A vampire's Choice
Chapter 25

The chain around his neck rustled as he shifted his body into a better position, the skin raw from where the cold steel rammed into him. Luke allowed the pain to fuel him, the hunger to grow the darkness within. "I will be the death of you, mock my words.” His voice came out rough and broken. The lack of liquids making his throat like sandpaper, rubbing together painfully. In the darkroom, Luke made a promise to himself; he will not only find and kill the vampire and human but also the creature who locked him up. The last few times he spoke to it, he had learned its weakness, what scared him, and it was a woman. Letting out a snort, Luke laughed thinking about fearing a creature beneath men. Women are weak, only there to serve men, until their frail bodies broke down. And this seemingly powerful entity feared one. Not so powerful after all. With a smile on his face, Luke dropped his head forward, a thick cloud swarming his mind. Drifting off to sleep, all he could think about was holding its heart in his hands while standing over its dead body.

Wake up

The voice burst past the darkness of his mind, jerking his body awake. On high alert, Luke glanced around the room, but it was empty. Thinking it was maybe a dream, he slumped back down, closing his eyes.

I said, wake up.

"Where are you? Come out so I could kill you." Luke shouted at an empty void.

A sinister laugh echoed about the room, bouncing off the bare walls as it surrounded him. Letting out an angered growl, Luke grabbed the chains, yanking them. His strength was gone, leaving a small dent from where he was bolted to the steel wall. The progress angers him, and he let out a roar, using the last of his will, making him slump into himself, leaning against the cool steel in frustration.

You finished? The voice mocked.

Not caring anymore, he remained quiet. Rather watch to see what happens.

Good. I am glad to see you are still yourself.

"Go fuck yourself." Luke grated out.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Is that how you speak to your savior?

"You put me in the chains." Luke lifted his hands in the air to make a point, letting them rattle as he swung them around.

I did it for your own good.

"And that is?"

It would help if you learned that failure has a price. And after so many failed attempts, you should be dead.

"Then why am I not?" Luke straightened himself, dragging his butt along the ground to pull himself against the wall. The reason he was still alive piqued his curiosity, and he was eager to hear it.

A sudden blinding light burst before him, forcing Luke to cover his eyes. As his eyes adjusted, he slowly lowered them, opening and closing his eyes until he spotted the form in the room. With the new light, the condition of this place was revealed. Dust covered the ground with dark spots scattered around. When he was first forced in here, the stench of old blood and death filled his nose, scaring him for the first time in his life. But as hours dragged into days, the smell had become a part of him, a glimpse of the death he awaits, or so he thought. Focus back on the light; a figure approached him. Every time they met before, the creature was a ball of power or a silhouette of a man full of electricity. For the first time, he glimpsed the man behind the power.

As the body stopped in front of him, it bends its knees to lower itself. The light was still in the room, making it hard to catch more detail. Squinting his eyes, Luke noticed a few minor details. From the neck down, the figure was shrouded in darkness, but its face unveiled itself. Dark hair covered the top, the length almost reaching where the shoulders should be. Next came the eyes; dark, deep, and soulless. A long, sharp nose pointed out, and a smile revealed two lines of perfect teeth.

Luke watched amazed as he inspected this thing. He claimed he was a God, but before him stood just a man hiding behind tricks.

"You are not dead because I am giving you one final chance," he spoke.

A mesmerizing glamour washed over Luke as the man spoke, his voice like the sweetest nectar. With a new need to serve, Luke frantically nodded yes. "I am here to serve, my lord."

With a devilish smile, Deimos reached out and grasped the chains, pulling at them hard. With ease, the bolts ripped from the wall, falling to the ground in a big clunk. Standing straight, he stepped back and allowed Luke to rise.

"You will go out and do as I wish."

Luke's mind screamed to attack, but the lull of the voice forced him to stand and listen, filling him with a need to obey. "What is your wish?"

"Go out and bring me back the girl, Lisa. I want her alive." Deimos demanded.

"And the vampire?" Luke asked.

"Leave him alive as well. I have a surprise for him, but I need the girl."

"Yes, sir. What about the rest of the pack?"

Stepping to the side to reveal an open door, Deimos watched as Luke strode past, murder in his eyes, and with parting words, he dissolved into thin air, his plan set in motion.

"Kill them all."

Her sleeping form looked peaceful, her face relaxed. Blond hair framing her beautiful face, eyes closed, denying him the pleasure of staring into them. Stepping closer to the bed, Roger slowly sat down, taking care as not to wake her. He could do this for hours, just watching her sleep, but not tonight. They needed to talk as soon as possible.

Reluctantly, he leaned forward to gently grasp her shoulder, shaking lightly. "Lisa," Roger murmured.

Lisa groaned a few times, slapping at the person trying to wake her up. "Leave me alone,” she rumbled.

"I am sorry, sweetheart, but we need to talk," Roger spoke a bit louder, and Lisa's eyes shot open.

"Roger." Lisa sat up before moving away from him, hitting the headboard with her back. The shock of seeing so soon made her scrunch the blanket up, pulling it under her chin.

"I am sorry." Roger saw the fear in her eyes and moved away a few inches, his butt almost falling off the bed.

"Why... why are you here?" Lisa asked.

Taking a deep breath, Roger replied. “We need to talk about what you saw last night and what we both learned about our pasts."

"And this couldn't wait until the morning?" she pointed out.

"I couldn't sleep, and I don't think I will be able to until I say my peace."

"Fine." Lisa gave in. Truth be told, she also wanted to talk. Lowering the blanket to her legs, she played with the ends as he began.

"I am so sorry for what you saw. That was an old me, from so long ago."

"How am I supposed to look at you now. All I see is the monster who stabbed a defenseless woman."

Roger's shoulders drop. He had no explanation, but he did learn one thing from all of it. "Just know it wasn't my choice. It made me do it. I realize now that I do not want to be that monster." Straightening his spine, Roger looked Lisa up and down before a smile slowly spread on his lips, revealing his sharp fangs. "I have to be that monster."

"What...” Her words cut off as Roger reached out, wrapping his hands around her neck, pressing down.

Lisa's innocent eyes pleading looked up at him, tears forming in them. Pressing harder, Roger watched as her light skin turned red, then blue. She tried to fight back as tiny fists punched his chest and face, but he was too strong.

"Stop,” she croaked out, the last of her breath leaving her body.

With a final push, Roger snapped her neck, and her head rolled to the side. Letting go, he watched as her lifeless body slumped forward before standing up and turning towards the chair in the corner. Rebecca sat watching him, a smirk on display. Slowly standing up, she swayed her hips seductively and slowly, reaching out to him.

"We can finally be together, my love." Rebecca purred, running her fingers through his hair. Grabbing a tight fistful, she pulled him down to her, placing a deep kiss on his lips before pushing him away. "Only one of us can be alive, and you chose well, my love."

"Anything for you, Rebecca," Roger exclaimed before grabbing her fine form to pull her closer.

"You got that right." Rebecca purred as Roger kissed her neck, opening a view of Lisa's dead body.

"I am your true mate, not that thing."

A bright ray of sunshine pierced his vision, forcing Roger to shoot awake. The dream felt so real. He could almost feel her soft skin on his fingertips, the warmth leaving her body. Raising his hands close to his face, Roger scoured them, making sure her scent was not over them. But it came back clean. Sweat dripped down his forehead, and he moved to wipe the liquid away, taking a deep, calming breath at the same time. Over the long course of his life, dreams had become stable. The good and the bad, the horrific and pleasant, a way for him to see the loved ones he had lost and to gaze into the eyes of the ones he had taken from this earth too soon. For the second time in weeks, the dream felt realistic, and the woman all too familiar. After Rebecca's death, Roger had mourned for her naturally, but slowly overtimes, the heartache had vanished, making him seem even more of a monster, but Nix had explained why that was.

Getting up from the now-uncomfortable bed, he made his way to the bathroom. If there weren't a beast intended to kill them, or a dangerous God, Roger would have explored the luxuries of this fine room at a luxurious pace. So, with a slight shrug, Roger passed over the enormous, marbled tub, big enough to fit three grown humans, and instead focused on the shower, with its high power head even he was envious of. Turning on the hot water to full power, Roger shed his clothes before entering the already steamed cubicle. The searing spray crashed into his body, relaxing the tense muscles. Shoving his head under the water, Roger closed his eyes, relinquishing the stress from the last couple of months, only focusing on Nix's words. Whatever she was, her powers were great, their effects on him mighty. For years he had believed that it was a curse placed on him for his actions by an outraged force more outstanding than him. Only half of it was true. A powerful being did place this curse on him, but she said it was not supposed to be a curse but a gift. Curling his fist tightly, Roger mentally cursed the woman. Her 'help,' as she put it, has made his life hell. Not being able to walk among society freely, or his own kind, froze his heart. Yes, he received the gift of day walking, but people would indeed brand him a monster and stone him with his horrendous appearance, just like before in the dark ages.

A slight pain ran down his back, the heat of the water turning his hard skin to tender flesh. Stepping back, the water rushed his chest, rolling down the rest of his body. Throwing back his head and looking to the ceiling, the dream from last night popped up, sending shivers down his spine, despite the warmth of the shower. For the second time since meeting his mate, her death stalked his slumbers. And not just that, but that he caused it, just like with Rebecca. In any other circumstances, he would brush it off as nerves, seeing as his greatest fear already manifested, but to have Rebecca there as well, guiding his hand like the first time, seemed suspicious. Or did it?

Nix's explanation of having two mates was that they were the same soul, traveling through the ages until he was ready to meet her again. The old Rebecca gone, replaced with the new Lisa. But in a world filled with supernatural creatures, Gods, and different plains of existence, could it be that Rebecca was not truly gone. Maybe the evil had tightened its hold on her, forcing her spirit to stay here, following the good part as it hid in the shadows, waiting to break free.

"That is not possible," Roger spoke out loud, his words meant to reassure him, but it failed miserably, for something about the dream still haunts him. The softness beneath his fingertips as he had glided over her skin, the sweetness in her voice piercing his ears as she spoke, and the hate in her dying eyes when he had squeezed harder. But especially the joy he had felt as her dead body had slumped forward.

The marble wall crumbled beneath his fist as Roger punched it, anger coursing through his veins. Rebecca had controlled his life before, and he would not allow her to rule this one, especially not with his true mate. Lowering his hand to his side, Roger observed the damage he caused, making a mental note to apologize. The water slowly turned cold as he stood beneath the shower, letting the chill push away his fears, sharpening his mind. He allowed others to push him around for years to use him as a puppet, but no more. Lifting his chin high and taking a deep breath, he decided. Lisa is his mate, his other half, and even if she wants to deny it, he will show her. Yesterday, her body had reacted to his. While watching from a distance, he had smelt her arousal, the scent inflaming his. Between one breath and the next, Ruby had vanished, her wolf smell indicating Lisa's state. Roger was pleased, for he would yank her away had she stayed. Moving closer to his mate, the sweet nectar had latched onto him, pushing out the voice that had screamed to stop. They had been in public, in front of children, but something about her had made him throw caution to the wind. As soon as he had touched her, their connection had sprung to life, leading them down the path of lust. He had been amazed at how she had responded since she was a virgin, but it did not stop her from reaching out to him.

A jerk between his legs pulled Roger back to reality, back to the coldness of the shower. As much as he wanted to relive that scene while relieving his ache, he needed to get ready. Reluctantly turning off the water, Roger left the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. Grabbing another from the railing, he began to dry his hair while observing himself. Suddenly, the towel slipped from his hand, crumbling to the floor. Stepping closer, Roger quickly wiped away the excess steam from the mirror, making sure his eyes were not deceiving him. Leaning closer to his image, his hands touched his cheek, pressing and pulling at his skin. After years with the same image, he expected to see the same thing, but this was new.

Leaning back to observe his whole body, the tied towel around his waist dropped with a slight tug, dropping mindlessly to the ground as he stared at himself with an open mouth, his eyes wide. The pale skin he always saw had somehow become darker. The whiteness was still there but slightly tinted. Twirling around to examine every inch of himself, he watched amazed at the transformation, not caring how it happened. Maybe Lisa was the key to this, and perhaps she would not only unlock his heart but also end his curse.

With a bright smile on his face and a hop in his step, Roger swung open the bathroom door, eager to get dressed and wake her up. The beauty before his eyes stopped him in his tracks, her gorgeous gaze traveling up and down his naked form making his dick twitch.

"I am sorry for coming in without knocking, but I thought it is about time we talk. Just you and me." Lisa explained as she eyed him up and down before averting her gaze to the carpet, her cheeks red from embarrassment.

Sᴇarch the FindNovel.net website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.