Aster:
“It wasn’t a curse,” Aster said softly, amazed.
“No. It was a gift.”
“I was right; there is more than one original vampire.”
Rowan smiled and nodded. “Matthew told me you figured it out immediately.”
“Can…are the bloodlines connected? Does a vampire’s entire bloodline die when he dies?”
“No. Over the years the true history was lost, and the first vampires preferred it that way.”
“Why?”
Rowan shrugged, “I don’t know. Eros never told me. Maybe they think other vampires would start killing the first if they knew the truth.”
“But…they’re the first. The strongest. No one can kill them.”
“You’re wrong. They can be killed.”
“How?”
“I’m getting to that, and the reason I ordered Declan to transform yo
Declan: Declan jerked awake. His head pounded, and his throat burned with thirst. Worse was the fact that he had a piss like an ox, and his bladder throbbed painfully. Groaning, he got up and went to the bathroom. He had forgotten how good it felt to pee – vampires only had normal bodily functions when they ingested human food and drink, and last night he ingested a lot of it.He washed his hands and stared at his reflection in the mirror … even though it was night time, he was pale and had deep, dark circles under his eyes. "Ugh--" he belched, tasting nothing but cheap brandy,"--never again."He shuffled back to his bed where Aster still slept. Just like the night before she probably wouldn’t wake for another hour. He leaned over her, inspecting her closely. He waited to feel something, anything, but there was nothing. He was completely numb. Where his heart should have been was nothing but a big, empty void.Frowning
Aster: The nights blended together in a daze of boredom and depression. Declan was there every evening when she woke, throwing a blood bag at her, then disappearing until she fell asleep. On the third night, she asked him to show her where to find the blood herself, and then he just stopped showing up at all. She didn’t see him for days on end. The brothers and their various brides, even Rowan, tried their best to cheer her up, but with Declan deliberately withholding himself from her, it was a futile attempt. If she were a human girl, her friends would have told her to get over it and move on – but as Lydia explained to her, it wasn’t because she was weak and in need of a man, but rather because of the bond they shared. They were now two halves of the same coin, and one half was missing. She was incomplete. She had little appetite, only drinking enough blood each night to soothe the worst of the thirst, but other than that, she couldn’t brin
Declan: The charging vampire was older and stronger than Declan, but his fatal mistake was relying on brute strength. He waited until the vampire was on top of him, before dropping to one knee, spinning around and cutting through both his Achilles tendons, nearly severing his feet. The vampire roared and fell forward. Before he could heal, Declan drove his sword into the other man’s back, and twisted, hearing his opponent’s spine crack and break. He freed the blade, and brought it down, severing the vampire’s head. Just in time, he turned to see another one coming right at him. Stepping back so he could brace himself for the attack, his foot caught on something and he fell backwards, dropping his sword in the process. He saw the flash of the blade and brought his arm up just before she could cut into his neck, the steel sinking into his flesh, cutting through tissue and muscle, finally lodging in the bone, nearly breaking the radius. Declan bellowed
Aster:Elizabeth and Ann came walking towards them. Like the others, they were clearly exhausted and covered in blood. “Any casualties?” Rowan asked.“Amos, Lee and Mckayla.”“I know Mckayla’s dead,” he said.“I’m sorry, my love,” Lydia said, and placed a hand on Rowan’s arm.Mckayla was one of Rowan’s wives, but Aster almost never saw them together. She assumed that he didn’t care much about her, but fifth wife or not, they still shared that ever-present bond, and she couldn’t help feeling a little sad for Rowan. “Who is Amos and Lee?” she asked.“My brother’s sons.”Intense guilt washed over her. They died protecting her, and the last thing she wanted was for any of them to die for her. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled.“You didn’t do this,” Declan said, taking her hand
Aster – Part Two: Aster could have stayed like that all night – pinned to the wall, the warm water running down their bodies, soothing her frayed nerves, while his thumbs caressed her hip bones, his firm body moving against hers as he slowly thrust inside her, his pace measured, deliberately taking her to the edge, and keeping her there. Yes, she could have happily done that all night, entangled in him until the sun rose and forced them apart, but there was another part of her, not so deep down, that wanted to take control. That wanted to take back some of the power he stole when he turned his back on her. Leaning forward, she nuzzled his neck, relishing in the soft moan that escaped his throat, then stared mesmerised at the goosebumps her fluttered kisses left behind. Feeling a little more emboldened, she strangled her fingers in his hair, and pulled his head back. He chuckled softly, but she ignored him. She explored his neck, lingering on
Declan:Aster lay on her side, her fist tucked under her chin, watching him. Declan asked her once if she wanted to talk about the week that had passed, but she didn’t – he was relieved, because what would he tell her? He spent a week feeling sorry for himself, finding increasingly more bizarre ways to blame her for Mary’s death, even after Rowan told him the truth … that just meant he had a new person to blame for a while.“You know what I miss?” she asked.“Hm?”“Food. You know…not so much the taste, but just the act of…chewing.”“You can eat. You won’t like it, but you can eat.”She laughed, and nestled into the crook of his arm. “Did you miss it? Right after you were transformed?”“Not really. Our diets were pretty simple. Maybe a little more elaborate if you were nobility; but it was still mostly just fi
Declan – part 2: Aster yawned loudly, quickly putting her hand in front of her mouth. “Do you want to sleep?” Declan glanced at the window, then the clock on his mantel. It was a good two hours until sunrise, but she still fell asleep much earlier than he did. She shook her head, while still hiding her yawn. “No. I get tired faster after a busy night, but I try to stay awake.” “Why? If you’re tired, sleep.” “Uh-uh. Rowan said I have to try to stay awake as long as I can…so I can build up my stamina. Tell your story; it will help me to stay awake.” “I woke up the next morning just completely drained. Obviously, as a human, I tired faster than I do now, but it never took me more than a good night’s sleep to recover…” Feeling something wet run down his skin, Declan touched the side of his neck and felt two bumps. His heart lurched. What if he had the dreaded plague? But the lumps were painless and when he l
Aster: Aster yawned loudly, pressing the back of her hand to her mouth. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said and gave Declan a half-hearted smile. “Go on.” “That’s enough for one night. Time to sleep. Come on.” “No,” she protested. “I want to hear the rest of your story.” “I’ll tell you the rest tomorrow--” Declan crawled towards her on his hands and knees – “I’m tired too. It’s been an…eventful night.” He grabbed her ankles and pulled her down. Laughing, she fell flat on her back and snuggled into the soft bed. “Hm,” she sighed, and stretched. Declan lay next to her, pulled the covers over them then drew her into his arms, nuzzling her neck with his nose, trailing butterfly kisses over her shoulders. She shifted into him, feeling safe and warm in his arms, moulding her body to fit his perfectly. “I’m not scared,” she said – more to herself than him. She should have been, all logic told her that she had to be terrified, but she w
Dear readers, I would like to thank you for taking the time to read Declan and Aster's story. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thank you for your support and love. It means the world to me, and I hope to see you all soon with the next one. Please feel free to leave a comment if you liked this story. I always love hearing from my readers. Remember: All writers love their readers, we would be nothing without you -- you are the engine that makes a writer's world go 'round. Much love, Celice
The old man sat on his balcony, looking at the beach bathed in the soft blue moonlight. It was a beautiful night, but a full moon, which meant all manner of creatures were about. Ever since that blasted vampire war fifty years ago, all sorts had been crawling out of the darkness, wouldn’t you know? It didn’t matter how many times that vampire, Rowan Watchamacallit, went on the news and every talk show known to man, just to keep telling the humans that they had nothing to fear, he knew better. He was old enough to remember that war, remembered the roving vampires that came through his town and tore his wife’s throat out. He didn’t forget and forgive that easily. The humans hadn’t been idle. They had been developing weapons that were strong enough to kill vampires. He had one. A gun that could take a vampire’s head off with one shot. It wasn’t technically speaking legal to kill vampires, but their bodies evaporated fairly quickly once the sun hit it, and no body, no ev
Declan:He kissed her until the tension left her body, and the doubts she felt earlier released her. It was like that first time, when the world outside faded to dull insignificance, and all that mattered were the two of them, wrapped in each other’s arms, safe in their bubble.Declan didn’t understand what it was he felt the first time they had sex, but he understood it now. It was the completion of the bond. He could feel it as he pushed inside her. The way the bond united them, how it knitted them together, tying her soul to his and his to hers. The two halves becoming one. And it was stronger now than before. Much stronger.As she opened up under him, giving herself to him so completely that he didn’t even know where she began and he ended, he knew that this was forever. He would never, could never, break their bond. When her eyes filled with tears, and he felt the burden she had been carrying around lift from her shoulders
Aster:Aster sat up, her head pounding and bladder throbbing. The last thing she remembered was sitting on the floor in the lobby with Declan, trying not to scream as her injuries healed. After that, nothing.Declan sat on the armchair, naked from the waist up, watching her with an amused smirk. It had been days since he was there when she woke. “Don’t you need to work?”“Don’t you need to pee?” he retorted.Shooting nasty glances his way, she went to the bathroom, taking a quick shower while she was there, and hoping that he would be gone by the time she was done. She was embarrassed by her actions the previous night, and she didn’t know how to look him in the eye.Wrapping a towel around herself, she went back to the bedroom, just to find that she wasn’t that lucky. Declan still sat where she had left him. “Blood’s on the bed,” he said a mischievous glint in
Declan: Declan gasped, and dropped his pen. Aster very quickly cycled from jealous to angry to a soul-crushing sadness that threatened to eat her alive. Their connection was growing stronger – it would probably have been completely restored by now if they could spend some time together, but the logistics of Maximillian’s estate and the vampire council occupied him non-stop. She wasn’t in any danger, and she didn’t call out to him. Sighing, he blocked her out and pulled more paperwork towards him. There were hundreds of requests from sheriffs and smaller families in need of help, and Lucas wanted to help all of them. Saw it as his sacred duty as the new head of the most powerful family in the region. Declan had to keep reminding his cousin that the only reason they became the most powerful family, was because Maximillian knew when to say yes and when to say no. Lucas needed a lot of mentoring, and with no elders around to guide him, Declan did
Aster:Aster strolled through the hotel, greeting the other vampires that not three weeks ago were so scared of her that they could barely look at her, but now finally treated her like family. Most of their allies had left, leaving the hotel mostly open, but the place was destroyed, because there had been simply too many people living in it.When they arrived in Slovakia, Declan asked her to take care of the humans, help as many of them get back home as she could, but a lot of them didn’t want to leave. Their homes weren’t destroyed; it wasn’t a war that was fought with bombs and guns, but many lost their families in vampire attacks. Others came to love their vampires masters, and simply refused to leave, even after their familiar oaths were broken.She walked from room to room, looking at the progress of the renovations and clean-up process. With a lot of the vampires gone, and because most of the humans were injured and traum
Declan: Declan stood in the dark, overgrown garden, leaning against a tree, watching Aster where she lay flat on her back next to the stream, her hand dangling in the water. It had been two nights since the witch helped them reform their bond, but their connection wasn’t very strong yet. It was like a weak battery, waiting to be recharged, and he had no idea how long that would take. Still, all he could think about was her, which he took as a good sign. After a few minutes, he stepped out of the darkness and walked up to her, squatting by her side. “Hello, beautiful.” Her eyes lit up when she saw him, and she gave him a dazzling smile. That smile soothed his aching heart more than she’d ever know. He leaned over and kissed her, feeling the spark trying to ignite the fire in his heart, but not quite getting there. “You still hate it inside the castle, huh?” “Yes,” she answered. “Too many ghosts.” “Don’t they just follow you?”
Aster: Aster only had one thought running through her mind as she drifted off to sleep. I want him back. Even in her sleep, it was all she could think about, and as she slipped deeper into the darkness, she dreamed about Declan calling to her, telling her to come back to him. ** She hears him calling out to her. He’s somewhere out there in the darkness. “Come to me,” he pleads, “find me.” “Where are you?” she calls back. “I can’t see.” The place is too dark. The kind of darkness that grabs you and won’t let go. The kind of darkness she only experienced once before: in the in-between. “Aster!” Declan screams. “Find me. Come to me.” “I can’t see anything,” she sobs into the darkness. “Why can’t you come to me?” “I’m stuck. Please. Find me.” He sounds so desperately afraid. So lonely. In turn, Aster’s heart cries out to him. She wants to feel his strong, comforting arms around her.
Declan: This wasn’t Declan’s first war, and it wouldn’t be his last. Every once in a while vampires would get in a strop and start killing each other. Maybe it was nature’s way of keeping their numbers down. This was the first war that easily killed half his family though, and he wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it. He lay on his side, staring at Aster, tracing the outline of her face with his fingers. Neither of them spoke, there was nothing to say. Words of comfort rang hollow, discussing the war so soon after it ended was too raw and excruciating, and he didn’t want to talk about his feelings. “I wish I could feel you,” he whispered. “Me too.” He gave her a tight smile and sighed. He didn’t know what hurt worse – the death of his family members, his mother and brother, or the broken bond. It all just blended together into one, big, brutal, open wound. For no reason, and without any conscious thought that he was about to d