First Death Pt. 09

A note from AfterDusk:

Sorry for the delay, Matthew has been oddly quiet this past month. Thanks for your patience! I'll do my best to keep the ball rolling.

-AD

*****

Hiro and Kaito were waiting for me in the foyer; just outside was a large black SUV parked in the curved driveway. I sat in the back, Hiro up front while Kaito drove. Even in the dark I watched out the window as the beautiful Japanese country side rolled by; I wondered what it looked like back when Lily first arrived—that casual thought threw me head first into her memories.

In the darkness of the night, Lucas and I stood on the deck of our ship, gazing out at the island as it began to loom in the distance. The orient—I knew it only through the memories of those before me yet it was something I had always wanted to experience for myself. As my brother and I killed our way across the world to get here, I suddenly felt a pang of regret, though not for the hundreds of lives we took, for the simple thought that once we finished our trek the entire world would be known to me. An eternity without any mysteries seemed like a dull existence; I tried to assure myself that change was inevitable, that humans were fickle creatures who always pressed forward, onward to greater discoveries and new technology. Perhaps someday ships would not only sail the ocean but the skies, maybe even beyond into the heavens above.

"I think I'll go north," the tone of his voice expressed his lack of desire to visit the place, his boredom. He had been that way for a while after we left Siberia and fleeted our way through China.

Frankly I found his apathy tiresome and was more than happy for a break from his constant companionship, "I will visit the mainland. Let us meet back at the boat in a month."

"Very well sister," he grumbled, retreating to tell the captain of our plans.

Lucas was dropped off first before the ship docked in the main harbor; pulling up the hood of my cloak I stepped out into the night filled with the dark excitement of a new adventure. I trolled the streets until just before dawn, paying for lodging in a quaint hotel where tourists often stayed though I was the only white woman amongst them, the others were all Asian businessmen, coming in from other cities to see to their trade.

I kept an ear to the ground for rumors of shifters; it seemed like everywhere we went there was always a wolf pack or two amongst the fold but I never heard a word about any of them here. I knew the history enough to know that Japanese wolves were often seen as protectors of their human counterparts, ensuring that travelers had safe passage in the mountains where the packs lived, but at least here by the coast there was no mention of them. As I wandered the streets alone I caught wary looks from the locals, muffled whispers that I was a trickster, a fox. I understood their language and spoke it well enough through the memories of others so I was thoroughly versed in their superstitions and knew they regarded me as a supernatural spirit; after that, I took care to remain hidden within the shadows to avoid being seen.

It wasn't even a week before I discovered an elder vampire living among them in a small house near the base of the mountains; he was dangerously close to what I figured was pack territory, frankly it was a wonder he had survived this long. I waited to ensure that no one was near and I slipped into his home, silently standing behind him while he sat cross legged on the floor, reading through a book. I never even gave him a chance to see my face when I fleeted over to him, grasping his topknot in one hand, my other arm slung around his narrow torso.

To his credit, he fought amiably; we rolled around on the floor as he tried his hardest to escape my grasp but I was far stronger than him, far more practiced in the art of killing. My fangs sank into his neck and I mewled out at the richness of his blood, the depth of his knowledge as it flowed into my being.

"You do not know what you are doing," he hissed at me, still fighting as his body weakened and slowed. "They will come for you."

It was the last thing he had the energy to say before I drank all that he had to offer. His cold body became lifeless in my arms, his skin darkening gradually, smoldering in my grasp. I let him fall free of me to the reed mat below and watched as the embers of his being flickered in the dark night. I fleeted in a circle around him several times, whipping up a wind to catch the fire that was within him until the empty vessel flared up, shining brightly enough to force me to cover my eyes. I waited while he burned, ensuring that he left nothing behind to be found but a pile of ash.

My being hummed with the feeling of fullness, the power of absorbing another elder. I strolled out into the night, unable to suppress the smile on my face as I made my way back to the hotel just before dawn. Tucked safely into a spot of the room where no sun would shine, I relaxed back into the large plush chair, eager to sift through the vampire's memories to see what mysteries they would unfold. As each one played over in my mind, though, the smile faded from my lips—wolves. Ōkami. Somehow, he was one of them.

Over the next three weeks I took care to remain hidden from all eyes, any being that saw me was sentenced to a quick death by my hand. I sought out all the vampires I could find though there was only one other elder on the mainland, the rest were first spawn of them. I made a large loop around the coast, fleeting quickly from town to town, wreaking havoc where I stopped at night, hiding away safely during the day. All the while, I knew they were on my trail, I heard the whispers amongst the locals of wolf sightings, townsfolk claiming that they were hunting something. I probably should have ran after I killed that elder but my ego overrode that—I was a formidable vampire, there was nothing I was afraid of, or at least nothing that I had discovered yet.

By the time I had circled the island and made my way back to the port where our ship was docked, one of the crew men told me that Lucas had been waiting in the hotel for a few days; apparently he had grown tired of the northern island and was ready to leave. As it was just before dawn I was forced into the building, silently weaving down the hallways to the large suite that my brother had secured for his own personal use. I was sad to leave this beautiful land, its mysteries were still taunting me, drawing me towards the secrets that these strange humans kept.

I pushed open his door, not bothering to knock; as we had seen each other in every state imaginable neither one of us would bat an eye at our sibling entering our bedchamber. However the instant I saw my brother lying on his stomach, his fine silk attire wrinkled, his limbs contorted behind him as he was hogtied with enchanted silver chains and gagged like a victim, I froze in my tracks. I only had an instant to react and I missed it, feeling the cold metal latch around my neck; the silver burned almost as bad as the sun. I hissed and tried to fleet away but the enchantments engraved into the collar had somehow drained me of my powers. I swung wildly at the tall, imposing man who walked my way but even my strength had evaded me; he caught my fist easily, clamping more burning metal around them, forcing my arms behind me to secure them together. In an instant I was thrust down onto the floor and I felt the indignity of my ankles being bound and forced upwards, my limbs chained together so that my position matched my brother's.

"You're a dead man, dog," I growled at him. I could see it in the way he moved—humans were too oblivious to note the differences, even most vampires missed the way they carried themselves but I had too many memories, spent too much time sifting through years of information to not pick up a thing or two. What surprised me, however, were the strength of the enchantments these Ōkami possessed; I knew there to be many things that were created to restrain a vampire and while some worked others did not. Even those that were successful were no match for creatures as powerful as my brother and I yet these wolves had retained a magic that had long been forgotten. I knew it from the elder I drained, just like I knew that there was no way I could break free.

The tall man crouched down in front of me, a half smirk on his lips. I glared at him, studying his posture, his body hidden behind folds and layers of fabric that made up his garb. The smooth rhythmic starts and stop of his language danced out from his lips as he spoke, though I understood his words clear enough, "You have a vicious mouth on you for a lady. I have heard it said that women on the other side of the world are disrespectful creatures but I would have never imagined it the truth. You will address me as Alpha Nobu and you would do well to avert your unworthy gaze from mine." The venom in his voice was clear but I was too head strong to heed it.

I narrowed my eyes at him but the moment I opened my mouth to speak someone from behind shoved a gag into it, cutting my words off. The Alpha rose and without verbally directing them, he made his wishes known; Lucas and I were plucked from the ground and unceremoniously deposited into our own emptied out traveling trunks, the lids slamming down and locking. My mind reeled at the possibilities as I felt the weightlessness of my container being lifted—what if they threw us into the harbor, leave us to die of starvation with the crushing weight of the sea bearing down, knowing we would have no way out? I let my body go limp and closed my eyes, searching through the elder vampire's memories to discern the cruelty these wolves would impose on us but I gleaned nothing.

It was hours before I felt solid ground underneath the trunk; I knew the sun was still high in the sky. I wouldn't stand a chance if they simply opened it and watched while I smoldered under the brightness of day. I wouldn't even get the opportunity to repent for my sins, to say goodbye to Lucas. Though I expected the lid to be flipped open, it wasn't; I listened as hard as I could but the silver, the burning enchantments had even disrupted my keen eyes and ears. I was as useless as a human.

Time, time was my enemy, my constant companion all these years and this was no different, it passed by painfully slow. Perhaps it was part of their torture, leaving us to think on our impending death. I felt the temperature lower, the night passing by just as slow as the day had.

Finally, movement drew near and the lid was opened. A stout wolf plucked me out of the chest; I half expected him to toss me to the ground but he was civil about it and placed me on my side, taking care to pull my skirt back down to cover my ankles even though by that point I couldn't have given a shit less about my modesty. I was surprised when he removed my gag and undid the binds, though he left the collar on. His stature was tense, as was that of the wolf behind him—both of them expected me to attack which is exactly why I didn't. I would have to bide my time, wait for the most opportune moment to escape.

When the wolf retreated out of the cell I realized I was alone in it; it was cut into the wall of a cave, the front of it sealed off with bars made of silver, the artistic characters of their language etched into each one. I watched as he shut the gate and locked it before I slowly rose and gracefully stepped closer so I could get a better view of the area beyond my cell.

The cavern was large and seemed to extend back far into the mountain; the area just beyond the cell was close to the front as I saw sparse trees and vegetation just outside of the opening and in the middle of it was Lucas. He was still hogtied but had been set on his knees, leaning awkwardly backwards at an angle though his gag was gone.

Alpha Nobu stood over him, "For the crime of killing a member of the Ōkami you are sentenced to death."

"I didn't touch a single one of your filthy mutts," Lucas spat out.

"Leave him be," I growled from behind the bars with enough tenacity to draw Nobu's attention, "he wasn't even on the mainland. I was the one who killed your pet."

Nobu frowned at me, "You are just a woman, your words do not matter." He turned back to Lucas, "As patriarch of your family, the punishment is yours to bare. Take solace in knowing that your sister will follow in your footsteps."

I watched in horror as the sky started to lighten and knew that it wouldn't be long before my brother was a smoldering pile of ash. Just as Nobu began to walk away from Lucas, he broke free of his binds and leapt onto the wolf's back. I was surprised initially until I recalled a distant memory of our youth and how Lucas always got us into trouble, resulting in being locked in our separate rooms. It took him a few tries but he had plenty of practice at picking locks over the years.

I watched as they rolled around on the open stone, noting curiously how none of the other wolves made a move to help the Alpha; I figured it to be a matter of honor. They tussled for several minutes until the sun finally broke free over the mountain top, its rays of light blasting down on to them. My brother let out a long wail, his posture becoming rigid before falling to the ground and writhing in agony.

His cries tore at my unbeating heart—he was all I had left in this world, the only proof that I once existed as a human long ago. I couldn't watch him suffer, I couldn't watch him die. Before I realized it, my slender fingers grasped at the burning collar around my throat and I tore it free, surprising the wolves outside of my cell as much as myself. With my strength restored I wasted no time and fleeted as hard and as fast as I could, crashing into the metal bars where they met the stone wall, focusing on the only point of weakness as I knew that it would take too much time to break through the enchantments. It took two strikes before the stone buckled under the force and broke free.

I had no control over my actions, my entire body pulsed with rage, with fear as I gave into the darkness and evil dwelling deep within me. I left the two guards in lifeless piles in the cave, fleeting out to my brother. The moment sun touched my pale skin I slowed, ignoring the pain, pushing through my third death to pick him up and carry him to the safety of the shadows beyond. I knew it was hopeless, he was unconscious and I didn't have enough left in me to get both of us to safety and within moments the entirety of the Ōkami would be on us. I spun on my heels and locked eyes with the furious Nobu and did the only thing I could think of—I dropped down to my hands and knees. I willingly crawled out into the light, choking down the cries of pain that were trying to escape as I made my way to his feet. He stood still, watching me as I pressed my face into the ground and begged.

"Please," I choked out, "please spare my brother. I am yours to do with as you see fit just give me your word you will not harm Lucas."

The last thing I heard was footsteps before I blacked out.

I felt blood trickling down my throat, the rich substance pooling in my belly, giving me life even though I was dead twice over. I forced my eyes open and saw that I was in a room though the walls were the stone of the cave. I felt the softness of a bed below me and for the first time in a long time, my body felt warm, hot, as if I were sick with fever. I focused on the man who was pouring the fluid down my throat and I saw Nobu; he truly was a handsome man, even for a wolf. He was stout, thick with muscle, his long black hair swept up into a high bun, clean shaven face frowning down at me.

But then I sensed someone else; my eyes wandered until I caught the gaze of a stranger. He was leaning against the wall, in the shadows of the corner. Though he was dressed like the men of the orient in layers of fabric draping around him, he had a hood drawn up over his head and a mask covering the bottom half of his face, only exposing enough skin to tell me that he was not Japanese, no he looked like he was from Arabia or Persia with his rich olive hued skin and his almost glowing yellow eyes. He held himself with the authority of a wolf but I knew the stillness about him was something only known to a vampire.

"Leave us," the strange man said flatly in Japanese.

I watched in surprise as Nobu rose and bowed to him before disappearing. The man remained still for a moment before he floated over and sat casually on the bed. His presence, his affect and confidence was the only thing that had truly frightened me since I had become a creature of Death's.

"Lillian Cain," he spoke in accented English, "you have more lives than a cat. I have heard of your trek across the world, killing off all the elders you find so that you can keep their memories for yourself."

I struggled to speak, using what small energy I had to keep the conversation going long enough to discover who this man was, "You mean to stop me?"

His golden eyes almost twinkled; I knew under his mask he was smiling, "No. Death plays a dangerous game and there are too many of his creatures out in the wild. I will allow you to leave this place, to kill all that you like but you must grant me one small thing in return for your freedom."

I knew I didn't have a choice—this man or whatever he was had control over Nobu and therefore over the Ōkami; the power of such a feat meant I was no match for him, "And who are you to grant me my freedom?"

"I am the immortal," he said smoothly.

I knew it from the ease in his voice that it was true, just as I knew of his existence through the memories of the dead that haunted me, though none of their speculation was even close to the amount of power this man exuded. As I stared deep into his eyes, I saw something in them, something akin to recognition, to longing, to sorrow; I didn't know exactly why he looked at me this way. Perhaps I reminded him of a ghost of his past. Silently, I thanked whoever it was that haunted him, whoever had affected him in such a way to make him grant me his favor, "What is it you wish of me?"

"I wish you to protect my progeny, at all costs they must not be harmed. If they are, if my line is cut so shall yours be." His threat was not hollow nor was it vicious, simply a statement.

"You have my word."

As I pulled out of her memory, a chill crept down my spine; I knew that she had followed Ameer's descendants through the generations but lost track of them once they crossed the great ocean to the Colonies. After the scales had shifted, after she visited him again he reminded her of her vow; she left Evan behind in England to uphold her promise though she was never able to track them down to an exact location. By happenstance she chose my hometown as a basis for her research. It was almost as if Fate had forced her hand.

I tried to focus on what Kaito and Hiro were discussing; I traced my hands down my flat chest and abs, ran them over my thighs to feel my body, to remember that I was Matthew, not Lily. I honed in on Hiro as he turned slightly, addressing me in the art of influence a human, "In the beginning, making eye contact is key. You need to relax your mind and focus on your prey. Your body should naturally respond and when you breathe out, your scent will affect them like a drug. When you speak, they should have no reservations about granting you what you ask."

I already inherently knew how to influence, as I had experienced Lily doing it to Andre, "What is the difference between influencing and swaying a person?"

"When you influence someone, they are more or less under your spell, so to speak. You can suggest things that they will commit to memory. Swaying is a bit more complicated and doesn't always work, but when you have someone under your influence you can order them to do something they normally wouldn't. For example, you could influence a human and ask them if they would like to have sex with you—very few refuse. Or you could try to sway them to kill someone, that would go against their normal tendencies."