Rejection on the Alpha #1

08. Drawing Blood

(New and edited)
CHAPTER 8: Drawing Blood

My eyes ventured down to the page as I stilled, his words were not quite meeting the area in which information should be processed in the brain, given the shocking revelation, especially of the date stamped like a blaring bold alarm on the page his fingers end on.

The image of Artemis, "That King has been dead for centuries. And he's no vampire, that kind of eternal life would be more troubling than a soul of the elements." The way Martin explained it has me looking up into his silver eyes.

I felt a connection with the picture, not with him.

He turned the page, three pages ahead and showed me something even more troubling, "That's the brother the notes have already explained, the jealous older one who should have gotten everything and yet nothing at all." There was a bitterness in his voice, like he could relate in some way. Something flashed, it was set in motion in his eyes, but I wasn't so swayed by emotion in a man's eyes, and the rarity of it.

"The brother's name was Alastair Ares Fawn, a head warrior to a ancient power collected from the Icelandic Kingdoms, or so it was told. A bitter match to no one, he was far more aggressive, too much so to be a King of anything. But a warrior, that was no problem." He shrugged, and leaned back, "I came across these books when we took over the Julius clan."

I stared at the muscular back of the so-called villain Martin described, no more than the side of a high, strong cheekbone. His eyes, ones I couldn't see, but he looked like a god, "What did they have to do with the Darkling Clan?" I asked him, just to lead the conversation elsewhere, but I was curious.

"It's not only them."

"What are you talking about?" I asked him, looking through the pages.

"You believe the elementals are the only species the Darkling clan are involved with, the reason why the Darkling clan fully separated themselves from so many others, from a council you truly believe is worthy to be a council in the first place." He told me, grabbing the book and turning the page, he tapped his thigh.

"What?" I muttered.

"Let me give you a massage while I tell you a story." Was he serious? I'd rather choke to death.

I almost blanched at him, "Did you lose a particular memory of recent events or are you just choosing to ignore the fact you're a moronic, abusive son of a bitch?" I asked him.

He grabbed my legs roughly and almost breaks the chair I'm on, "Do not test me, Celestine. You will not like the result, if you need another run through of the cage, I am happy to oblige." His voice slithered down me like a snake. I stilled, tensing where I was. He began rubbing my leg, the pins and needles didn't cease to warn me to move away.

"Long ago, there were once two brothers, the youngest son had the blood of a witch and the blood of an Ice King, the oldest son was purely an elemental of the water lineage. The first Queen, mother to the eldest boy, was an elemental of the water lineage, a warrior herself, she won the position of Queen...it's quite a tragedy..." He looked over to me.

I felt my arm burn from his forced bond.

The inked one pattern he placed upon me looked like one, until he rolled my arm over and showed me the scar I never physically saw him make, or even heal. A bite mark, fangs torn into flesh but had never broken bone.

I stilled with a sharp inhale, "It's not just a binding, but my mate mark." His sharp voice echoed.

I tried to rip my arm away, glistening eyes that made me look up into his impenetrable ones, "You marked me without consent? HOW FUCKING DARE YOU?!" I roared, standing but I'm ripped against his chest as he shoved my back into the wooden table. I yelped at the horrendous sting it jabbed into me. He tilted his head at me, the other hand left the book and brushed my hair from my face.