Seven

Dark Ages, 1457.

Traitors surrounded me! How dared this feeble little bastard raised an army of his own and instigated a revolt against me? Didn’t he cherish his dear life enough? It was then Anton and three more of my guards came to me in the courtyard with two hostages.
“Sire, these two belong to his army. We caught them lurking around and talking to the peasants.” Anton threw one of them on his knees by my feet. I was so enraged I grabbed him by the hair, pulling his head up to face me, making him yelp in pain, but I didn’t get the frightened look I was expecting, which made me even more ravenous for blood.
“What did your pitiful master plan against me?” I yelled at him, pulling harder on his hair, almost ripping out of his skull.
“I don’t care what you do to me, since I’m already dead. Do whatever you want, because you’re getting nothing out of my mouth.” He spitted every word in defiance, and I had to control myself not to break his neck right there.
“Maybe you’ll think twice when sliding on a stake.” I threw him out of my way, walking to the other one in custody.
“How do you want your death, sudden or excruciating?” I growled at him.
“I don’t wanna die, sir.” The man whined like a girl, as every army had its cowards. That was a fact. It spared not even mine.
“But you will, and how it’s going to happen depends if you tell me what I want to listen to. I know the bastard is one of the stupid followers of the long-dead Alexandru, and he has been conspiring to take me down. So… What did your master plan against me?” I repeated the question, and I hate repeating myself.
“I don’t know, sir. We just followed orders, but they will come for you in the next few days.” The coward trembled from head to toe.
“I don’t follow orders, I follow my beliefs and I hope they get the world rid of you!” The braver one screamed at us, while the other recoiled and averted his gaze.
“Anton, take him and make it painful!” My tone was low, dark, and controlled. “And for this one, make it quick. We have an ambush to prepare.”
I was watching the men being dragged away to their doom when the hair on the back of my neck rose. A shiver ran up my spine as I turned to find two huge lavender orbs on me, and I didn’t like what I saw in them. I marched to her, not breaking eye contact. She glared at me.
“What are you doing here, Alizandra? You’re not supposed to be here!” I yelled at her. Bad mistake! The glare changed to hurt, and she averted her gaze, shivering. I shouldn’t have done that, but my temper took the best of me, and she was just in the way. “I’m sorry, I snapped at you,” I apologized as soon as I reached her. That was not the way I wanted her to wake up. After what we shared, this was all wrong! Damn it!
“If I’m not a hostage, why can’t I roam around the castle?” She hissed at me. “I heard screams and yells, and I worried about you!” She shied away, going back inside, but I was on her before she knew it, grabbing her from behind and taking her to our room. She stiffened in my arms and didn’t move. Her entire body trembled against mine and I came to realize I had frightened her, and I didn’t like it one bit.
“Liz, I’m sorry. This is all new. I’m not used to having someone care about me.” I was being sincere, hoping she understood. “Please...” Her back glued to my chest. I spread my fingers above her beating heart, and her body became pliant against mine. “I don’t want these erratic beats to be out of fear of me, I want them to be out of passion and love.” My warm breath on her neck caused her to shiver. Her breath hitched in her throat and a moan slipped out of her mouth when I cupped her breast, and she surrendered herself to me.
“What’s going to happen to them?” She voiced her question with a low gasp.
“That’s not for you to worry, Liz.”
“Where are the people who worked here?” I picked up the concerned note in her voice. She cared about them, and she made no distinction if they were enemies, traitors, assailants. She cared for them. They were all people deserving of a second chance. I didn’t understand why God put her in the path of such a sinner as me. I just prayed God forgave my damned soul, but I would never have the courage to set her free.
“They finished their work, so I let them go.” I lied to her. She didn’t need to know and see everything. Was I wrong? Probably, but I didn’t want her upset, so yes, I lied. No, I didn’t feel comfortable doing it, but I didn’t know what else to do. I still held her against me, and the only thing I craved was to bury myself in her body and let her light bathe my darkened soul.
I startled her when I turned her to face me. Her wide lavender eyes searched my semblance, reading my emotions, and when she cupped my face, I took her lips with the passion that was eating me alive. I kissed her with the same strength as the storm raging inside me. Before I parted from her, I delivered strings of soft kisses from her mouth to her breasts on that delicate and enticing skin.
“Don’t ask me any more questions. I won’t have the answers you want to hear. It doesn’t matter the outcome, you’re mine, and I’ll never let you go.” Her eyes darkened. I didn’t know if it was anger or lust. We were breathless, and her soft breathy sounds traveled through my veins and settled on my pulsing groin.
I grabbed her buttocks, pressing her to me, so she felt how hard I was for her, and raising her from the ground she crossed her legs around my waist holding tight to me, and that was my cue to take her back to bed.
***
“I didn’t mean to frighten you. Please never fear me. I would never hurt you.” We were panting and sweating, entangled in each other’s arms, and I could feel the erratic beat of her heart against mine, the way it was supposed to be.
“Maybe not, but you can’t promise you won’t break my heart.” She muttered, hiding her face in my chest. I heard the hint of sorrow in her tone, but the acceptance in her voice scared me the most, as if she knew it was going to happen in the future.
“What do I have to do for you to trust me?” She stared at me, her gaze on my eyes, searching inside them for the soul I didn’t dare to tell her it wasn’t there. I wasn’t prepared to hear what she confessed to me.
“Give yourself to me. Don’t hide your true nature from me. Let me into your world, even if it means to see all the violence you have inside, and all the cruelty you also have to see or endure.” She cupped my face and kissed my strained lips.
How? How could I let her have even a small peek inside the carnage of my world? It would break not only her heart but also her spirit. I loved her so much, and I’ve never cared for someone as I cared for her. If I abide by her wish, darkness would spread to her soul. I couldn’t live with myself if I killed her light. The silence became heavy, and she waited for my answer.
“Vlad?” God! It was a tough call. I felt cornered. For the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to do. She wanted an answer and was eagerly staring at me, waiting for it. I wished I was in the field chopping off limbs. Easier by far.
“I don’t know, but one thing you must understand. Whatever my means, I do to free my people from the sultan’s sovereignty, and I won’t lie to you. They killed my family and kidnapped Radu and me. They raised us and my youngest brother fell for their charms, becoming one of them now. And for that, I will never forgive those infidels. Never!”
“There must be other ways because you’re destroying yourself in the process.”
“Liz, if I’m strong at my home, I’m able to do as I wish, but if I show weakness, another stronger than I will overpower me and do whatever he wishes. Do you understand now, why I have to do what I do?”