This Is Where I Want To Be

206. Oh, The Sweet Agony

Soren

I walked back into our home, clutching my arm. Juliet would have killed me. It would not be Louis or Marcus who did it. Or even Caleb, like I was hoping, but her. Juliet was there. My mind was racing. She would come for me. She loved me… But I had betrayed her. It was hard to get a handle on. I sat down behind my desk, asking for medical help. One of the men worked on my arm as the message came through. A sardonic laugh escaped reading the message Jade had sent. Juliet had balls, had to give her that. She knew where she stood with me but asked me to help her. It was too much. I stood to my feet in a huff. The man on the ground hung his head. Didn’t she understand she had no more control over us? I sat down again so the man could continue wrapping my wrist. She was stuck there. It would cause problems if I didn’t get her out off Palmyra. If I gave in… it would send the wrong message. How I wished she had followed me. Seen my life and stalked me like she did with Chris. Keep going against her husbands. I didn’t know if I was more upset with her asking for my help or her not coming to finish what she started. I had not even looked at her. I had not seen her, and it hit me that I could have. If I had only turned my head.

Ian would hear of it. I sent the message. It was done. I would not be that guy anymore.

The room was empty. I was alone. I understood why she never wanted to be alone. There is nothing remarkable about having it all, but you had no real connections. It made me think about Lyla. I looked everywhere for her. If it were not for the Ittoqure, we wouldn’t have found them hiding in the tunnels. I wanted her on my side and would have given her the protection I knew they would not. If Samuel got anywhere near her. Lyla would die. It was as simple for him as it was for Juliet. No thoughts. No calculations. No assessment of what the risks could be. The only thing that mattered was family. I looked at my wrist. I had crossed a line, and only death would separate us.

On Earth, I watched her life and Louis’s. We had found all of Lyla’s tubes. All of their lives. I had focused on Louis, trying to see what was so special about him. Even if Marcus was a problem, she had said she would never, for no one, do it to him. I still didn’t understand what she meant.

Louis’s feed was hard to watch, even for me. He had, at one point, lost all sensible control of himself. At other times, he had sat down for long periods doing nothing. The first one was right after his father died, and his mother left him with Samuel, making them believe she was dying. He had lost the will to live. I don’t think he would’ve made it if it were not for Samuel. His ability only kicked in later. The noise and the lack of control had driven him into the mountains. He had lived there for a long time, seeing only one person at a time. He got the hang of it, could control it, and then… he had mastered it. Woman after woman he had slept with and bitten into their necks as he spilled himself in each of them. I wondered what Juliet would say if she saw it. Actually, see what happened. Would she still feel the same? If he could be so deranged, what did I ever do? Was it all just a matter of timing. The thought stirred me to do… something. Like she always did to get over those intense emotional episodes. I was going through the same thing, and in a few months or even a year, I would meet them with confidence. My new ability had already saved my life that day.

Juliet had lay in that medical bay for two months after being bit by a fish. Marcus never left her side. I couldn’t even see her. When the men started reproducing the cause and the help middle to make it more amenable, I took a few vials for myself. At that moment, I wanted to understand what Rodrigo had done and keep myself busy. Prepare for the future if they were ever in another situation where she needed help.

The images of Louis didn’t want to leave me. I knew she would be haunted by them. So, if I couldn’t kill her family… I would destroy it… I would be as cruel as she was. Not walking away when it was over. I would show her exactly who and what she had elevated in her mind. Her jealousy would crush their relationship.

In a rage, I stood and walked to Rana’s room, where I knew she would be waiting on her bed. There was no time to give her what she had asked for, and I didn’t care anymore whether she improved her mind or not. Rana would have to wait until I was over Juliet or one of us was dead.

I hurriedly approached the bed. Rana’s ample cleavage drove me toward her. I ripped her bodice in half, reaching around and digging out the start of her chest bindings, unwrapping it in a swirl above her head. “Don’t wear these again.” She nodded. Heavy, perfectly milky breasts welcomed me. I took one in hand, kneading hard and rubbing her full nipple between my fingers until it was taut. In a rush, I pushed her onto the bed in a frenzied race to enter her. Rana cried out. I looked down at her face. She was scared. At that point, nothing could stop me. I bundled up the hem of her skirt and pushed the fabric up to her waist. With one tug, I ripped off her underwear and tossed them aside. By now, Rana was crying. It was new. Not that I had done anything like it since our wedding night. I had tried to behave myself, but at that moment, Soren wasn’t there. I reached for her breast and clamped down, rougher and more demanding, bruising her. She slapped at my hand, trying to make me stop. It didn’t work. I tried to put my lips on hers, but my mouth was filled with teeth. Rana whimpered and moved under me. “Please, Soren, stop.”

My hand clamped over her mouth. I pushed her head to the side, resting my forearm on her throat. My shoulder pushed her body into the mattress. With my other hand, I grasped her knee and forced it into the air. The other leg was kicking for no reason. The few brazen slaps she gave me I took as I pushed my hips forward in an uncontrollable desire. Rana’s yell was muffled. I groaned. The warm and wet back and forth consumed every part of me. The need to have and dominate her in every facet. I pulsed with every thrust, releasing and closing my hand over her breast every time the sensation coursed through me. Rana put her hands on my chest and lifted up her legs. She pushed them in between us and kicked me out of her and across the room, yelling loudly. My head slammed into the wall. For a moment, I was Soren again. Rana sobbed raggedly as my face turned to normal.

In that moment, I knew what Lucius had done to Isla. What any man would do when they have lost all of their goodness. Vampire men. Women had the strength to compete. I wanted to tie Rana’s hands to the posts and spread her legs. Keep her confined so I can get on top without backlash or interference. Ready when I needed her. Locked up in a room for when I felt like it. Were they not called comfort women in the wars back on Earth.

“I apologize, Soren.” She fell to the floor, head on the ground. “You have been rough for weeks. I am hurt, and I need time to heal. You told me this would happen. I did not think it would be this bad.” Inwardly, I thought about it. Had I been rough. I couldn’t remember all my spells.

I told Juliet Louis had done that exact same thing to her, and I had seen it on those tubes. Yet, she had stayed with him. How he had flipped her and manipulated her. Man handled the slightest protest and forcefully devastated her. I manifested again and jumped across the room, flattening Rana to the floor. I was too fast and too agile. My legs were where they had to be. I dragged her arm behind her back and put the other one in the same grip, pushing my weight down on her back. I spread her legs with my knees and flung her skirts out of the way, exposing her ass. The sight of her squirming brought on my manifestation. I was rigid and drove myself into her, ignoring the screams no one would dare say anything about.

Only after rolling off her could I relax for the first time. It was the only way to still that beast Rodrigo had unleashed in me. What not even Louis could manage with two hundred years of self-control. I was nowhere near that. Juliet had handled him well and had played along. Excused it for rough sex. She had loved him and had taken it like a good girl. What a child. Sometimes, she had run. She could run. Rana couldn’t. And Juliet had me to comfort her.

I jumped up, grabbed a sobbing Rana by the throat, and hoisted her into the air. I tossed her on the bed, ripping the sheets and tying her face down on the bed. Hands extended and feet apart, waiting for the next wave to hit. “If you break them, I will get proper bondages.” I wondered what the other guys would do if they saw what Louis actually did. If Louis would still be that important afterward.

***

Louis

Marcus and Juliet were in her office. The screaming match had been going on for some time. As soon as we realized how complacent we had become. Marcus and I had stayed in our Vampire manifestation to rid ourselves of the Dheka’s influence. It had made us both a little softer towards her. Juliet’s life was in danger, and she was stuck somewhere. It wasn’t so easy for Chris. He had tried but couldn’t help her. The man was out of his mind before Jessy brought her into the room.

We knew we had to move back to En-gannim. It was time. Juliet was back, and everything was out the window. She had said so herself. It would be the roller coaster of our lives. I sighed, looking at Chris and Michael. We were all waiting for them to sort out four months of pent-up anger, frustration, and manipulations. A few times, Juliet reached a point where she turned into a raving lunatic attacking Marcus. They fought for the first time for real. Marcus had to put in effort and got her pinned every time. She would disappear, he would go entirely to the other side and laugh at her, and she knew the difference. It would start all over. Other times, he would go after her. For the first time, Marcus was crossing that line. It was strange for me to let it all play out. I was not myself and couldn’t help anyone at that moment.

“I don’t know how long I can stand here,” Chris said. “It’s painful to watch… Do I really need to be here to contain her? Would Marcus hurt her for real? It seems a bit unfair. You lectured her, and what did the two of you do? Same thing you always do. I’m getting rather sick of it, Louis.”

“Not as sick as me!” I spat out. “Who has to clean up everyone’s messes? We keep telling her there would be consequences, and no one ever does anything. Marcus is the only one who will actually follow through.” Chris’s eyes were filled with bewilderment. I knew what he saw. I knew the moment I sat down on that bed across from her. At two hundred, I was only beginning to understand being a Vampire. I lectured everyone, including Michael. It was time for my traits to come full force to the surface. In a situation that generations had seen would not worked. My uncle had fought so hard to keep order. My ideals were stuck between my father and his brother. Neither way seemed to work.

I wanted with all my heart to tell her it was an absolute stuff up. It was too much. I was sick of it. She had to choose… I had thought I was mature. I laughed at myself. I was just a child. She had told me it would become too much. Asked when I would plummet. I had been cocky. “We all have a role to play, Chris. What was yours again? Our new goal should be to make her happy. And what did you do? You almost left her for another freaking woman… We all keep hurting her.”

“This is where I want to be,” Chris mocked with his head swaying from side to side. I turned to him, my eyes glossed over. It had been a long time since I had let loose. The Dheka drug, suddenly out of my system, was not helping. The fighting and the power had once again taken over, and Soren was also infected. I understood why Marcus was so angry. She just never lets up.

Michael came to stand in between us. “This is always going to come down to her. There will always be three men who have to wait until she figures things out with the one there is an issue with. She can’t shove it all into a box.” Michael complained.

My manifestation didn’t want to drop. “That’s the problem then. It’s the three of you.” Michael manifested into a Vampire. I recoiled at the sight, knowing that he could take her away in an instant. At my word, Chris had also become the beast he was. I dropped my attitude upon hearing something Juliet said to Marcus. She was right, and Chris was the only outsider who could see things clearly. I sighed. Chris was also the only one that made sure they were connected.

We had gotten reports from Earth. They were begging Juliet for help and had implemented all her suggestions. Charlene had even said she would send the wolves in if Marcus didn’t do something. She didn’t even know if her family was still alive. Going crazy that Carl was still missing and stuck in that mess. I had created this family. I had two days to make the decision. But I had made it. And in the end, if one of us walked away. Even me. Juliet had a whole lot of people and creatures that would fight for her. Would be there for her. Her life was not in danger anymore. For the first time, I had doubts about why I was there. My brain was so back and forth, and I couldn’t go near her. Not because I didn’t want to. But because I was terrified.

It was finally quiet, and we peeked into the room. Marcus and Juliet’s tongues were fused and sultry. Clothes were being removed in record time. The three of us turned. “You got your wish, Chris. I think it’s safe to say we’re not needed anymore.” I relaxed a little, remembering what Marcus had said the first time they slept together. “Is she too much to handle, Louis?” I had to shake myself.

“What if she’s using it to get me out of here. She will run for it as soon as my back is turned.” Chris said.

“We can stay and watch,” Michael said, peeking over. None of us had sex in a while. Four months. It was only Chris. Not that I would know. My ability had disappeared. Came and went. If it was a superficial little thought, I had to read. Or meaningful, like with Agatha, it worked.

“Let’s not push it,” Chris said, and we headed to the command center.

Caleb was waiting. “Where did you come from?” Chris asked.

“Is it over? I was there for about five minutes.” We all chuckled.

“Don’t go now. I think there will be happy endings all around.”

“I did something stupid,” Caleb said in hushed tones. We all turned to the boy. Those few words meant so much for our family. The atmosphere changed. “We only have two days before Jade fixes the part Juliet took, and they are back online.”

“Yes.” Chris prodded.

“Well, I went to Earth.”

“Oh, Caleb, what possessed you?”

“I have bad news and then terrible news.”

We all sat down facing the child. “I went to make sure Charlene’s parents were okay. They are safe, but the vamps are stuck there. They can’t retreat anymore, so it is a blood bath. If we don’t do something today, I don’t know.”

“What is the terrible news?”

Caleb turned to me, hesitating to speak. Stared at me, hoping I would read him. “Just say what it is.”

“Your feed… Your whole life’s feed… It was released months ago.” I stood to my feet. The tiny amount of blood I had drained from my face. “What you did to my mom… on the compound. Louis, do I really need to spell it out.” I wanted to throw up. Caleb had seen it. Why had we not destroyed it? Why was that even on a tube? Marcus! He had ordered that the watcher tech go back online when he arrived on En-gannim.

“No. No, No! No, you don’t. Come. With me! With me! I’m cashing in all my favors for a change. Anyone have a problem with that.” No one said a peep. I ran out of the room, the three following me. I went to Marcus’s lab, and we got geared up for the extraction. If Marcus wouldn’t attack that Island. I would. Kill the boy myself before Juliet even went to Earth. I sent Jessy a message. A minute later, he was there.

“My feed is playing on Earth. Juliet is on her way there.”

Jessy freaked out. “How many, quickly Louis, how many.”

“Everyone you can spare. Then we need to go to Soren’s home and invade. So, two tactical procedures. The same as we would have done and then all in.”

Jessy was already going to the barracks. Kubra came in and suited up. “How long do we have?”

“You have one hour, and I want it all done. But Kubra, you need to be here.”

He hesitated. “Yes, your league. It will be my pleasure.”

“Selena and Jamal.”

“With Jessy. Don’t worry. We know what we’re doing. You won’t have to do anything but hope Marcus can keep her busy that long.”

We were all in a horrible place. Our family was dissolving. But there was no way in hell. Juliet would see my feed.

***

Soren

My lust was spent, but I had an immense desire for power. I couldn’t curb my brain working in a way it had never done. I felt invincible. So I made a decision. Our communications and the teleporters were down, and I knew what Juliet had done. I was so angry that I didn’t send her home, but it was a minor inconvenience. Stuck on my parent’s island, I knew they would come, so I scrambled. I ensured we had enough parts to replace anything that needed to be fixed. All I had to do was tinker with the teleporter station on our island, and when someone came in, I would piggyback out. I couldn’t look anyone in the face at that moment, so I didn’t warn anyone, nor could I do anything if Isla or my parents died that day. I had made another mistake.

I waited and waited. Knew it wouldn’t be long. I traveled. It wasn’t where I thought I would end up. I was in The Tower, with a frown on my brow. It was awfully quiet. I tried going to Palmyra. It didn’t work… Hmmm, I checked some of their coordinates, chose the one that was not like the others and sent a signal. I was instantly transferred. One young man was at his post. I frowned, reaching out and snapping his neck. I put in the coordinates as fast as I could. I had a moment to glance up. A cloud of death was coming at me. Two people had manifested into a shadow of darkness. Four eyes were boring into mine. My eyes grew twice their size as I wished for my body to go faster than necessary.

I was on Palmyra, breathing out. “What the hell was that!?” Ian had more problems than we anticipated. The Chadari and vamps were glad to see me. We scrambled to fix the teleporter. It took me a moment. I had no idea how to activate the power. “F-. Dimitrios, do you know how to do it?”

He was reluctant. “Fahan is trapped on Earth. Marcus is attacking Ian’s Island. No communications if we don’t get it online. Do I really need to say more?”

“Jade knows.”

“What! Will she help?”

Dimitrios ran, and I followed. I saw where to go and how to get to Brylee’s rooms for the first time. It was such a maze and well-guarded that it did not matter if I knew where she was. Jade was untouchable. She looked up at us. “We need you. Will you help Fahan?”

“Why should I? Give me one reason.”

“Aries might die. You need to get him off the planet if anything happens to Fahan.” She frowned. I glanced at Dimitrios. He shook his head. Fahan did not tell her. I drew in a frustrated breath, “It is not only for you and him. Your whole race dies out if one of you gets killed.” Jade jumped to her feet. “Whoever is not on the planet will survive. You will still die, but Aries can live.” I was lying, but she didn’t know that. I didn’t even really know how it would work. Would their home planet’s people or everyone on Palmyra disappear? Jade was already out the door.

Once we were at the station, she eyed me suspiciously. Dimitrios pushed us out of the space, allowing Jade to finish what I had started. The teleporter droned to life. Jade smiled, and Dimitrios dragged her under his arm. I watched them for a moment with interest. “You know. You can also brand Jade, and the three of you will be connected. I don’t know. How old are you?”

“What!? Twenty Years.”

“No time to explain. Think about it. I got to go.” I pushed a communicator into a vamp’s hand. You need to be lightning-fast. He pressed a button, and I came out in The Tower. If they were in the middle of a battle, it would be the best place to do recon. The first thing I did was go to the source of their power. It was gone. They had moved it. All of it. Protected by a giant shadow. I went to the lab to see what they had been working on. I picked up the makeshift explosive and took a whiff. “It’s not for Earth.”

I turned, pulling a mask over my face in case I needed it. I left with the weed bomb in hand, checking the halls to see if anyone even knew I was there. It wasn’t just awfully quiet but eerily. I went upstairs to Ahasuerus’s office. There was no one there. Another frown on my brow. Maybe they were all in the fight on Ian’s island? I heard strange sounds and took a few steps toward the door. What was going on became more apparent. I peeked into the space, stunned by an uncontrollable silence of infuriation. My manifestation was instant. I stepped through the door. Two pairs of angry eyes looked at me.

All I had to do was throw. Marcus was a little faster than I thought he would be. I stepped back and closed the door, jamming the mechanism on the wall. His eyes were pools of fear as they darted from Juliet to me. He tapped on the glass and wanted to say something but fell down before he could even open his mouth. I reconnected the door and stepped through. I laughed at the footage of Marcus trying to get a hold of Juliet the first time. Instead of killing him because I wasn’t ready to die, I stepped over his naked, flaccid body, kicked him in the face, and walked over to my naked prize. “Where am I going to take you. Where and how will your boyfriend not find you.” I had no idea I was going to get that lucky. “You and your bad luck.”

I was taking her to the compound. Got in a car at the diner and was driving to the gates of hell. Ian came walking out of Agatha’s house. I exited and opened the back door, dragging her feet toward me and picking her up. Ian took a step back and smiled. “Oh, Soren.”

Even if Chris came for her. He could die. It would mean one less to worry about.

I shakily took the stairs. “Cut her! Quickly, Ian.” He unsheathed his sword and stood back, slicing down over her arm. I manifested. My hand gripped his neck, and nails dug into his throat. Ian saw my newfound ability and consequences for the first time. “Don’t do that again. A small cut would’ve sufficed.”

Ian and I stared at each other. “You know… I should believe my sister when she tells me outrageous stories of demons. I would cut you, too, but I think I will need you. And you keep honoring your word.”

I let my manifestation go and walked into the house. “They will come for her. We need to figure out how to stop them. Nahrima is very unprotected right now. I don’t know what you want to do. They are taking over your house and coming to mine. Did you not notice our teleporter was off.”

“I did. Soren, you have to calm down. This is war. And didn’t you fix it already?”