A Vampire's Marine (boyxboy)

Chapter 54: The S.S. Christoah

Chapter 54

~Kaio~

"Release him Marcan," Lord Riener commanded, "he has lost far too much blood."

"Take a solitary step in this direction Riener, and the human will meet his end far more quickly than scheduled." Lord Marcan's gaze never wavered from Lord Kandane as he spoke.

He was taking far more pleasure than he should have from the sight of Lord Kandane's slight crack in composure. His eyes, which merely a moment before had been filled with anger, were now tinged with mirth. This did not bode well for any party involved in the current transaction.

I tore my eyes away from his face and settled my gaze on the bloodied human, whose knees had long ago buckled from the trauma inflicted on his weakened frame. The rich scent of his blood permeated the courtyard and I felt a deep shame inside myself when I felt the saliva pool in my mouth. I, like, undoubtedly, so many others of our kind, craved a taste of the red vital fluid that flowed from his deep wound and decorated his ripped clothing.

His brow was beaded with perspiration, and though his eyelids were slightly parted, I wondered if he was still aware of what was transpiring; I harbored my doubts. The human was dying, and in but a matter of minutes, the small amount of life force that remained within him would drain from his body; leaving him nothing more than a cooling corpse to be buried under six feet of brown soil.

I glanced once more at Lord Kandane, whose face was set in stone; betraying no feeling. His fists, which were clenched at his sides, were the only evidence of his displeasure. I watched in surprise as blood began to seep through his fingers; his nails having clearly pierced his own flesh. I followed the trail of his ichor as it dripped to the ground at his feet, then staggered backwards in horror as the ground began to shudder. In an instant, it fractured beneath him and the cracks quickly fanned out into a million tiny splinters, which grew in size until they came to an abrupt stop at Marcan's feet.

The silence, which had long ago descended the courtyard, broke and a cacophony of voices rose up in awe and ill-contained fear. Some, who stood too close to either brother, withdrew into the shadows, while others simply looked on; transfixed. The wolves turned their large matted heads to the ground; whimpering nervously and I pressed a hand to my chest in hopes of quieting my pounding heart.

"So it is true." The words were uttered by my Lord Riener, who observed Lord Kandane as though he were a fascinating scientific experiment. There was no fear in his gaze and there was no surprise. His expression was that of a creature who had made a thrilling discovery, which he had no intention of sharing with the world.  My unease grew as I glanced between them.

"What's happening?" came Malik's quiet question and my Keeper smiled; a slow, mirthless tilt of his lips that usually warned me that something was brewing beneath the surface.

"It seems my brother has mastered the art of secret keeping." Was all he said and though Mal's brows furrowed in his confusion, he said nothing more.

"We have underestimated you dear brother," Lord Marcan spat; the angry glint reappearing in his eyes. "but then how could we have guessed that the rumor was more than myth?"

"Is this what all your years spent in the warrior coven has taught you? How to terrorize humans?" Lord Kandane's voice was cold and unforgiving.

Lord Marcan laughed. "And you, brother? Who was it who taught you to harbor greed in your heart? and was it that the same teacher who taught you to massacre you own people?" I could feel the tension between them mounting. It was as though a thick wall of unease had descended the camp and all who were trapped inside were slowly by surely suffocating from its potency.