One
Chapter 1 Rose Thorns
Not a whisper of sound escaped from his lips as the horror unfolded in front of him. Brothers falling all around him. Blood spraying from fresh wounds, slicing pain coiling under the skin. Bereft of all emotion he stared at the horizon, welcomed the beautiful death which was coming for him. The blessed sunlight which his race adored but also feared. If one golden ray touched the skin it would blister and burn. He stood among the dead and dying, stretched his mighty arms into the Christ pose and waited for the dawn. It started with a slight stinging but immediately grew into excruciating pain. He clenched his teeth and fought back his instincts screaming at him to find the sanctuary of the darkness. His dead eyes were streaming, blood was spilling from the various macabre holes in his skin. This was death. He welcomed it. Chaos was reigning all around him, the warrior in him was dead and buried nothing left but the shell of his existence. Humans destroying his loved ones until nobody was left. A hail storm of bullets fell upon him. It didn't matter anymore. He'd lost all feeling. From nowhere he felt a small hand clasp around his wrist, he looked at the hand and then to the bright blue eyes staring straight back at him. He was jerked out of the blistering light into the shade of the trees. Bullets showered them like birds of death. They pierced into the skin of the stranger a flood of rubies fell from the holes. The stranger staggered and nearly fell over an upturned root but carried on forward headstrong. They were deep in the forest thankful for the trees covering their existence from the sun's burning eyes. Out of the warpath the stranger lead him deeper still to a beautiful waterfall. The rocks glittered their welcome in the dark interior. They both sank down against the gleaming walls. "you shouldn't have come out in the open for me, you could have been killed." His voice was harsh only just there, his throat was ragged and sore. Angry blisters and burns covered his body. Dimitri surveyed the damage to his body, he was barely living his body looked like that of a corpse. He winced as his wounds seeped more precious blood. "you were the one who was about to die" the voice broke the silence and brought Dimitri crashing back to reality. He looked again to consoling deep cerulean eyes a small sense of calm entered his mind but was ripped away as his throat closed and the world spun out from underneath him. Everything went black.
Dimitri woke abruptly he was sore all over, his limbs felt like lead. He laid helplessly in amongst the soft pillows and took in his surroundings. A large comfy bed with silken sheets was beneath him, the room was sparingly furnished it had an air of old world elegance to it. Rose petals were burning in several small bowls around the room, the fragrance filled his lungs and gave him a measure of peace. He tried to remember how he had gotten into this strange room but the memory evaded him. He saw a bowl of crimson water and bloodied bandages. He looked over his body, his grave wounds were bound tightly with the gauze to ensure no more blood was lost. The door creaked open and in its frame stood a tall slim figure the jeans clung to his long legs and his torso was bruised from the bullets bursting through his skin. He kept his head low so his long mahogany hair cascaded around his face revealing no features. Dimitri watched the stranger move fluidly through the room, his mind spiralling at the possibilities that this man could harm him. Probing the mans mind with his own he came up with nothing. The man knew he would read his mind so kept it completely blank. " You don't need to fear me. I did save your life." Dimitri blinked rapidly to try and catalogue the information. He watched the stranger, his emerald eyes never leaving him, the stranger clutched onto one of the leaking wounds in his side. " Bastards caught me off guard, as I was trying to haul your ass out of there" Dimitri caught the glimpse of a grin pass the strangers lips. The man crouched down low next to Dimitri's bed and examined the wounds in his chest. Dimitri shied away from his touch but the man was persistent in tending to his wounds. "this was easier when you were unconscious" his hands worked meticulously never missing a scrape or cut. Dimitri watched the mans face as he worked. Unable to move or react in anyway he reluctantly let the stranger touch and heal his broken skin. "who are you?" Dimitri managed to spit the words from his mouth, the man regarded the question but didn't look up from his task. "what does it matter, we're nothing but specks on this earth." Dimitri exhaled sharply as pain shot through his body like a living flame. "sorry but I have to do this" the strangers voice was calm, a pleasure to listen to frankly but held the edge of authority. Dimitri glared at the stranger teeth bared, a primitive attempt to gain dominance his efforts failed as the stranger laughed. "don't go all caveman on me dude. You won't win in the state you're in." Dimitri laid back his head against the pillows and growled to himself. Regan watched with concerned eyes, he cleaned each wound and replaced its wrapping with care.
He couldn't fathom why he was helping this man but he found that he couldn't just flee and leave him alone in the sunlight. He didn't know his name or even what clan he belonged to, he was breaking every single code and law for this creature. If he was of a rival clan they would both be killed. "What is your name?" Regan probed a little further into his mind. "Dimitri" his voice was a mere thread of sound but it was there, Regan thought to himself for a few seconds "Dimitri Sinclair?" "yes." Regan watched as Dimitri slowly fixed his eyes upon his face, his eyes a pale mint green looked straight through his soul. "it is only polite to return ones own name" Dimitri was straining to keep up the conversation as his throat was rebelling against all movement. "I am Regan" Dimitri watched as always every movement Regan made, like a merciless predator. Regan's chocolate hair feathered along Dimitri's skin for a few mere seconds, his whole body responded to the silken strands brushing his battered charred skin. Regan moved away slightly as he went to rinse the blood from his hands in the bowl. "I do not belong to any clan, so don't ask. I'm an outcast. A rogue." Regan spat the tasteless words out of his mouth with disgust. " You're in danger just being near me."
Dimitri stared at Regan thoughtfully, "You knew that you would endanger yourself by saving me. But you did anyway." "I know… God they had to use rose thorns to tip the bullets didn't they." Regan grimaced as one of his wounds stung painfully in his side. "they're getting smarter you know" as hard as Regan tried to change the subject Dimitri still held his stone gaze with Regan's. "That is of no matter to me, everyone is dead to me already." Regan arched a dark eyebrow and grinned boyishly "vampire jokes very funny." Dimitri looked at him puzzled about his remark "You know, "dead already" coz we are dead well un-dead. Oh don't worry I can see that you're stuck in the stone ages" Regan laughed to himself as Dimitri stared at him in bewilderment. "Why are you burning rose petals when you know their thorns are harmful to us?" Regan looked astonished at the question and guiltily held up his hands, they were covered with blue-ish puncture wounds which looked infected. "The petals have healing qualities unlike the thorns which hurt like hell." The grin flashed again across his lips as he flicked the hair from out of his eyes. "maybe you're worth more than I first thought" Dimitri whispered as a smile curved his sculpted lips.