Dark Gifts: Bar of Chocolate
Kael and Lexi
Kael Argotero looks like an avenging angel bringing with him the wrath of the heaven. He just finished his foray for the night. If he could still feel emotions, he would be very disappointed right now. His prey was no more than a fledgling of his kind. They are turning so young, he mused. It is always a wonder to him that he had hunted kinsmen who turned rogue that are younger than him. He had hold true to his race for eighteen hundred years and had hunted majority of those years alone. If there is anyone who should have turned long ago, it should have been him. He played with his long silvery-blonde hair and when those moss-green eyes glazed, he let himself be submerged with memories of times long past. His childhood was millennia gone now, and as adulthood came he had learnt to hunt those lost to darkness, to their own bestial natures, without hope of redemption, the vampire. He had been a hunter for centuries, more than long enough to see old friends lose themselves to the dark, to hunt old playmates who had given in to bloodlust, to feel its pull himself as the world faded around him and the kill became the only action to stir any feeling within him.
His is a dying race. He is a Carpathian, a creature of earth. With the blessing of his Prince, he traveled the world cleansing it from the undead taint. It was a grueling battle. Each rising is much more difficult than the last. He is more careful now in his feeding, fearing that the call of blood will entice him to cross the line that distinguish a Carpathian from a vampire. Only his unyielding honour and sense of responsibility to his race anchors him to this earth. He knows his power, he is too far gone to choose the dawn and leave this earth peacefully. If he turned, he feared that not even the Dark One, Gregori or fabled dark twins, Lucian and Gabriel can put him down. His only hope is to find his lifemate. He pities the woman that would be forced to be bound to him, he is no tamed wolf.
Please, if anyone can hear me, please save my baby sister…she is all I have left..please…a weak voice woke him from his reveries. He cursed. How could he let himself be absorbed with his own musing and become unaware of his surrounding? It was his first slip in a thousand of years. He followed the trail of the telepathic call and it led him to a quaint little house. He was about to turn back sensing no disturbance in this particular area when he caught the musky scent of fear, pain and hopelessness. He shifted into mist and entered the abode unannounced. What he saw made his blood boiled. A man towering over with a baseball bat on a mass of bodies in the corner. Two bruised and bleeding bodies!. Children! The huddled masses were children, a boy not more than 12 years of age and another young child. He could not get a clear view of the other child since it was shielded by the older boy. If he would guess, the young child will be around 3 or 4 years old basing from the size of the body. He was angered. No, his is in rage. Later he would realize that he was not supposed to feel any of those feelings. His race valued their young and treasured them explicitly. To see to very young children cowering in fear due to abused is more than what he can take. Without hesitation he threw the man against the opposite wall with a loud crack. The body of the man slacked down dead in the floor.
Don't come any nearer! The words rang inside his head. Despite the weaken state of his body the mind-speaker continues to protect the little bundle in his arm. Kael knows that the young boy will not last any longer without his aid. Calm, young one. I mean you and your sibling no harm. He used his voice to bring calm and feed the young one's mind with trust and good intention. He felt the resistance of the boy grow weaker. He is not sure whether it was through his manipulation or the boy is more hurt that he first thought. Heal her! She is dying..she is slipping from my hold. Heal her! I know you can. He was startled by the knowledge he saw in those blue orbs. "I will take a look at your sister and then I will heal you. This I promise you". He said preparing himself to shed his own spirit and enter the young one's body. Healing in the way of his kind, from inside out, he healed every broken bone and internal injury before knitting the skin back. It was a painstaking task; he has to be meticulous in his inspection. When he returned from his own body, he swayed from the exertion but there is one more task left for him to do. It was the young boy's turn. It was amazing how the young boy was able to anchor the spirit of his sister despite his own battered body. It was truly an amazing feat; the young girl was so near to death that a slight falter in the young boy's resolve, her spirit will escape his grasp. "It's your turn, little one". He tried to reach for the boy. He can feel the lethargy that caught hold in his body. It is near dawn, his battle with the undead and healing the young girl, took a lot from him. He has to finish this quickly before his body shut down on its own. There is no need. I know that I am dying..i had dreams of this happening. Thank you for coming into our aid. The look on the boy's eyes is not that of a child but of a hardened warrior. He feels kinship to the boy. The young boy is an old soul. He can see it in the vast ocean of his eyes. There is knowledge hidden in those solemn eyes. "I can still heal you, young one. It is still in my power to aid you". Do you not want to be healed just like your sister? To be free from abused you suffered and finally be the children you should have been. He tried to convince the boy despite his waning strength even if in the back of his mind he knows that the child will not heed his offer.
He was gifted with a beautiful smile from the boy. This is how it should happen, you have done your part when you healed my sister and now I will do my part. I watched the boy helplessly as he give his sister the last of his life and energy. As I watched the young boy succumbed to death, I can not help but feel regret. A name, young one. Tell me your name so that I can tell your sister how heroic her brother was.
"Acheron". An almost quiet response.
"Take care of my sister, Kael. She is special. You'll see". Those were his last words. I would wonder later how he knew my name. As his eyes closed the sun rose in the horizon and I have no choice but to sleep the way of my people. My heart stopped and will remain like that until the next rising.
The next rising, Kael took care of the remains of the man who abused Acheron and his sister. If it were him, he would just throw his body away but decided against it. He also took care of Acheron's body. The boy deserves to have a good resting place. He chose a clearing in the forest and fashioned a plaque in memory of the young boy with ancient eyes. He vowed that he will bring his sister here so that she can say her goodbye to her brother. Kael headed to town to feed. He had to be strong enough to finish healing the young girl. Her body might be in good condition but the abuse as well as the trauma of near dying might be too much for her young mind. In his return to, he was assaulted by questions and memories that create more confusion than answer. He tried to gather his thoughts and figure out the mystery surrounding Acheron and to make plans what he should do with the girl. He is sure that both children had psychic abilities. His people has been looking out for these children, especially the female since it was found out that psychic women can be lifemates to Carpathians. This line of thought angers his beast. The thought of leaving the young girl in the keeping of other Carpathian couple though rational, left a bitter taste in his tongue. His thoughts were once again interrupted by a low moan from the little girl. He knows that the child is waking up and has a lot of questions, starting from the absence of her brother and this worries him since he knows next to nothing about comforting.
Green eyes meet cornflower-blue. The child's eyes were the color of tropical ocean waters, a dazzling turquoise color with flecks of gold within them that made them seem as two brilliantly cut jewels shining in the night. It's the most beautiful color I have ever seen… Wait! How can I see the color of her eyes unless—! He closed his eyes at once, for not only was he temporarily blinded from the returning of full sight, colors he had completely forgotten about were returning at such a speed it was confusing his center of vision into near upheaval, but his mind and heart were also driven near madness, with emotions that he had only barely remembered through faint memories! The whole experience of sudden sensations drove him to his knees, his body struggling to adjust to the sudden changes in his body. Now, he understand the rage that he felt for the children's abused, the regret he felt in Acheron's passing and the distaste he felt in the idea of living the young child. Young child! A child for a life mate. The fate must have really love him or hate him. Giving him a lifemate at this point in time when he has no hope.
He suddenly felt the child's hand lay lightly on his face, as if afraid to touch him, but brave enough to try. Opening his eyes slightly, he could she her stunning azure eyes gazing at him in curiosity and worry.
"Are you my angel?"
"Your angel?"
"Yes, Ash said that if a wait patiently and keep on believing, my angel will come and take me away but I have been patient..and you—you took forever to get here! So are you taking me now? I have been patient, promise!". That was not the kind of introduction I imagined but it will have to do.
"Cara, do you know what happened to Acheron?" when she nodded, I could not hide my surprise.
"He told me that I won't be seeing him when I woke up and that I don't need to worry because he will never be truly gone, only invincible. He said that he will always be right here" pointing in her heart.
"Cara, what other things did Ach—Ash told you about?". I had to find out more about this child, not child, my lifemate.
"Ash said that you will come and I should not be afraid because you will never hurt me and you will keep bad men away..you will right?" how could you say no to those eyes.
I cleared my voice, "Yes, I will take care of you and I will protect you." she lunged into Kael and set her face on his shoulder and whisper, "Thank you. I was afraid that you will not want me..promise me that you will always be there..promise that you will always stay..please.."
"As long as you want me to, I will never leave you. Tell me cara, what is your name?".
"I'm Lexi, 5 years old, my favorite color is red, I want to be a nurse when I grow up…and—and oh, I love chocolates!"
Kael inwardly grinned. Who would have thought that a single question can be so informative? O, the joy of children. I watched her babbled for a few minutes, absorbing even the tiniest detail of what she is telling. Not much longer she is yawning and ner eyes were drooping.
"You are tired Lexi, go on and rest I would watch over you till you sleep and then I would have to go and feed".
"Feed?" she stood awake. Damn, that will create more questions that I can't answer right now.
"Here angel, I have some chocolates here if you are hungry. These are the last one that Ash gave me; you can have it, you don't have to leave!" She tightened her grasp on my shirt as if afraid if she let go I will disappear. Her tone was light but I can sense the apprehension and fear underneath her statement. Is she afraid that I will leave her? I already promise her. Then it dawned on me, of course, she just lost her brother and I'm the only one she has. I had forgotten that despite her easy acceptance of the changes around her, she is still a child who lost everything she is familiar with in a flash. However matured she seems to be she is still that, a child.
"I will never leave you cara, I will always be at your side as long as you want me to. I promise you that" Kael swore that this child in his arms, his lifemate, will have everything she wanted. As long as she wishes it, she will have it.
" I will always want you with me, angel, just like I will always like chocolate." She handed me her chocolate, a sign of my promise and hers. Carpathians as a rule exist only on the blood of others. Food makes them ill, especially meat. He can force himself to eat but it will be uncomfortable and he will have to get rid of it as soon as possible. He took the chocolate from Lexi and unwrap it. It doesn't matter if he'll get sick. He could not disappoint those eyes who look at me expectantly.
Kael sighed. Things I do for you, lifemate. He bit on the dark confection expecting a revolting feeling but was surprised that it doesn't taste so bad. It is actually sweet and energizing, just like her. Each bite was like a burst of happiness, an instant heaven. There are nuts and nougats here and there, making some of the bites crunchy. Some bites leave a bitter after taste but the general experience takes out the bitterness of it. She watches me as I enjoy nibbling on the sweet, savoring each mouthful. When I was half way done, she smiled at me contented and finally succumbed to the call of sleep. As she closes her eyes, I imagine how our years will pass. I have no illusion that it will be smooth sailing just like the nuts and nougats those challenges will only add flavor to our journey. They might encounter misunderstanding and conflict that will make them bitter and estranged with each other. But he looks forward to those clashes because he knows it will only ignite the passion between them. Those clashes will enrich their relationship just like how the slight bitterness of chocolate emphasizes the richness of its flavor. Finishing the rest of the chocolate, he looked at his little Lexi. He has a long way to go but with her around he knows that he can endure. He wondered if this is what Acheron envisioned them to be. Her presence is enough to quiet the beast in him. She is the light to his darkness. The warm that soothe his darkened soul, the comforting presence that calms his fevered mind, the sweetness amidst all the bitterness in his life. She is that and more, just like chocolate.
Reference:
Feehan, Christine. Dark Symphony. New York: Penguin Books, 2003
Feehan, Christine. Dark Prince. New York: Penguin Books, 1999
Christine Feehan #1 New York Times Bestselling Author. 18 March 2009. The Official Website of the Bestselling Author Christine Feehan. 31 March 31, 2009 .
**note. The setting and the Carpathian people are property of Ms. Christine Feehan from her book Dark series. I just adapted her idea and made the characters Kael, Acheron and Lexi.