Immortal: Vampire Chapter 4

Chained to a wall. I cannot break the chains. I don't have the strength. I'm slowly returning to my sane self, but this thirst is burning more than the wolfs bites do.

"Arian?" Katrina looks at me through the bars of the surrounding cage. Those bars wouldn't hold me if I could break these chains. Nothing could hold me when the rage and blood lust consumes me.

"Is he awake?" I hear Nataku, far away yet he's close by.

"Yes...but he's not Arian right now." Katrina's voice is weary, full of pain and...guilt?

"Don't worry, Kat, he'll come around. He's a tough old...bat."

I snarl as he comes closer to the cage. It startles him, clearly.

"Arian...you've got to fight this. If you don't, Rhyn's going to have to hurt you or sell you." Nataku says, crouching down so his face is a mere few inches from mine. If the bars weren't there, I could easily bite him.

But his eyes hold mine captive and I don't move except to bare my fangs in a threatening manner.

"So, the leech's brain is messed up? Great! I say we have a party!" Deidra laughs disdainfully.

"Hey, Dee?" Rhyn says, stepping in.

"What?" she snaps.

"If you don't shut up, I'll put you in there with him and we'll see who parties."

"I dare you."

Rhyn opens the cage door and shoves her in in a single fluid motion. His eyes tell me to kill her. I snarl in responce.

The locks are back in place.

She's scared. I can smell the fear rolling off of her in succulent waves. I simply watch her with the cunning of a stalking animal.

"What are you looking at, leech boy?" she growls.

When I don't answer she relaxes and walks forward slightly. She's within the space I can reach.

"You ARE weak, leech. You can't hurt me when you're like this. When your brain is all fried." she says, poining at me. "Well, I hate to bust your bubble, Rhyn, but-"

I attack when she turns away from me, diving straight for her throat.

She screams and tries to fight as my steel like grip latches around her throat. It's useless. I thirst too much to show mercy...she's begging for that but I don't know the meaning of the word.

My gaze locks with Katrina's as my fangs pierce the witches jugular. It doesn't take long to drain her, but it's not nearly enough to slake my thirst. I want more. I reach into her chest and rip her heart out, sucking it dry to the horror of Nataku and Katrina. Rhyn has seen me worse.

Katrina's horrified gaze never leaves my own. She shakes her head and runs from the room, Nataku quick to follow.

Tossing the heart aside, I return to the corner I was in before all the excitement.

"Feeling better, Arian?" Rhyn asks, coming to the corner from the other side of the bars.

"Why?" I reply softly

"She's been a pain in the ass. Plus you were thirsting and advertizing it all over the stadium."

"How long have I been here?"

"Nearly two weeks."

My voice drops to a whisper. "I saw him....I will kill you all. I am Mortal's Bain."

A stunned expression crosses his face...then fear lights his eyes.

ONE YEAR LATER

Freedom is a far away dream. Rhyn won't let me out of here, even when he moves everyone else. He just has someone collect the cage and haul me to our next destination. He knows few of our kind are gifted with the sight but those that are must be heeded. Especially when speaking about the prophesized Mortal's Bain.

What Rhyn doesn't know is I am no seer. The fate of he stable has been told to me by the one who owns my soul, as Rhyn owns my body. I can't change their fate...nor my own.

They've shut the lights off. They seek to shut me away. It won't work. I am Death Incarnate and their souls will be mine. I just have to escape first.

I stand and pace around the cage, the chains dragging behind me. They've grown rusty in the dark. When I reach the end of their length, they groan.

I pull forward with as much strength as I can muster and they snap.

I am not alone. There's something crawling in the dark...something ancient something evil.

"I can't let him loose, Katrina! Don't you understand? He'll kill us all!" Rhyn shouts.

"How do you know for sure?" Katrina shouts back.

"He told me so!"

"So what? Now he's a psychic?"

"Katrina, I know you hate seeing him locked away but-"

I step into the light right behind Katrina. I am like a ghost, silently coming forward until I can smell her scent. Vanilla and honeysuckle...I've never forgotten.

"But what?" She growls, oblivious to my presence.

"Don't move." Rhyn says softly.

"What does my moving have to do with Arian?"

"Because I'm behind you." I reply innocently.

"What the...Arian!"

She turns and jumps into my arms, placing a passionate kiss on my lips that I return in full.

I finally push her away, but keep my hand around her waist and keep her body pressed againt my side. My gaze is focused on Rhyn.

"I did what I thought was best to protect everyone else." he says, backing away.

"I know." I reply.

"...what?"

"You saved them from my madness. I can't blame you for that."

"So what you told me is wrong?"

"Now it is, yes."

"Now?"

"I'm sane now."

"Are you sure, oni-chan?" Nataku whispers, entering the room.

"Yes, little brother, I'm fine now."

Something's wrong with him. He's aged too much in the past year. There's a certain sorrow that lurks behind his eyes.

"Mae was killed two months ago." Katrina informs me without speaking.

"Arian?"

"Yes, Nataku?"

"Kill them all when you get to fight again."

Before I can respond, he's gone.

"I'd better go try to calm him down." Rhyn says, darting past me.

I grab his wrist. Our eyes meet and I show him the future as it was shown to me. He bolts away as I release him, truly terrified of me.

"What happened? I've never seen him scared like that." Katina asks quietly.

"I've returned his favor. A prison for a prison."

"Must you always talk in puzzles?

"Only when it suits me."

She smiles and our gazes lock. I see how much my insanity has hurt her, how much she cares and suddenly I feel guilty.

The guilt must show on my face because Katrina pulls me into her arms.

"It wasn't your fault." she whispers against my chest.

"I was a gladiator. I fougt for my comrades in the arena. I never lost my temper, my compassion or my mind. Yet I lost all that and more that night." I reply softly.

"You were lost, but you've come back."

"I had you to guide me."

Without noticing, she's shifted herself so she's in front of me, pressing herself against me until I nearly have to look straight down to see her. Our gazes haven't dropped.

"Arian-"

"I know, my love."

As our lips meet, I sink into the comfort of oblivion that only Katrina can give me.