A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns all characters. Hugs for my beta Cullenlovingmom and Life-In-the-shape-of-a-girl. I love you ladies so much.
Glossary
Justicar: The justicars are the most powerful visible component of the Camarilla, charged with adjudicating matters of the rules on a wide scale. There is one justicar for each clan of the Camarilla, and each is served by their coven leaders.
Primogen : A primogen is the oldest vampire of his clan, and in Edward's case, the ruler.
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A Bruise Upon the Silent Moon
EPOV
I have been around for centuries. Everything around me continued to change, yet I remained the same. I witnessed all of the major events that shaped the world. I watched people slaughter each other for wealth, for power, for love and for God. I stayed in the shadows, hiding my existence from humanity. They were, and still are, nothing but a food source. I shaped the world around me, bent it to my will, without them noticing.
Who am I?
My name is Edward, and I'm a vampire.
Vampires are real. We shape the future; we rape the world. We are nothing and everything at the same time. We are beauty to some, but beast to others. We are puppetteers, holding the fate of humanity in our hands. We are the ancient rulers and the prophets of the new age. We command, and they obey.
We had allowed humans to think that they reigned supreme in their own world and stayed in the dark, shaping their future to benefit us. For centuries, we fed them illusions like liberty and freedom. We created religion and superstitions for their feeble minds--something for them to believe, to hold on to.
I wasn't always a vampire. There was a time when I was human, living in ignorance. I was no different then. I was a warlord. I ruled, I killed and I enjoyed it. I had everything, or I thought I did. I basked in the glory of battle, the blood of my enemies. It made me powerful; it made me fearsome.
It is better to be feared than loved, after all.
I lived for war, engaged in countless battles and took hundreds of lives with a swipe of my sword. I killed for my land and my people. I killed in the name of God and I killed just because I could. I craved it.
I was the very thing that I hated the most.
And in one night, my whole world changed. He found me. He embraced me. He made me what I am today.
And I will be forever greatful.
He was Veddhartha, a childe of Caine, who was the first vampire, the father of us all. He taught me everything I know--how to kill, how to feed, how to survive. Together, we created the Ventrue, the first vampire clan. Others followed. Soon, there were thirteen clans derived from the childer of Caine.
He helped others grow stronger, taught them what they needed to know in order to keep out of danger. Soon, there were many of us, the childer of Veddhartha.
And then, all hell broke loose.
Crazed with power, the clans battled for dominance and rule of the vampires. Humans were embraced everyday, in order to replenish the ranks. The clans were careless, exposing themselves to the humans. Rumors spread; our existence was exposed. Then, we had to fight on two fronts. We battled against our own kind, our kindred, while we tried our best to hide our existence and systematically eliminate the source of any rumors.
I was his first childe, his favorite, his second-in-command, his heir.
He was, in every way, my father. He raised me well enough to trust me with his clan. As decades went by, the battle magnified. Humans were on the brink of extinction. We were slowly damning ourselves. It had to stop.
I tried to reason with my Sire, talk him out of his foolish quest against our kindred. I begged him to stop, form a truce, but he would have none of it. The first three, the childer of Caine, were crazed with power and hatred for one another. We were merely pawns in their battle for dominance. So, I did what I had to do.
I killed my father.
I had no other choice. I called a secret meeting of all of the seconds-in- command of the other clans. They, too, were sick of the mindless war. We were close to exposing our own kind, exterminating humanity and, thus, damning ourselves to starvation. In order to solve the problem, we slaughtered all three of them. Caine's childer were no more.
We were the ones in charge. In order to prevent another war, we created a governing body.
That is how the Camarilla, a governing body charged with monitoring the vampire world, creating rules and maintaining alliances to ensure our survival, was born.
To ensure my safety, I killed everyone in my clan. I decided to start with a blank page, a new Clan Ventrue, created by its new ruler.
Me.
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"My lord, do you wish to hunt tonight?" Jasper came through the heavy, wooden doors. I looked into the eyes of my first childe, full of wisdom and confidence.
"Since when do you address me as 'my lord' in private? We don't have any guests tonight." I kept my voice light.
He chuckled and shook his head. "You're right. It's hard to keep up with appearances sometimes."
Jasper was my first childe. He was one of the officers in my army, the protectors of my land. He was a military genius--a cunning young man.
After his embrace, he welcomed his new life, tried to excel at everything he did. He absorbed everything I taught him. He was a master strategist and militarist, but he became an educated man, too. I wanted my clan to consist of highly intelligent individuals.
"I assume you want to hunt are asking me to join you?" I cocked one eyebrow, my mouth lifting on one side in a smirk. I already knew his answer. Jasper saw me as his father, just as I saw him as my son.
"I wouldn't mind your company, old man." He bowed dramatically, causing me to chuckle.
"Let's see if you can keep up, duckling." He hated that word from the beginning.
"Hey! I'm not a newborn anymore." His voice was light and teasing. I got up slowly and put my hand on his shoulder.
"I know, Jasper. Although you are not my responsibility anymore, you are my childe and my heir. I'm proud of you, son."
He kneeled in front of me, bowed his head down and whispered, his voice was full of pride, "Thank you, my lord."
The cold wind caressed my face, whispering profound laments for the lives I was about to rescind. I turned my face to the skyline and looked at the moon. It was red, stained with blood. Clouds were gathering, ready to cry for what they were about to witness, ready to grieve for the humanity.
Ready to wash away my sins.
We moved swiftly through the concrete jungle, looking for our prey. Pale moonbeams shone through the buildings and lit the streets. We sat on the roof and watched the crowd below, looking for candidates.
Vampires have different tastes, too.
The night was young, so there was no need to be impatient. I turned and looked at Jasper, who was watching the people on the streets. His eyes were cold and calculating, trying to find an eligible victim. He turned and looked at me, his eyes questioning. He opened his mouth, then closed it abruptly.
"What's on your mind? You've never hesitated to ask anything before."
He was silent for a moment, deep in thought. He turned around and asked in a serious voice, "Are you worried about the Camarilla meeting?"
Ah, so that was the reason for his hesitation.
The Camarilla met once every year. All of the coven leaders and their Justicars gathered to discuss the latest events and decide matters important to the vampire world. Most of these meetings turned into nothing more than a power play, covens using information as a bargaining chip.
"Are you talking about the Giovanni? Let me rephrase that. Are you talking about Aro?" I growled his name.
He nodded, his eyes wary. "I'm concerned about you. The Giovanni, particularly Aro, are up to something. I don't know what it is yet, and it makes me nervous."
I studied my childe's face, it was filled with worry.
"Jasper, I'm a primogen. I can take care of myself." He flinched, like he was being insulted.
"I know that! But you are my father, our coven leader, and it's my job to protect you!" he growled.
I put my hand on his shoulder. "Is that what you think you are to me? A mere bodyguard?"
He put his head down and whispered, "Of course not. But you have given me everything! You gave me immortality, a second chance at life. You gave me a father and a teacher." His voice was full of respect.
"What about you, Jasper? Did you ever stop to think about what you have given me? I have gained a son, an heir and, most of all, a true friend. I have watched you become a Justicar from a mere duckling. The Ventrue would be nothing without you."
He remained silent, still pondering my words, so I said the one only thing that would make him smile. "And let's not forget . . . there would be no Alice without you." Hearing her name, Jasper let out a sigh and grinned.
"Yeah, you're right about that." Alice's effect on Jasper was unbelievable. She was his childe, his mate, his love, his reason to live.
"Don't worry about the meeting or the Giovanni and, certainly, not Aro." He nodded, but didn't look away.
"What?" I chuckled. He was acting weirdly tonight.
"Nothing, I just . . . I miss our talks. It's been a while since we talked in private." He sounded sheepish, afraid of accusing me. I tipped my head back and laughed.
"Well, I'm not the one spending all of his time with his mate now, am I?"
He laughed, looking somewhat embarrassed. We laughed for a few minutes, just enjoying the conversation. I didn't tell him, but I missed his company, too.
After a few minutes, his face became serious again. "Why don't you find your own Alice? How do you cope with being alone?"
I sighed and looked at the sky. Jasper was the only one who could ask me personal questions. I was sure the whole coven would have wanted to hear my answer.
"You and Alice are lucky, Jasper. Vampires are not fickle like humans when it comes to emotions. Loving another is easy for us. What's hard is finding the one to love. I just haven't found mine yet." He knew that I was lonely, that I was slowly rotting inside.
"And it's not like I can go out and search for her. I have a coven to lead. I have to take care of all of you. You are my childer, my responsibility, my family. I do everything with you in my mind." He shook his head vigorously and laughed.
"No. Don't give me that bullshit, Edward. I'm not one of your goons."
I groaned. The sound caused him to laugh out loud. He knew me too well.
"I have been alone for centuries, Jasper. It's who I am. I can't let my heart cloud my judgement. I can't show any weakness. It would be the end of our coven. Don't trust the Camarilla. It won't be there for eternity. It's too big of a risk." My voice sounded harsh, the harshness born hurt and loneliness.
"You don't have to take any risk, Edward! That's what we are here for! That's what I'm here for!" He said the words with confidence.
Wanting to end the conversation, I sighed and got up. "Come on, let's have some fun. We can talk about my solitude later."
He got up in one swift movement and chuckled. "As you wish, my lord." He bowed dramatically.
I laughed and pushed his back, causing him to fall from the roof to the abandoned alley below. He landed swiftly without making a sound. I jumped down and landed beside him. He abruptly turned to me, bowed again and shouted.
"Thank you! Thank you very much! I'll be here all week." I laughed and hit him again, causing him to take a few steps back and cry out.
"Oow! What did you do that for?" He glared at me, rubbing his arm.
That was what I liked about him--he was carefree, laid back, and he always made me forget my responsibilities for a brief time.
"Come on. Stop acting like a child. It's time to hunt." My mouth turned into an evil grin.
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We walked through the crowd carefully, our eyes scanning for prey. We were picky when it came to our food. Some vampires would feed from anyone, and others would even feed from animals.
Disgusting.
But we were the Ventrue. We only chose victims whom we considered worthy. Everyone's blood was different--from a homeless person to a rich socialite. We selected our prey carefully.
It's like the difference between drinking vinegar or expensive wine.
And sometimes, like this night, our prey came to us.
We heard their whispers before they arrived. I turned around slowly and came face-to-face with my prey.
There, in front of me, were two beautiful girls in their mid-twenties. They walked right past us, giggling and whispering. I looked at Jasper, who gave a slight nod. We let them walk ahead of us and started following. They looked into the stores, laughing and talking in whispers.
This is going to be easy.
We assessed the situation while walking, looking for dark alleys and dead-end streets. Jasper gave me a nudge and tilted his head to the right. There, a couple of blocks away, was an alley.
The cover of the alley would give us enough time to feed or incapacitate our prey. We started to walk faster in order to catch up with our meal. Since we were hunting together, I let Jasper take the lead. He turned and disappeared into the alley in order to stalk them from the rooftops. I walked slowly behind them, keeping my distance, not wanting to alert them to my presence. I looked up, watching Jasper move swiftly along the rooftops. He stopped abruptly and nodded.
Here we go, I thought, my body tensing in excitement for the hunt.
I started to walk faster and came up behind them. While walking past one, I slightly bumped her with my shoulder, causing her to lose her balance and fall. She hit the pavement hard and shrieked. I bit my lip to supress a laugh. Quickly gaining my composure, I kneeled beside her and looked into her eyes.
"I'm sorry. That was rude of me." My voice was low and sweet. She lifted her head and locked her eyes with mine.
Mistake number one.
She sat there, frozen. My mouth formed a crooked smile, and I exhaled, my breath gently caressing her face. Her pupils dilated, and she inhaled greedily.
Mistake number two.
I reached my hand out to her and whispered, "I'm terribly sorry, please let me help you."
She took my hand while her eyes were glued to mine. I slowly picked her up and moved my other hand slowly along her arm. She shivered, a sigh escaping her lips.
"It's okay. It doesn't look too bad." Her voice sounded like she was in a trance.
"Please allow me to give you a ride in my car. It's the least I can do." I smiled and kissed her hand. She gasped, and her breathing picked up. Her friend stood there with a look of pure adoration. She nudged her friend in an attempt at jolting her out of the trance she was in.
"Thank you. That is so kind of you."
Mistake number three.
I let go of her hand and wrapped my arm gently around her waist and whispered, "Right this way, ladies."
I lured them to the dark alley, while Jasper watched us from above. They were still looking at me, a smile on their face.
It was already too late by the time that they noticed something was wrong.
"Excuse me, but where is your car?" Her voice was tense. I chuckled and looked at her, her eyes darting around the alley. Without a word, I grabbed my prey and took a few steps back. Before she was able to question my motives, Jasper landed with a loud noise and grabbed her friend. Before she could scream, he sunk his teeth into her neck and dragged her into the shadows.
My prey tried to turn around, but failed. My hands were like iron grips holding her in place. Her breathing came in short gasps. Her eyes were wide with tears threatening to fall.
"What are you doing? Who are you? Please don't hurt me!" She choked the last words.
I didn't bother replying. I brought my nose to her neck and inhaled. I brought my mouth closer and bit down, causing her to shiver.
The taste was heaven. I pulled my mouth back and looked into her eyes. Seeing her own blood on my lips, she started sobbing. I brought my head closer and kissed her lips.
She tried to break free, but it was useless. Wanting to taste more, I brought my lips to her neck again and drank her dry. Her tears and breathing slowed as I drank her sweet blood. After draining her, I put my hands on her neck and broke it.
No need to attract unwanted attention.
I licked my lips and savored the last drop of her blood. Just as I was about to look for Jasper, he came out of the shadows with a smile on his face.
"Was it good?" I asked with a smile.
He closed his eyes, tipped his head back and inhaled. "Yeah, it was good. How was yours?"
I smirked.
"I've tasted better."
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E/N: Thank you all for being patient. I've had so much fun writing this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it too. Guess what? I have recs for you today.
Bella Voce by Morgan Locklear and Bella Swan and the Tablet of Truth by ladyeire3. Bella Voce is a manfic and it is absolutely breathtaking. Bella Swan and the Tablet of Truth is written by the lovely ladyeire3 and it's a vampfic with an Indiana Jones feel to it. You will love this Bella!
In case you didn't know, I have a twitter acc. /buzzkill34.. Follow me, stalk me and come say hi.
See you next Sunday!
