A Queen Among Blood: Chapter Forty-Eight - Osiah

A Queen Among Blood: Chapter Forty-Eight - Osiah
It’s been a long day of checking in on sanguidaes and their septs, and if I had the energy of a human I’m sure I’d be exhausted beyond belief, but exhaustion doesn’t come easy to me. The sun is setting and I’m now at my final stop of the day. I admit I might have been rushing through the day, eager to be done so I could be reunited with Yildiz. I sound like an addict, and maybe I am. I’m addicted to Yildiz. Not just addicted but I’m madly in love with her and I still can’t get over the fact that she loves me too. This pure and wonderful being told me she loved me. I never thought someone like me could be loved yet here I am. I have found someone I would give my everything to, who has shown me time and time again she would give me her all without hesitation.

The only downside to all this is that at some point I’m going to have to confront Zarseti and tell her she was right and thank her. I can just picture her smug face now laughing at my expense. She knew it that day I went to her. She knew I would cave, and this would be the result. If my judgement hadn’t become so warped over the years I might have just accepted it and let myself be happy instead of resisting it and causing Yildiz and me both unnecessary suffering. I think it’ll be a while before I have done penance for that behaviour, but at least I know Yildiz will give me the chance to make it right with her.

As I knock on the door of the sept’s chateau in Italy, Mattias opens the door and eagerly ushers me inside and closes the door behind me. For someone who was forced to take on a new member and had their home attacked, he’s certainly in high spirits.

“Where’s Min-soo?” I ask. Mattias places his finger to his lips gesturing for me to be silent. I frown at him in confusion and go to ask what’s going on when the sounds of grunting, moaning and a protesting bedframe reach my ears. I quirk my eyebrow at Mattias.

“The Gods truly work in divine ways. Seems our newcomer is Galina’s animai,” he says brightly.

I blink back my surprise. Zarseti strikes again. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Why didn’t she acknowledge him straight away?”

“She didn’t notice his scent. So many scents in the room and all she was focused on was there was a newborn going through the craze. She rushed out of here before she picked up his scent. Silly thing. But she registered it clear as can be when she ran back in here, but you’d already disappeared so I wasn’t able to tell you. Those two kids haven’t come up for air since,” he chuckles.

“Remind me to put some soundproofing on this place for you,” I say as I sit down in an armchair.

He throws his head back and laughs, “Don’t be such a prude. It’s just sex. Besides, Galina has been so sad for so long, I’m just relieved to see she’s finally found someone to put a smile on her face,” he says with a fatherly smile on his own.

I nod, “That’s true, and with an animai, that will make the process of adapting to his new life much easier for Min-soo, so I guess it all worked out.”

“Who made him?”

I sigh, “His name is In-Sik, I visited him earlier. He relies heavily on my blood banks and doesn’t keep his own supply. So between him stupidly leaving feeding so long and the bank being destroyed, the craze hit him. I managed to find and dispose of the bodies. Min-soo was the only one turned. In-Sik is beating himself up and would like to visit Min-Soo to explain things in person and apologise.”

“We will welcome him when he arrives. Hopefully having Galina means Min-soo won’t hold much of a grudge. But all that aside, care to explain why parts of my property were destroyed by lightning and I now require a barrier around my home?” he asks with a raised eyebrow.

“I have an angry God with a vendetta against me and he’s taking it out on every member of my line,” I say flatly.

His eyes blow wide in shock, “What did you do to piss off a God?”

“It’s a very long story, I don’t like to discuss it. Just know that as long as the barrier is around your home, nothing will happen. I’ve gone to a few other septs today and placed barriers around them as a precaution. Enough people have died already,” I say remorsefully.

“I’m just grateful there was an irshiust there to save Galina,” he says exhaling with relief.

I decide it’s best not to tell him Yildiz was the target and Galina would have simply been a casualty. No good will come from that knowledge.

“Protecting people is what they do.” Suddenly Mattias is looking over at me with the creepiest smile on his face that if I were any other person with a normal fear response, would make my skin crawl. “Stop looking at me like that, it’s creepy,” I chastise him.

Slowly he leans towards me, that creepy smile on his face growing. “Osiah has an animai,” he quietly sings, making this all the more disturbing.

“If you don’t get out of my face I will gladly remove yours from your head,” I threaten.

He bursts out laughing and sits back, “So gloomy. Come on, you can’t blame me for being curious. You’re like thousands of years old, and suddenly you find your animai who happens to be an irshiust and don’t think I didn’t notice how smitten you were while she was around. The way you were looking at her and kissing her hand all sweetly. All things I never thought you were capable of,” he says playfully.

Why do I tolerate this man? Someone tell me.

“She’s my animai, what more do you want me to say?” I say flatly.

He pouts, “You’re no fun.”

“I never claimed to be fun.”

His next words are thankfully interrupted as Giuseppina enters the room with her usual warm smile on her face, “Ciao, Osiah,” she greets, walking over, taking my face in her hands, and kissing my cheeks.

I return her warm smile, “Giuseppina, always a pleasure.”

“Have you fed? I can get you something if you haven’t,” she says as the fusses over me. She truly is like everyone’s nonna. Doesn’t even matter if you’re part of this sept, she will treat you as one of her own, unless you cross her in which case you’ve made a deadly mistake. Don’t piss off an Italian sanguidae nonna, it’ll be the last thing you do.

“I’m quite alright, I fed just last night,” I reassure her.

Immediately the images of last night enter my mind. The way Yildiz gave herself to me. The way her beautiful body was writhing on that table. How hard I came just watching her come as I drank down her sweet, heavenly blood. Fuck, just thinking about it has my cock twitching in my pants. I’ve never seen feeding as erotic, in fact, it’s always disgusted me. But feeding from Yildiz is by far the most erotic thing I’ve ever experienced, and just knowing how much it turned her own made it all the better. She’s so eager for me to do it again and I have to admit, I’m already fantasizing feeding on her while she’s riding my cock. I cross my legs and shift a little in an attempt to hide the growing erection in my pants. The things this woman does to me, I swear.

“Oh, good. You spend so much time taking care of all of us I’d hate for you to neglect yourself,” she says giving me a gentle pat on the cheek.

“I assure you I am well taken care of right now,” I smile cheerfully, my mind filled only with thoughts of Yildiz.

“I bet you were,” Mattias teases.

“Oh, yes! Mattias said you found your animai, oh that is such wonderful news,” she cheers once again kissing my cheeks.

“Thank you, my dear, but we really don’t need to make a big deal about it.”

“We’re talking about your soulmate! Vero amore!” Mattias sings.

I roll my eyes. I’m not going to bother explaining neither of us have souls, that would just give me more of a headache.

“And your point is?”

“Now you’re just being difficult on purpose. You could show a little more enthusiasm. Surely you can give me some details at least,” he practically begs.

He knows I prefer to keep my life private, that hasn’t changed because I suddenly have an animai. If anything it has me wanting to be more private. I want her to myself and not to have to share her with anyone, but I have resigned myself to the fact I have to share her with her sisters and the world, but I can at least keep our personal life private.

“Why are you so eager to know about my love life?” I ask in annoyance.

“Because you’re my friend, and I’m just happy to see you happy and knowing there is someone to bring love into your life. With all you do for our kind without asking for anything in return, you deserve at least that much,” he says smiling sincerely while Giuseppina nods in agreement.

For a moment I have no idea what to say. It’s been so long since someone has called me their friend, and this is the first time Mattias has ever said that to me. Friends is a concept I let go of a long time ago, but I also gave up on the concept of love and look how that turned out.

“Well,” I say, clearing my throat, “Since it’s obvious everyone here is fine and Min-soo has… settled in, there’s nothing else for me to do,” I say rising to my feet, “Oh. By the way, the Delegation will be in contact soon. For the time being any blood you may require you can get from them.”

He nods, rising to his feet also, “Thank you, that is very appreciated.”

“I shall be off now.” I give Giuseppina a soft kiss on the cheek as she gives me her warm smile.

“Off to be with your true love,” Mattias teases, making a disturbing kissy face. Giuseppina immediately swats his shoulder.

I roll my eyes, “You’re nine hundred and ninety-seven. Grow up,” I admonish him. The last thing I hear are his boisterous laughs as Giuseppina scolds him. I leave the chateau and arrive in Yildiz’s room at the Kartheca. He wasn’t wrong in assuming I wanted to be with Yildiz, but I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of letting him know he was right.