New Kingdom: European Court Ch. 07

Thanks to WorldHistoryBuff for editing this series!

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"Emma," she heard his deep seductive voice say. "As crazy as it sounds, talk. Keep talking to me and don't stop."

Antony stomped forward kicking rocks and tripping over debris. When he had covered the site once, he circled around and retraced his steps. Easily lifting the abandoned containers, he tossed them across the field disturbing the night as they crashed to the ground.

"Antony," Edward thought with a sigh, "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Looking for an entrance," Antony replied without pausing in his motions. "They found the tunnels here so there must be an entrance somewhere."

"Could you be a little louder?" Edward asked in silence.

"Fuck!" Anthony growled. "They know everything. We can't win. They are always two steps ahead of us and you want me to be fucking quiet?"

"Gabriel, talk to him. He's insane trying to find this girl. What good will he be to her if we're all dead?"

"Cut him some slack," Gabriel snapped. "You've been riding his ass since you got here. He's trying his best."

"His best?" Edward questioned in his mind. "His best will get us killed. Why are you defending him?"

"I'm not defending him but you made similar mistakes with your woman," Gabriel continued in their silent banter. "I put my priorities in place. Nothing comes before the New Kingdom."

"That's right Edward," Antony responded, "We should all be more like Gabriel. Perfect. Dedicated. Boring," he thought and then paused. "What? God no!"

"What the fuck's your problem now? Edward thinks I'm defending you and now you're criticizing me?"

Emma sat on the floor shivering from the cold and terror. She had managed to keep her eyes open through the entire ordeal. Obviously the men did not want to kill her. At least they did not want to kill her just now. When the one, whom she thought was the leader, had slapped her for running away, she thought she would pass out. But she stayed awake receiving several more blows before he finally stopped hitting her.

Now she sat on the floor with her arms wrapped around her legs which were folded close to her body. She had heard Antony's voice in her head telling her that he would find her. Maybe the violent blows had damaged her brain. How could she hear him? It had taken her a few minutes to talk with the imaginary voice but finally she did. If it gave her some comfort, then she would continue.

The last thing his voice had said was for her to keep talking. So she talked. Silently.

Emma had thought through the events since climbing into the limousine. She told him how the car had been forced off the road. She wept for the driver who had begged for his life but was mocked and mutilated. Hiding deeper inside her mind, she told Antony's voice how the men had pulled her from the car and laughed as she tried to fight for her freedom.

And then she told him what she heard them say. They promised that she would scream for death before they killed her. Emma had hesitated in telling Antony about how the men had grabbed at her breast, ripping her blouse. She had continued only because she knew no one was listening.

Even in her breakdown, Antony had quit listening. His voice was arguing with another person or other people. She had not been able to follow his argument since she could only hear his voice so she continued her silent conversation with him. And while he continued to ignore her, she cringed from the pain and withdrew more into herself.

His voice grew louder as he yelled at someone. Was he talking to Edward? And Gabriel? He declared someone was boring. Was he finally speaking to her? Suddenly he yelled loudly in her head and his voice continued to increase in volume. Emma cringed at his tone and wondered if she were mad to be experiencing this silent battle.

Antony continued his banter with his brothers while feeling Emma's neglect and pain. She really thought he was calling her boring. Even in her pain and fear, she cared what he thought about her. That had to mean something. He would take whatever he could get right now.

Gabriel and Edward continued to silently blame him and then each other for their current dilemma and eventually the problems of the world. Maybe they would laugh about this later.

Emma ducked her head and pulled her legs closer to her chest trembling as Antony's voice grew louder. Why was he yelling? Then she knew. He was not getting louder. He was getting closer. In her mind, he was coming closer to her prison.

"I'm here, Antony," she whispered.

"So am I," she heard him answer.

He sounded so close that she submitted to her hysteria and giggled.

"Will you tell me what you find amusing?" he asked quietly.

"I've lost my mind. It sounds like you're here with ...," Emma said and then suddenly gasped when warm arms wrapped around her body.

"I am here," he whispered against her hair. "Emma, please stay calm. Keep us hidden. They can't hear or see us when you hide us."

"Antony. You found me?" she asked refusing to open her eyes.

"And finding you won't do us much good unless I can get you out of here. So keep us hidden."

"You sound like I can do that on purpose."

"Whatever it is, do it. Can you walk?"

"Yes," she whispered against his neck.

"Let's go. My brothers are waiting for us," he said giving her his shirt. "Don't worry about walking. I'll carry you."

Emma felt him hold her close and then race through the corridors. The air in the tunnels was cool but stale. She wondered how long it would take for Antony to get them out. Certainly there were guards who would see them. Could she really hide them?

"Is she hurt?" Edward asked.

"Yes," Anthony simply answered. "I need to take her home. Did you see anyone?"

"No," Edward answered. "Gabriel was right. They thought we were looking in the wrong place."

"Let's not push our luck," Gabriel added following behind the group. "They will soon discover their loss and then it won't take too long to figure out our ploy. Get moving."

Gabriel had finished his sentence and then stopped suddenly. Turning to look at the disturbing sounds, he stared in horror as the earth moved and arms extended from the soil. He continued watching as several men crawled onto solid ground and shook the loose dirt from their bodies. Within a minute, twenty crazed vampires were on their feet approaching the brothers of the Third Creation.

"Antony, take her home," Gabriel ordered. "Edward and I can deal with this."

"Deal with ... What the fuck?" Edward demanded as he watched a mutated version of their people approach them slowly. "Where were they hiding?"

"In the ground," Gabriel answered. "Apparently not every man buried at this site was dead and decaying."

"They live in the dirt?"

"Remember, they are not us nor were they sired by us," Gabriel explained while watching his enemies approach. "If they were sired from an American vampire, then they would be sensitive to our time or the sun."

"Ok," Antony said taking a stand beside his brothers. "Destroy them all? Or keep one for questioning?"

"Where's Emma?" Edward demanded.

"Safe. I won't let her get hurt or taken. But let's make this quick. I need to get her home."

Within minutes the combat started and ended. The newborns approached with low, menacing growls but were soon howling in pain as they there were dismantled individually and as a group. When only seven remained, Gabriel observed the flash of a metal blade in a newborn's hand. He moved quickly but was not able to stop the vampire from slashing his chest. His dark shirt concealed the blood that spilled from the quickly healing wound.

"Damn," he growled when the last newborn had been destroyed. "Alena will not be happy."

"You'll be healed before we get to her," Antony said lifting Emma in his arms.

"Yes but she will smell the blood. I'll need to let her come to me."

The men retraced their steps quickly in the dark. Antony carried Emma tucked close to his body. Within minutes the group returned to his home passing safely through the entrance gates and paused when they heard a woman's cry inside the castle. Suddenly, the front door was thrown open and Alena raced through the night closing the distance between her and Gabriel.

Gabriel nodded to his brothers and caught Alena in his arms carrying her under the seclusion of the trees. Although he had moved quickly he was not able to hide her totally from his brothers' view. Her eyes were wide and glassy betraying the stress that she was experiencing but her final emotions were not fear.

Standing by the door, Alena had simultaneously smelled Gabriel's blood and heard his voice of comfort. Before she could register the fact he was uninjured, she had momentarily panicked at the thought he had be hurt. Quickly though, she was able to realize that he was telling he the wound was superficial and already healed. The blood she smelled was the residue on his shirt. His words, combined with the fact he was getting closer to the house, reassured her that her Gabriel was indeed uninjured.

Within seconds she moved from fear to relief and then to another uncontrollable urge. His blood. The only times she had smelled his blood was during the private moments when they were tucked away in their rooms exploring every inch of each others' bodies. Now, s the same aroma that drove her beyond ecstasy was calling to her in the night. Alena nearly ripped the door from the hinges as she ran from the house barely touching the ground in her race to find him.

As always, Gabriel was ready. He caught her in his arms and moved away from his brothers before she could do much more to embarrass him.

"Lucky bastard," Antony said with a low voice as he continued his approach to the house.

When Alena caught her breath, she looked to Gabriel to apologize for the actions she knew would embarrass her mate. What she saw in his eyes made her hold the apology for another day.

"Did you fear for me, my love?" he asked in silence.

"Only for a moment," she replied. "But then, I don't know what happened, God I started craving you. My body aches to feel you and my throat burns to taste you."

"Then let me ease your suffering," he promised with a low growl.

He moved them deeper under the shelter of the grove until they were nestled on the soft earth beneath the canopy of leaves. He quickly removed his shirt and brought Alena's had to the perfect skin covering his ribs so she could feel the absence of any wounds. He then began unbuckling his belt while her hand drifted across the muscles of his chest and abdomen. When he unfastened his jeans, her fingers tangled with his and she sought the flesh that would increase and then ease her desire.

"Not yet, love," he said kissing her fingertips. "Let me see you."

Gabriel found the zipper at her back and quickly loosened her dress but halted in removing the garment. As the dress fell from her shoulders he kissed her face and throat. Pulling the material from her breasts, he moved his lips around the edges of her bra gently tracing her skin with his tongue. Feeling her hips roll up to meet his, Gabriel removed her dress and shoes leaving Alena covered in her bra and panties. As pretty as the garments were, they covered flesh that he considered beautiful.

As he pulled the lace away, Gabriel treated the newly exposed skin with a simple kiss earning a moan of passion mixed with frustration from his little mate. When they were both finally undressed, he hovered over her, bracing his weight on his arms as he looked at her.

"What?" she snapped.

"If this is the reaction I get from a small cut, maybe I should begin bleeding more often."

"Seriously? You feel the need to tease me now?"

"Alena," he said with no signs of humor remaining. "Forever."

"Forever," she said repeating their vows.

He entered her quickly but gently. This time was not for sating passion but for assuring her of their love. Gabriel moved with deliberate delay watching his mate writhe beneath him. When she finally looked him in the eye, he smiled at her.

"Forever means for eternity, my love. There is no end for us so there is no rush."

"I need you," she thought but moaned in frustration.

"No. You need to know that I'm not injured. You can see that I'm not. Then you rush as though you are storing up these moments to remember when I'm gone."

"I've lost you before," she admitted quietly.

"No!" he said aloud. "We were separated. Never lost. It was not our time to be together. But now we are. Forever."

Gabriel quickened his pace as he watched her accept his words. He knew that she could not possibly understand the magnitude of their relationship. Everything in his world depended on her existence in his life. He could constantly tell her that, but until she understood, she would always live in fear.

"Forever," she repeated again and this time he saw the understanding in her eyes.

Alena move her hips to meet his while rubbing her hands over his chest. With their eyes locked on each other, they moved together under the canopy of the night. Gabriel held her close as he moved them together so he was now on his back allowing her the freedom to control their coupling. After a moment's hesitation, Alena giggled and started bouncing against his body.

"Gabriel, I love you. I love this. Promise me it will never end."

"It will never end," he promised.

As the continued moving toward their climax, Alena arched her back and tilted her head. As she opened her mouth to moan, her teeth elongated to their full extension. When she felt the familiar ripple of energy move through her, she increased her speed and began panting. Just before her orgasm hit, she felt Gabriel's hands on her hips pulling her faster and harder against his body. She screamed into the night as the waves of pleasure slammed into her body shaking her to the core. Falling to Gabriel's chest, she pressed her lips to the vein in his neck and, after one simple kiss, she bit into his flesh and fed from the life source of her sire.

Alena allowed the blood to pool in her mouth before swallowing. Each mouthful sent another wave of pleasure through her body until she was moaning and writhing in erotic bliss. When she had swallowed the sixth time, she fleetingly wondered why Gabriel was allowing her to feed for so long. He had usually pulled her away with words of caution about how too much would not be beneficial to her. Certainly she would not bleed him dry but the hot liquid pouring from his vein instantly strengthened her body and mind.

When she could take no more, she sealed the wound and collapsed on his chest. After a few minutes, she glanced at Gabriel to find him smiling at her. He knew what she was discovering. As a newborn mate of one of the Third Generation, she would be expected to eventually become a strong female vampire. He had given her little access to the source of that strength warning that his blood could cause damage to a young creature. But now, a year after their mating, he had allowed her to taste until she was content. And now, she knew they would do better than just survive this war with the enemy because, as he used to tell her, she now just knew things.

"Oh god, Gabe. I'm so sorry to have worried and been such a pain in the ass," she said as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"If you're apologizing about worrying for me, please don't," he said pulling her underneath him again. "After four thousand years, I'm enjoying the fact that someone actually cares if I come home or not. Now, how about sharing some of your newfound strength with me?"

Sinking his teeth into her flesh, he entered her again receiving a cry mixed with approval and pleasure.

Antony nodded to Edward when they entered the house and continued up the stairs to his private rooms. He continued to hold Emma close cradling her against her against chest as he passed through the rooms of his apartment. When he finally entered the master bath suite, he helped her stand on her feet and began undressing her.

"Uh, Antony," she said but never completed her thought.

"Emma," he said as pulled his shirt away from her body. "I've been an ass. I can see that clearly but, unfortunately, I'm not really sure who I'm supposed to be." He paused and placed his large hands under her hair and finished, "Would you be willing to help me find him?"

"Would you be willing to start by being yourself?" Emma asked in response. "Just be honest with me. At this point, I understand that nothing in your life would be considered normal to me. But I've never been considered normal by anyone else. I promise that I won't freak out anymore if you will just be yourself."

"You may not freak out," he whispered against her temple. "You may just hate him."

"Do you honestly believe that? Haven't we experienced enough to know that whatever this is between us is more than simple chemistry or sexual attraction?"

"Ok," he agreed with a low chuckle. "I'll be honest with you and in return I ask you to be patient with me and let me know when you're unhappy, or confused, or regretting your decision to stay."

"Did you ask me to stay?" she asked with a grin.

"Would it make you happy to hear me beg?"

"No. Not at all," she answered. "Just ask."

"Emma, I want you to stay with me. Will you please stay with me?"

"I will."

"Don't you even want to know what that means?"

"You can explain the meaning along the way. I do have one request though."

"Anything."

"I, uh, I want to be human."

"Forever?!" he demanded. "You can't be my mate and be human."

"Not forever," Emma clarified. "Just for a little longer. We've started something and I would like to finish it. Is that wrong? Our relationship isn't just about vampires is it?"

"Ok," Antony agreed. "Gabriel and Alena were able to be together before she changed and he managed to not kill her. So, as long as we agree that this is a temporary request, then I agree."

"What do you mean 'he managed to not kill her'?"

"Strength, feeding, and all those things that wouldn't be an issue if you were not human."

"You have a lot to explain to me."

"But first," he said turning to the shower. "Let's get you more comfortable."

"I can't imagine how I must look. Frightening?"

"Actually," he said turning her face to the light, "You look remarkably well. Some bruising but it's healing quickly. Odd."

"I've been lucky all of my life. No major injuries and I heal fast."

"To survive an attack is remarkable. To have so little sign of injury is ..."

"Miraculous?"

"Unprecedented," he clarified. "For a human."

"Are you telling me that something is wrong me?" Emma asked

"No. I'm only saying that you are an exceptional woman," he clarified as he unfastened her slacks. "No matter what comes at you, you seem to survive. And no matter what comes between us, we seem to find each other."

He tested the water pouring from the various shower heads and when he was satisfied with the temperature, he removed his clothes and her remaining underwear. Emma hesitated and looked away nervously. Suddenly the light dimmed to romantic glow and music flowed through the suite.

"How did you do that?"

"It's in my nature. Give me a chance and I'll show you everything in my bag of tricks," he said pulling her under the massaging spray of water.

"Antony?" Emma asked. "I'm not sure I can ... I don't think I'm ready to ... you know ..."

"Let me help you get comfortable. I need to know that you are really uninjured and then we will go to bed. I promise to hold you while you sleep."

"You'll stay this time?"

"I'll stay every time," he promised and pulled her close.