Chapter 7 — The Marker

“NOW that you are back, you can reclaim your position, Cain. Then and now, nothing had changed. The loyalty that we pledged to you had never withered. You are the one who ended our war with the Werewolves and who started the Vampires’ treaty with them. If we could live in peace now, it was because of you, because of your efforts. And we made sure to teach that to every young Vampire. To us, you will always be the real King, the only King. Give us orders and we will gladly follow.”

“We will talk about that later, Silas. Lift up your heads, Vampires,” I told them. “Return to your posts for now and wait for my orders.” I glanced at Hector and Chris. The two were among the few Vampires I personally trained. “Come with me inside, Silas. And you, too, Hector and Chris.”

“As you wish, Your Highness.”

When the Vampires disappeared, the four of us went inside the mansion. I sat on the couch and accepted the blood bag which Silas handed to me. He sat in front of me. The last time we sat like this was back in England when Silas had his first child.

“It’s been a hundred years. Except for the fact that I didn’t die that night, what else did I miss?” I asked after emptying the blood bag. I immediately wiped the blood off my mouth. I had always disliked the taste of blood but it would make do for now to regain some of my strength.

I could have fed on Natasha’s blood, it would have been more effective because out of all the people I had encountered, only her could emit a sweet scent of blood. Judging from the scent alone, I was certain that her blood would have been tasty. But if I would do that, I would lose control of myself. And she would not be able to handle me either. Sex and blood had always been a dangerous combination.

“We caught the Mages who casted the spell on you and had them executed on the Moon Tower. Ever since that fateful day, there were Werewolves and Vampires guarding this forest to protect your body from the Rogues. Forgive me, Cain.” Silas pressed his forehead. Compared to me, he looked more troubled about the mark. I smiled and shook my head.

“I didn’t know that even after the Mages’ death, their curse would still go on. This wouldn’t have happened if we were able to stop the human from approaching you last night,” Silas added. “The wolves allowed the humans to come to you thinking that they wouldn’t be able to do something wrong to you. The only reason why they allowed the rumors about you to keep circulating around and they didn’t hide you from the humans was their belief that the human touch would give your body the supplement it needed.”

“And I will always be thankful for what they did, Silas.”

The women who came to me may have failed in waking me, but they were able to give my body some nutrition all these years. I glanced at my mark. It appeared because of the human who was now sleeping peacefully inside my room. I had lived for centuries and no Vampire, Werewolf, or Mage was able to mark me. Who would have thought that a mere human could do this to someone like me?

Now, we would be stuck to each other until the mark disappears. I don’t know how but I would make sure it would disappear soon. I don’t want to be trapped for a long time with my Marker, Natasha. My enemies could use her against me. And I won’t let that happen. She was the one who unconsciously marked me and I’m sure she could remove it, too.

I created the contract so I could spend more time with Natasha without having to explain to her anything about the mark. I would be damned if I would allow her to get a hold of me through that.

I shrugged after some time. “You should not blame yourself. In a way, maybe I ought to thank the mortal. She made my soul quit wandering around. She needs me. If I didn’t wake up, she would have probably given up on herself. You know my past. I’m familiar with that feeling that’s why I don’t want to regret. And as for the mark, I will find a way to remove it as soon as possible. Once the human and I get what we want from each other, there would be no reason for us to stay together.”

Silas nodded. “So, Natasha is your Marker’s name. You say that and yet, you look agitated, Cain. Aside from the fact that the human marked you, what else seems to be the problem?”

Silas was as observant as ever. The fact that Natasha was able to make me feel agitated was already a problem.

“Nothing,” I replied. We may be the best of friends, but there were stories better left untold.

“What are your plans about her?”

“Plans? Hmm… let’s see. First, I will need to borrow Hector and Chris from you, Silas. I need them to do something for me.”

“Hector and Chris, you heard your Master. Come forward to receive his orders,” Silas commanded.

The two Vampires kneeled before me. I clenched my hands when I remembered Natasha’s tears. I could not read her mind, but every time our bodies would touch, her past would be revealed to me. I could not help it. It was part of my ability as a Vampire Mage. Whether I liked it or not, I saw the things I wasn’t supposed to see, even her secrets and the things she went through.

Natasha Rivera was a wreck. But she was brave. In her brokenness and in her tears, I saw a shred of her strength. And she used that to approach me. I had to give her credit for that.

“Chris, I want you to send people to watch over Natasha Rivera’s family members. If something happens, you know the drill. Also make sure that they will be well taken care of.”

Chris did a hand-salute before disappearing and then I turned to Hector. “I want you to dig everything you can dig about a certain Leon Ricaforte and his family members, Hector. You do remember how impatient I am, right? I want you to hand me the results before the sun sets today.”

Hector bowed his head. “As you wish, Your Highness.”

Silas clacked his tongue after Hector left. “Whoever those Ricafortes are, I pity them. It looks like you have made new enemies right after waking up. Is this about your Marker?”

A mysterious smile curled on my lips. “You know me, Silas. The Ricafortes are not even qualified to be called my enemies. I have nothing against them but they made my Marker cry. It pissed me off. Now, I will make them understand why the storms are named after people.”