Page 65 of Theoden
“I will never, Father,” Raphael said, referred to Ara as if he already had Ara’s blood flowing through his veins.
I had to keep my jealousy buried, lest I anger Ara. I watched as Ara pulled Raphael closer and sank his fangs into the human’s neck. The human cried out in agony. It was a scene I was used to seeing whenever I watched other vampires feed. They only offered the human pain, not pleasure like I could. It was one of the reasons why at the blood houses in my Father’s territory, the whores were so willing to sate my thirst.
Raphael gripped Ara’s shoulder and arm so hard, his knuckles turned white from the pressure. His face was a complete mask of agony as he endured the process of his rebirth.
“Our Father enjoys taking his time drawing the blood, prolonging the pain, so the child appreciates the gifts he offers when the rebirth was a tribulation,” Karim said to us.
He would know best as he was Ara’s first son. He looked so much like his Father to me, but I could always see what his mother looked like in his features, too. I wondered how it happened for him. Had Ara made him say an oath? There certainly were no brothers for him to gain acceptance from. Was it intimate or rushed? Was our Father nervous, as it was his first time siring a human? So many questions.
Raphael was hanging limply in Ara’s arms now, having been drained to the point of death. Ara bit into his wrist, making a deep wound, and he pressed the bleeding wound to Raphael’s open mouth. We all watched in silence and waited for Raphael to take the blood. It didn’t take long for the human to latch on and drink for dear life.
This was my first time witnessing a human being sired into a vampire. I had killed several vampires and countless humans, but this was the first time seeing a rebirth that wasn’t my own. This was amazing. For one thing, the look of pain on Ara’s face. I could tell that feeding Raphael was excruciating for him.
When he hadembracedme, I had been oblivious to all of my surroundings and had no idea if I had hurt him when I fed. I knew I hadn’t had fangs, but I remembered sucking hard on the wound. I had been so desperate to get as much of his succulent blood inside of my body, as Raphael was now.
Ara broke free, pushing Raphael to the floor. He staggered back, and Karim was by his side faster than I could see, steadying Ara.
“Bring the human,” Karim ordered, and one of the servants pulled one of the human slaves that had been gathered over to where Ara was.
“Take him to the garden, Théoden,” Ara commanded of me, then he sank his fangs into the neck of the human slave that had been presented for his feast.
I moved quickly, snatching Raphael up from the floor and rushing him outside to the garden that featured so many beautiful and exotic flowers. Raphael was already naked, and he knelt in the dirt as his body began to relieve itself for the last time.
It was foul, the smell of it and the sight. It had been sixty years since I’d had to endure such an evacuation, and I was grateful I never had to do it again.
“Ahhh, it hurts,” Raphael whined.
The sound his shit made coming out of his body was repulsive and nearly made me gag. I turned to give him what little privacy he was allowed. I could avoid humans when they did this, or when they pissed or puked on walls in alleys or on floors in taverns. Unfortunately, I had to stay with Raphael through his rebirth.
“It will pass and you will not have to deal with it any longer after tonight,” I said, offering him some measure of comfort. I remembered going through it. Of course, I had been given a pot to shit in and not one second of privacy.
“I feel sick,” he whimpered, then I heard him gag.
I turned in time to see a foul stream of vomit fly from his mouth, splashing over Ara’s lovely roses. I was beginning to understand why Ara wanted this done in the garden and not inside the palace. I remembered feeling nauseated, but I didn’t get sick. I wondered why he had. Was it because I was half dragon? Or just because I hadn’t eaten recently?
A few more minutes passed until it was over and Raphael stepped out of the garden reeking of human waste. I frowned and scrunched my nose as the scent was disgusting.
“You need to bathe,” I informed him. “There is a stream nearby, follow me.” I led him about half a mile away from the palace to a shallow stream. He began to clean himself in the running water, blessedly washing away all the muck. “Come, let us head back.” I began walking toward the palace and he caught up, falling into step beside me.
“Thank you for aiding me,” he said.
“I did what I had been commanded to do,” I said. “Nothing more.”
“Thank you, all the same,” he said.
I cut him a quick glance, but remained silent.
“What will happen next?” he asked.
“That is for our Father to decide,” I told him. Then my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to ask him some questions. “Why did our Father choose you?”
Raphael looked at me with those beautiful bluish-green eyes that were as sparkling as the sea. “He told me that I was unique, that he had been watching me for three years as I had advanced in the king’s military. I was one of the youngest generals in the army. That impressed our Father enough that he offered me his gift.”
I could see why Ara had chosen him now. Ara, from what I could gather, took notice of warriors. Nolan was one, as were Karim and Titus, as was I. Sure, both Nolan and Karim were soldiers and Titus was a gladiator, but before that, he was a soldier, too. I was a hunter, but we were all fighters.
“What made you accept his gift?” I asked, remembering how I had steadfastly refused Ara’s gift when he’d offered it to me.
Raphael smirked and looked off into the distance. “To live forever, to be powerful, and never have to answer to any human ever again. To be a god amongst them… what is there to refuse?”
