.

She was one of the reasons why I returned to the place where it all started. There was a second reason however and that reason had been leaving a trail of bodies across the States. All the bodies were thin with punch marks in their wrists and arms as if they were addicts but I knew better. The bodies looked weak and they had a pallor that told me they had not been sleeping well. This was a serial killer we had been searching for, for a while. This was the person that was going to clear my name.

I broke eye contact with her, content that she recognized me though I tried my best to remove her memories of me that faithful night. Unlike other mundanes I  had to perform the act to, Olivia had a very strong mind and it was the reason why she was plagued with the dreams. Also, it was the reason why she had a strong connection with me. 

"It was not a good idea returning here, Rayn." Cedric said with concern. He too must have seen her but pretended she was the least interesting thing at that moment. "I would have done the search myself."

"And have Dominiq slaughter you like a worthless beast?" I arched my eyebrow at my guard and my best friend.

Cedric and I grew up together. It was a tradition that was very much practiced in my world. We were first introduced to each other when we were only five years old. We studied, ate and practiced together and when we reached puberty, our roles were dictated to us and that was when hierarchy played its twisted joke on us and we ended up someone and their bodyguard. However, everyone knew the last thing to do was to treat Cedric badly because they had my wrath to face. He was my brother before he was my guard.

Cedric smirked. "He could only dream of it. This rogue is not a normal one and you know it. Rayn, how many rogues have we hunted down?"

Truth be told, I had lost count. Many of my brothers and sisters were turning their backs on the light and pursuing a power that was nothing but a sweet promise of a painful death and a damned soul that would never see peace even after death. 

We were what they called The Enlightened in ancient times or Bloods currently; a race of beings far more superior than any human. We were around before time and we lived in parallel with the humans but within this time, the fragile humans saw us as a threat. One thing that made us appear as a threat was the dependency of different affinities within humans. Others might have called us vampires but that was far from the truth. Yes, we needed blood but it wasn't the blood that we were after but the affinities within it. Some were after a s*x high, others a sleep high and others adrenaline. The list went on according to the category of Bloods you fell. However, we never killed and fed off the willing. One feeding could last you months of which in between we ate like normal humans. 

Unfortunately the feeding became addictive to others and they overfed which lead them to become rogues. This action was called a Fall From Grace. These type of feeders killed and were hunted down and killed before they became what we called Destroyers; powerful rogues that could slaughter an entire town in one night.

This was one of the reasons why the humans hated us. Another reason was that their little hearts became greedy for power and authority over everything and the peace treaties between the races broke. The humans knew our weakness and that was our oath not to hurt anything lesser than us. A full war broke out between us and the mundanes and we were forced to retreat to the far corners of the world where the humans couldn't survive. Some of us went to the deepest parts of the jungles while other resided in the highest peaks of mountains. Many went to the coldest polars of the earth. We were peaceful for a while but there were a few among our ranks who believed we needed to retaliate and take back our rightful places in the society. My father, King Mikhail, didn't want to hear of that and unfortunately, he paid with his life and the throne was taken by his younger brother, Dominiq. He exiled my mother and I to the out-lands with the warning that if we ever stepped foot in the motherlands, we paid with our lives.

We took refuge among my father's most trusted guards who were also exiled and they became family. That was where I met Cedric and we lived peacefully there for many years.

However seven months ago, hounds were sent our way--to kill off my father's legacy; me. I could see King Dominiq doing such a thing because his first born was coming of age and would be sworn in as the crown prince. According to tradition, I was allowed to challenge Verik, my cousin, for the crown but that was not my style. The moment they threatened my life and the life of my mother, they motivated me to go straight for the head of the serpent; Dominique himself. He was the reason why a lot of Bloods were in danger and there was an increase in the number of rogues running around.

Dominiq claimed Blackstone Creek as part of the motherland because he knew that was where my father guards, my mother and I relocated to all those years back. It was the 'supposed' reason why we were attacked that faithful night Olivia almost lost her life. I was able to return here because it had not been officially announced to be under the monarchy but I was still in a lot of danger. 

"He has hounds everywhere. He will sniff you out before you can make it to the borders." Cedric assured me but all I did was smile.

I was done hiding and Dominiq was going to pay for what he put me and my mother through. He was a coward hiding behind his throne and having the people around him dictate what needed to be done. I was done cowering from a coward and I wanted the information that I was going after him to reach him the soonest.

"My hounds are better than his." I teased and Cedric rolled his eyes before chuckling.

"Look at you. You have suddenly grown balls, huh? Mother will be proud. Does she know you are back here?" Cedric asked.

Thinking about how fragile and concerned my mother was, I frowned. I didn't tell her of what I was doing because I didn't want her to worry herself to a sickbed. "I hope you didn't say anything, Ced. Mother's health is not as it used to be."

Cedric hummed in agreement. "She worries too much." 

"Did you speak to the informant? Is he expecting us?" I changed the subject because every time I thought about the existence my mother was forced to live, sorrow filled my heart. She didn't deserve such a life because she was the epitome of goodness.

Cedric nodded as we entered a narrow dark alley. It was a little shady in that part of the town but then again I knew those streets like the back on my hand because Cedric and I spent hours training in them with my father's guards. Though people saw us around the town, most of them didn't remember us...with exceptions of people like Olivia.

"She recognized me." I finally let out the secret that had been eating at me from the moment I got off that car and saw her through the window.

Cedric remained quiet for the longest time to the point I thought that maybe he didn't hear me. When I wanted to repeat the comment again, he sighed and said. "I have never seen royal blood in action until that night. I was very afraid of what you did because I saw what happened to the other humans who were exposed to the blood. They didn't react well and we had to put them down. If the council caught I whiff of this, they would have buried you so deep into the earth that no light would find you."

"She's special." I knew it from that night I saw her lying on the cold ground bleeding because unlike her friend, she had a strong will to live. No one could have survived a hound attack like that. She and her friend had walked right into a battle ground and became victims of circumstance.  

"She must have a very good psychic ability to be able to survive the blood and to recognize you. Do you think Dominiq knows about her?" Cedric asked with concern.

"Dominiq is family. He can smell his family's blood from a mile away. I am pretty sure he has sent people to scout her and find out what she knows. This is the perfect season for the Bloods to walk among the humans." I commented knowing my uncle very well. The only thing that has kept Olivia alive until now was the fact that she didn't know anything but I was sure Dominiq's hounds were always close-by, watching out for her actions.

That meant I had to stay away from her until everything was set in place...the only thing was, I couldn't take her off my mind. I couldn't forget her haunting brown eyes or her angel-like features. She was goodness, just like my mother but she became strong when she needed to. I couldn't see anyone else living a normal life after that ordeal six months ago but Olivia continued with her life. She smiled, she laughed and she went on about her days as if all was but a bad dream. Even with all the bad dreams she was having, she pushed them aside and continued living. Her persistence was incredible and all it made me want to do was to know a little more about her.

We finally came to the place where our informant was residing. We were committing a crime and that was why we had to do everything under wraps. The place was dark and dingy with the floors squeaking and the walls grimy. 

"My king..." A raspy voice came from one of the dark corners of the house and I used my night sight to make out the person there. He was a Blood and he looked thoroughly shook that I was there. "I know this is not a place for you to be but it was the best I could do. King Dominiq has eyes in every corner of this town."

I gave him a nod. Many of my father's followers who believed that he was in the right by sending us into the mountains when the humans threatened to annihilate us believed I was their true king and addressed me as such. They lived normal lives among the humans and only came out as  Bloods when the need was dire. "You've done well. I heard you were able to get the body?" He nodded vigorously and I turned to Cedric and the head of my other guards. "Finley, you and your men watch out for the front door. Any unfamiliar scent and we get out here the quickest. Ced, come with me."

Finley, like Cedric and most of the guards for the royal Blood families were what we called Hounds. They were basically Lycanthropes that swore an oath to protect the Enlightened forever so all generations born within their ranks were automatically assimilated into the system. We lived like brothers with them because they too posed a threat to the humans and were grouped together with Bloods. 

One characteristic about the Hounds was that they were very powerful beings in strength and agility and that was why they made good guards and soldiers. They were also very loyal and it was the reason why my father's guards broke off from the royal protection unit and were exiled. They also had a kin sense of smell and hearing but unlike the stories read in books, they didn't only shift during a full moon nor was silver their worst poison. They had their weaknesses that was always a secret but during my time with them, the only times I saw them get hurt was during a brawl with their fellows when they tried to protect me and my mother. Their healing ability was also exceptional because shredded tissue healed in seconds. 

Cedric and I walked to the other part of the house where there was a grimy window that brought in light and right in the middle of the small room was a worn-out cot with a body of a woman in the middle of it.

"She was found last night in Blackstone Forest by a bunch of trekkers. We had to erase the memories of the trekkers and get the body out of there before it brought trouble for us." the informant spoke softly.

I examined the body. It had the same characteristics as the previous bodies that we came across which meant the rogue was in Blackstone. Baggy and blackened eyes, ashy skin, very thin body and punch marks on her wrists and arms like those of a drug junkie. If the body was found, the authority would have ruled it out as a junkie who overdosed. This particular rogue was clever.

"Did you take any saliva samples from the punch marks?" I asked the informant as I lifted the dead woman's hand and studied her nails. There was a blue color that was forming in the roots and I knew she hadn't been dead for a long time. Forty eight hours at most which meant the rogue could still be in town. The blue color meant one type of Enlightened rogue.

"An incubus rogue." Both the informant and I stated at the same time.

"He fed on the s*x high and it's the reason why they all have the baggy eyes and didn't eat." Cedric commented as if to himself. "A f*****g pervert if you ask me."

"We need to find him before anyone else is killed." I said as I let the dead woman's hand fall back onto the bed and turned to the door. "I need to clear my name."

"They said you Fell from Grace as well, my king. But I didn't believe it. I knew they are just trying to spread rumors to tarnish your good name." The informant said.

I had Fallen from Grace as their King but not as an Enlightened and this was the reason why I was hunting for this particular incubus Blood rogue. It started a few months after I was chased out of Blackstone Creek. Rumors started circulating that I had Fallen from Grace and I was now killing innocents. The strange part of it all was that bodies followed me where I went. I stopped running and started following the bodies but every time, the rogue eluded me and my team of highly trained hounds. I needed to find this particular rogue and clear my name before my people lost faith in me and I failed to claim my right as the Blood King. 

"Falling from Grace is the last thing on my mind. Tell your friends that I am alright." I said and saw how Cedric's head suddenly snapped up. I knew Finley had contacted him psychically because of imminent danger. "We need to go."

Cedric gave me a tight nod and we quickly made our way out. I stopped short on my tracks outside the house when I saw a sight that almost stopped my heart. Two people walked past where we were and the woman turned to me and dazzled me with her smile before giving me a short wave of her hand.

I knew her...and I knew the man who was talking on his phone. He suddenly stopped talking on his phone and acknowledged me too before he continued walking forward with the woman. Finley and his men had already surrounded me because they smelled their royal blood.

Jaylan and Tamara; Dominiq's second and third born and my cousins. They knew I was around which meant Verik and Dominiq knew too. 

I never had a quarrel with the two and I never knew where they stood but it was better to be safe than sorry. Jaylan and Tamara were very close, going around together and making trouble but it wasn't the kind of trouble normal youth wouldn't get into. The last I heard they were in Alaska but it seemed the cold got the best of them...unless Dominiq gave them Blackstone to govern until he knew what to do with it.

Either way, I had to leave that place as soon as possible.

"The f**k!" Cedric grunted in surprise. "What the hell are they doing here?"

"I am not about to find out." I told Cedric. "Let's get out of here." 

Finley and his men flanked Cedric and I and directed us back to the cars. The engines were already running by the time we got there. I didn't even get the chance to see Olivia again as I made a haste to get out of there before the hounds came charging down on us. We had to find a place to reside in for a while outside the borders of Blackstone if we wanted to wake up with our skins still intact that is.

Dominiq was working too hard to keep me away which meant there must be something that he was plotting. The unfortunate part was that he underestimated me because of my father's compassion. I had compassion alright, but my compassion was directed at justice and I had a burning desire to serve that to him on a fiery platter the day we met face to face again.

Without anymore waste of time, we drove out of that place waiting to see when the rogue would strike again.