Si Wren

Written by A. Sylvur for Rachel

Word Count: 1992

The serene reflection of the moon on the river always tamed man’s beastly shadow. But something else stirred the air and it wasn’t the wind. Si’s head jerked up, her gaze searched the darkness as her sensitive ears listened intently. In reaction to the sweet scent of blood, her fangs dropped, but she quickly retracted them and fought the temptation. The sound of several heart beats echoed through the trees from her right. More heart beats began to surround her. She knew in an instant it was a setup. Pei Sina wasn’t a Shadower. But, it was too late for her now. There was nothing left to do, but wait for her captor.

A tall handsome man with shoulder length dark hair and seductive green eyes revealed himself. “So we meet again, Si Wren.”

“Di’Vahd, greetings.” She slightly bowed her head. “How are your injuries?”

“Healed. Does it anger you to know you didn’t kill me?”

“If I wanted you dead, you would be. But, glad we had this chat. Now what do you want?” She crossed her arms beneath her breasts.

His eyes wondered over her and she lifted a brow.

“I want nothing from you, except your freedom.” He waved a hand then said to one of his companions. “Don’t hurt her . . . much.”

A short humorless laugh escaped her lips. “You have no idea who I am.”

“I do, which is why I asked your secretary to get rid of your men. She was easy to manipulate.” He smiled in her face. “You are completely alone, Si Wren. No guards to protect you.”

“War is much more than what you see.” She watched his eyes flicker with interest. “By doing this you are declaring war on not only my people, but me.”

“Don’t try to scare me. I’ve seen the devastation of war, and lived through it. But this is personal and worth the loss of life if it comes to that.”

“NO!” Anger sparked her eye. “War is more than blood, greed and victory. Much more than bodies are broken. There are wars that your mind cannot begin to understand. War is not limited. It has no perfect boundaries. And if you do this, I swear you’ll discover the depth and meaning of war in a very personal way.”

A deep bark of laughter erupted from his throat. “What makes you think you have the power to control a man? You’re only a single Vapyrean woman?” He put his face close to hers. “We are at war with each other. And I’ll let you go only if you give me what I want.” His anger was almost tangible. “Will you surrender Vapyrean Isle?”

“You know I can’t. It’s not mine to give.”

“Then we have nothing more to say to each other.”To his companion, he said, “Secure the prisoner.”

The guards backed away as she spread her wings. “What can that island be to you?”

An article in the newspaper popped into his thoughts and made him smile as he turned to leave. “Sentimental value.”

“It is sacred to us.”

“Us?” He paused. “And what exactly are you?” He rolled his eyes. “Don’t answer that. I already know. You are a selfish creature that turns men into slaves. You have given the Vapyrean legacy a wicked blow by your seductions.”

His tirade reminded her of a wronged husband or lover than an enemy of two warring families.

Unaware of his gentle touch as he lifted her head, he studied her face. Momentarily, he was struck by the image of her covered in filth and her own blood, yet she was still beautiful, wickedly so. Something in her eyes made him jerk his hand away. Her beautiful ghostly blue eyes were not filled with the anger he expected. “Do I amuse you? Well, whatever you’re doing it won’t work. I’m not susceptible to your seductive lures. So don’t push me to do something you’ll regret.”

“But I have pushed you, and you fell.” She opened her eyes wide and inhaled a breath of air then added, “And I do believe you cried . . . over my island.”

He rubbed his face as he chuckled. “I don’t think you realize that with you in my prison the war is over and I win. Your king has been captured. Check mate.”

“And what you don’t understand, Di Vahd is that I’ll be behind enemy lines.” She breathed invisible spores into his face and he inhaled as he took a step back. “So, do your worse.”

After she winked at him, he had her taken away. He hated to admit that he had no idea what she meant by that and hated even more that he was more than just a little frightened by the veiled threat. All the stories about her power made the hair on his neck stand on end. There was nothing she could do that he couldn’t. After all, they were both Vapyrean.

“Are you sure you want to do this? It’s not too late to let her go.”

Di Vahd jumped at the sound of his friend’s voice. “I need to do this.”

“To prove what?”

“To get the island that should be ours.”

His friend shook his head. “Is that the real reason? Because if it is then why have you been killing every man she feeds on?”

“I’m not under her spell.” He stated forcefully for good measure.

“She looked at you, old friend. And you looked into her eyes. This will not end the way you want it to.” When his king turned away, he continued, “I think you should let her go so you can recover from her poison.”

“She’s mine. I will not now or ever let her go! There is nothing to fear with her as my prisoner.” His anger quickly dissipated and Di Vahd sighed. “I don’t know why I shouted, Par Thanyn. I will keep my distance from her while she’s in my care.”

Over the next few weeks, he kept his distance and only heard reports of her stubbornness. She refused to surrender the island, no matter what they did. He finally admitted to himself that he wanted to see her. No, needed to see her. The stars in the sky reminded him of her eyes that were so ghostly they could have been hung in the night. On the balcony, he became invisible before he spread his wings then flew to the prison. After he landed, he saw his friend guarding the door. He hated to sneak into his own prison just to see a prisoner, but he did and used a different route. It didn’t take him long to locate her cell and was shocked when he saw her.

The messengers had lied to him. She was supposed to be comfortable, well fed and bathed daily on her own. Her cell was filled with old blood and the odor of decomposing bodies.

Slowly her head lifted and she glanced his way then suddenly dropped her chin onto her chest. “What now?” she whispered hoarsely.

“Si? What have they done to you?”

“You mean, what have you done to me?”

He shook his head in denial. “No. I swear I never meant for this to happen.” With minimal effort he opened the door to her cell. “What happened? Who did this? I swear they’ll pay.”

“This is war, Di Vahd. You do what you must and I will do the same.”

Before he could think about his actions, he unlocked the chains on her feet then wrists and carried her out.

“Where are you taking me?”

“To my room.”

Weakly, she shook her head. “No, they’ll think I put you under a spell. Just leave me in chains.”

“No.” Unwittingly, he flew back to the same place he captured her. Finally he said, “I want to make this up to you. I swear I never meant for you to be hurt.”

Her voice suddenly strong, she demanded. “Surrender your kingdom to me.”

He stumbled back. “What?”

Before his eyes, she changed. “I’m serious. And the ball is in now in my court.” She snapped her fingers and her guards appeared. “I’ll be gentle with you, Di Vahd.”

“You deceived me.”

Si nodded. “Is it okay for you to deceive me? Now who’s playing fair?” Not one to like confusion, she confessed, “You were under my spell not long after you captured me. Being Vapyrean I thought you knew about the controlling spores we can spread at will and we can communicate with our thoughts.” She spread her hands to reveal her guards. “I was patient for my time and it came.”

Through gritted teeth, he stated, “I know about the spores.”

She laughed. “Really? Then let me know how you feel in a few months.” To her soldiers, she said, “Let him go.”

“No!”

“No? Don’t let you go? But I don’t want a husband. A toy, yes, but no husband.”

“I don’t want to live without you. I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Well, humans can’t produce blood to gratify a mate the way we can.” Gently, she touched his face. “I warned you and begged you to leave me alone. Why didn’t you listen?”

“Don’t feed on any man but me. Please.”

“So you’re the one?”

“Yes. I killed them. Promise me.”

“How often do you expect me to feed?” She was more surprised that she was actually considering his request. “We’re at war.”

“Several times a night.” He pulled her into his arms, and gently pressed her face into his neck as he spoke to her by thought, Marry me. It will be our secret. We can find secret places to meet. Please. The light touch of her fangs teased his skin. “Yes, love. Drink.”

She fought the urge to pierce his skin. “I’m not hungry.” Her human eyes changed.

“Liar,” he breathed out. The sound of her heart beat made his skin quiver with anticipation. “I can hear the pounding of your heart. Your blood speaks to me and the sweet scent is so strong I can taste your blood on my tongue.”

Si fought the hunger, but she’d been without blood for weeks. And his blood did call to her dark nature. Just one taste. In the blink of an eye she pierced his skin and he moaned in pleasure.

“Please don’t give this pleasure to any other man.” His said as he tried to keep his fangs from extracting. With each suck she drew from his neck it tugged and stroked his internal sex glands. No other woman ever drew that response within him. And when her hands stroked his flesh he nearly exploded. Quickly, he pulled her off of his neck.

The loss of ecstasy was so strong, his muscles contracted in protest, and he barely heard her say, “You popped out of your black denims. I had to touch you.”

He could only nod as her warm body pressed into his and his muscles began to relax. She pushed him to the ground and he went eagerly.

In a whisper, he managed to say, “I want to give you pleasure.”

There was something in his eyes that tugged at her heart. “We’re not alone.”

“Send them away,” he said as he pulled her down to straddle him.

The sound of vehicles headed their way didn’t break the seductive spell, but her guards snatched her off of him then flew away and immediately blended with their surroundings.

Still in a lustful daze, he couldn’t suddenly stop the feelings she provoked from his body that left him almost paralyzed in protest of the loss of her warmh. But slowly his heart beat returned to normal. Even though he knew she put him under a spell, he wanted her.

The war just took a major turn.

It was no longer about the island.

He swore they would be married. Somehow, someway . . . it would happen.