Moriari

Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I don't own SM

A/N: Yes…this is a vampire story…sort of. Enjoy!

A/N: REVISED 7/1/2008

Rating: M

Serena could feel him watching her through the night. She stirred in bed to see him, all of them there, staring at her as she freed herself from the chains of sleep. "Good morning, Serena," said Darien, leaning against the wall, his arms linked firmly across his chest as he stared at her intently. She had slept through the day and had awoken along with the inhabitants of the castle soon after sunset. He was shocked when he took in her appearance. Perhaps it was her Heretic blood, but she seemed to have metamorphosed overnight from a tired, lanky girl, to a glorious woman, full of energy and light. The stringy blonde hair that had once stuck to her face was now surrounding her like a halo of golden curls, falling in soft waves against her flesh. Her skin was luminescent and silky, her blue eyes bright and alert.

Serena immediately pulled the covers up to her neck when she realized she was naked. "What h-happened?" she asked, crouching at the head of the bed as Raye, Darien, Nicolae and Dante stared at her quietly.

"You passed out shortly after you finished eating," said Darien, walking towards the bed and sitting beside her.

"Why am I naked?" she asked.

"Your clothing was dirty and wet; Mary removed them for you and put you to bed."

"Oh," she said, weakly, her fear diminishing upon realizing that he hadn't taken advantage of her in her weakest of moments. She opened her mouth to speak but the loud, painful rumbling of her stomach spoke before she could.

Darien smiled at her. "Call the maids and have them bring her food and clothing," he said; Nicolae immediately walked out of the room.

"That won't be necessary," she said, scooting further away from him on the bed, clutching the bed covers closer to her bare chest. "I think I'll just go."

"I'm sorry Serena but you belong to us now," he said staring at her intently, his expression passive.

"W-what?" she sputtered, her hands flying to her neck and searching for puncture wounds. They couldn't have turned her into one of them? "But you promised you wouldn't-"

He raised his hands to silence her as he read her mind. "You will not be harmed as long as you cooperate with me," Darien said.

Serena frowned. "Please just let me go," she said softly.

"I can't do that," he said. "You're far too valuable to our race for me to just let you escape. Moriari is your new home now. You will stay in the castle-"

"You can't tell me what to do!" she snapped. The glass lamp stand on the bedside table shattered at her response. Darien look amused.

"You see, you are too much of an asset for me to release you," he said. "I could put you into the mercury mines for a while. Or you can live comfortably in the castle and do as I say. The choice is yours, Serena."

She shut her eyes, not believing the predicament she had gotten herself into. I should have died back on Earth.

"I would have to disagree with you," said Darien, watching as Nicolae burst through the door with a tray of fruits, breads and cheeses in his hand. He sat them on the bed in front of Serena and then returned to his place near Raye.

"What? Stay out of my head!" she cried, clutching her face. In all the fables and myths that she had heard about vampires, as they were called on earth, no story ever mentioned them having the ability to read thoughts.

"Us vampires as you say, have many abilities, mind reading and control being one of them," he said.

She scowled. He had absolutely no right to keep her against her will and use her for his own selfish purposes. "Eat, Serena, you need to be at full strength for what I have planned for you." With that final word, Darien rose from the bed and swept out of the room along with his counterparts, leaving Serena alone in the elegant bedroom, sheltered in this luxurious palace that had quickly become her prison.

It was an hour later when he came back to fetch her. By then Mary, the maid that Serena had come to hate, had forced bread and wine down her throat, stripped the sheet from her body and forced her to bathe in scalding hot water. Shortly before Darien arrived, the plump woman left the room muttering curses under her breath in regards to her unruly behavior and stubborn disposition.

"Are you well?" he asked, walking into her room and staring at her intently. He had honestly never seen a more beautiful human. She was clothed in a long, ivory silk dress that reached the floor and her hair was pinned up daintily at the base of her neck, long curly strands dancing across her skin as they had escaped their confines.

"Am I well?" she asked mockingly. "No! I'm being held captive in your castle. Do I seem well to you?"

"You seem better now that you have had proper rest, in my care, might I remind you."

"You're awfully deceiving you know. Pretending to be some gallant savior making promises of not hurting me under the caveat of me doing only as I am told."

"Deceiving?" he asked, walking closer to her as she backed away from him. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"You're keeping me against my will," she spat.

"Fine, I'm not going to hurt you physically. And would it be so bad? You'll be treated like a queen and all you have to do is occasionally do as I say. There are worse places you could, you know. I would think that would be enough to make you remotely content," he said.

"Do I look content?" she cried, the portrait on the wall shaking.

"You're really going to have to learn to control that," he said dully.

"What is it that you want from me?" she asked, putting her hand on her hips and glaring at him. He smiled smugly at her. "I am not going to have sex with you. You might as well kill me now." Darien laughed when she pushed her hair away from her neck and tilted her head to the side.

"How inviting," he said. "And don't worry, I don't want you for that purpose. In all honesty Serena, I need your help. We all do."

"We?"

"My people."

"Oh, that's fantastic," she said, her arms flailing in the air. "So you're what, the Prince of this planet?"

"No," he said. The news relieved her, the last thing she needed was a prepubescent prince ordering her around and taking advantage of her abilities. "I'm the King."

"Well that's just fucking perfect," she muttered, slumping against the wall.

His eyebrow arched. " Such language."

"Does it offend his majesty?" asked Serena, bowing to him in a mocking manner.

He laughed softly. "Not at all, and please call me Darien."

"How can you be the King? You don't look a day older than me."

"Actually I'm just over three thousand years old."

"How is that possible?"

"We're immortal, remember," he said simply.

"I see, well at least I'll die before I have to spend too much time with you," she said, looking up at him wearily.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." If necessary he would take whatever strides he needed to ensure the safety of his race, even if that meant turning the young girl into one of his own.

"Don't mock me," she said. "You do need my help after all, although I'm not sure exactly what you expect me to do."

The grin faded slowly from his face and she wondered what she had said to disappoint him. "Come with me," he said, signaling for her to follow his lead. She hesitated for a moment before trailing after him, the long silken fabric tangling around her shoes as she followed closely behind. Together they walked toward the window and surveyed the night sky. Gloomy clouds were covering the moons and lightening flashed constantly in the sky. The blood red tinge in the cloudless sky made the atmosphere seem even more looming. "Our planet was not always like this," he said sadly. "A time ago, we had a beautiful night sky, full of moons and stars, but over the last few hundred years, the weather has changed. Before, it was always night here, allowing us to roam freely as we liked, but now we are prisoners in our own homes. The two suns that chase away the darkness have recently formed and we have no idea why. Nights are shorter, days are longer and we find ourselves confined to our walls unable to work our lands and produce our food."

"Excuse me, but don't you people drink human blood?" she asked.

"Yes, we do. But we have scores of humans working in our mercury mines-"

"Humans? You mean slaves, right?" she asked indignantly.

"Consequently, yes," he replied. "As there is little night, we cannot have our own working in the mines. When daylight penetrates the darkness, we die."

"So what does that have to do with me?"

"Do Heretics not derive their power from nature, Serena?"

"Yes, so?"

"Then perhaps your relationship with the elements can help change our planet for the better. Restore our night; restore the calmness in our skies so that my people can live. There have been so many deaths, the patterns of the sun changes, children have been caught outside and devoured by the light. I will not have my people dying."

Serena stared at his gloomy face. He seemed to be distraught by the notion of death among his people, but ignored the number of humans that died under his eye last night.

"Why should I help you?" she asked, turning towards from him. "You kill humans. You hunted us like we were nothing but animals last night. My friend is probably dead, I would have died had it not been for my abilities and you walk in here with your little sad story and expect me to bend over backwards for you and your people when you completely disregarded mine?"

"Your people are murderers and thieves. Why do you think we purchase them from the prison system?"

"What kind of king are you? Don't you know how many innocent people get sent to prison on Earth? My friend, the one that your people killed last night was sent to jail for helping people like me!" she cried, her eyes welling up with angry tears. "If it wasn't for people like her watching out for us then you and I wouldn't be having this conversation right now. And you hunted them like pigs, trading our lives for pleasure like it was a game. You're a monster and so are your people!"

"Enough!" he cried, his eyes flashing dangerously. He sped towards her and grabbed her by the arm, holding it so tightly that she cried out. "I abhor the hunting of humans, Serena, I really do. But my people asked for a hunt and it's the only thing that raised their spirits while their brothers and sisters lay dying. I'm sorry for your loss, and that humans cannot treat each other with respect despite their differences, but I will not have you misjudge my people because of one night of carnage."

"You're hurting me!" she cried, tears forming in her eyes as his nails pierced her flesh, drawing blood. He immediately let her go and she fell onto the ground holding her bleeding arm.

He instantly looked regretful and stepped away from her. "I'm sorry," he said coldly. "What you saw last night only happens once a year, Serena, I assure you."

"You expect me to believe that?" she asked, defiance back in her tone. "What do you do for food then?" He noticed that she wouldn't look up at him and grimaced at the fearful, yet angry expression on her face.

"We are the number one manufacturers of synthetic blood in the galaxy. Our scientists specialize in it. It's our sustenance and one of our exports," he said. "Come here."

"No," she said, crawling away from him, grimacing with pain.

"I'm sorry," he said grabbing her by the waist and pulling her close to him. She struggled against him, her soft bosom digging into his painfully hard chest. "Relax, I won't harm you again."

"Why should I believe you? You murdered thousands of humans last night and then ask for my help after your people slaughtered mine."

He sighed. He had tried to explain his dilemma to her, he had tried to be patient with her, but she was testing his restraint. He turned to her, his blue eyes darkening before opening his mouth to speak. "Listen, you will do as I say," he said, his voice echoing against the walls. The sheer power within him knocked her into a wall as he glided towards her. "Tomorrow night you will be taken into the forest and you will correct whatever is wrong with my planet, or I will torture you, all of your human companions and anyone else like you that I can get my hands on. And then I will kill you. Do you understand me?"

Serena stared at him defiantly before he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her against his chest. "I asked you a question," he growled into her ear.

"Y-yes," she said as he let her go, her small body slumping on the cobblestone floor before he swept angrily from the room.

Darien slammed his bedroom door trying to keep his anger in check. He really hadn't meant to hurt her, but she made him so angry, accusing him of…if he could avoid humans being killed then he would. He was honestly doing the best he could with the current crisis on his hands. He remembered the look of anguish and fear on her face after he hurt her and a wave of guilt overwhelmed him. He rarely ever lost control like that before, especially on someone weaker than him. She had looked so vulnerable and scared.

"I take it your meeting with her didn't go well," said Raye, walking into his bedroom and closing the door. "I could feel your frustration a mile away."

"I hurt her," he said, sitting on the bed and staring up at Raye. "I shouldn't have hurt her."

"What did you do? What happened?"

"She got angry about what happened last night at the festival. She accused the people of…she was angry and I overreacted."

Raye sighed. "She has a right to be angry and afraid, Darien."

"I know…I lost control," he said truthfully.

"Well what are we going to do now?" she asked. "She's not going to help us."

"Yes, she will," he said firmly. "I threatened her and she's going to do what I say."

"That's not the right way to go about things," said Raye, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder.

"You think I don't know that?" he snapped. "I don't have a choice. It's her or us and I'll do whatever I have to do to save our people."

"Even if it means harming an innocent girl?"

"Yes."

Serena stared rebelliously up at the blonde man that had led her into the forest. The sun had just set and as soon as it was safe for the vampires to wake he came into her room, tied her arms together and led her into the woods. When they arrived he grabbed her by the shoulders and pressed her onto the ground, her knee scraping painfully against a rock.

"Do whatever you do, sorceress, and be quick with it!"

"I'm not a sorceress," she said crossly. Damn King Darien for forcing her into this situation. Just as she opened her mouth to say something else, he slapped her in the face. Her cheeks stung and once again she tasted her own blood in her mouth.

"I have jurisdiction from Darien to torture you. Don't force me to do something I don't want to do."

Serena sighed loudly, realizing that it was in her best interest to do as she was told. She closed her eyes just as she buried her fingers underneath the tufts of grass, concentrating all her energy onto listening to what the land had to say. Her nose began to bleed from the effort, but the atmosphere around her remained silent. She had never been shut out like this and all of a sudden she felt cold and alone. Her eyes shot open and she swayed, clutching her head before vomiting violently on the ground.

"Did I tell you to stop?" he asked, grabbing her by the hair and dragging her back to the spot where they had arrived. "Darien wants this done. Get back to work!"

"I can't!" she cried, clutching her stomach, her head spinning.

"Do as I say!" he said his palm colliding with her face again.

"I can't, I'm too tired. Besides it's not working!"

"Or maybe, you're not trying hard enough," he said, grabbing her by the neck, his hold tightening around her throat. She coughed as she wrapped her fingers around his hand, trying to pry it from her skin. His grip around her was too strong and just as her vision began to fade he released her, letting her fall into a gasping mess on the forest floor. Her body was trembling from the effort to stay conscious and the smell of her own vomit caused another bout of queasiness to overcome her. She almost collapsed before she felt a pair of strong arms ensnare her and lift her body into the air.

"Michael, what the hell were you doing?" asked Darien, fury radiating from him.

"She wasn't cooperating, majesty," he said lying against a tree trunk, the back of his skull bleeding. He looked to Serena and found blood dripping from her mouth and purple bruises forming on her cheeks. "Go back to the castle. I don't want to see you right now."

"Yes, sir," said the man, scrambling to his feet and running to the palace.

Darien crouched down onto the ground, releasing Serena and hovering over her. She was struggling to stay conscious, her eyes continuously blinking away tears. "Stay with me, Serena," he said, caressing her face. Instantly, her eyes shot open before rising to her feet and running away from him. She crouched against a tree as her stomach clenched and she vomited again. Was Michael to blame for her sickness or was it a result of what he had asked her to do?

"It's alright." He walked toward her and Serena groaned. The pure fear in her eyes was enough to drown him in shame. "What happened?" He could easily probe her mind for the answer but decided that it would be best to find out from her.

"What do you think happened?" she asked, wiping the bile from her mouth and staring at Darien. "You are all a bunch of jerks."

"I know," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"For what, almost breaking my arm this morning or allowing your men to beat me?"

"I never gave him permission to touch you Serena. I promise, Michael will be dealt with accordingly."

"And who's going to deal with you? You're just as bad as he is." Darien remained quiet. "Excuse my disrespect, your worship," she said, disdainfully struggling to get to her feet. Darien immediately rushed to her side to help her up. She pushed his hands away. "Don't touch me!"

He immediately recoiled from her, not out of fear, but because she was crying. Her legs gave way and she crouched onto the ground beneath him as she sobbed into her hands. "I promised myself this wouldn't happen again," she whispered, her words almost incoherent from grief.

"What wouldn't happen again?"

"I don't have to tell you anything! Leave me alone," she said, wiping her eyes. "I want to go home. Either kill me or send me back to Earth, it doesn't matter. Either way I'm dead."

He frowned. "I'm not sending you back home and I'm not letting you leave. You want your freedom, Serena? Help me. Help me and I'll let you go. You have my word."

"I can't help you, your holiness," she yelled. "I don't know what's happening to your planet either. It's shutting me out, I can't read it." Darien watched her quietly for a moment, mentally gauging her emotions. She was telling the truth.

"Why do you think that is?"

"I don't know, majesty," she replied scathingly.

"You can stop calling me that."

"You almost broke my arm this morning. We're not exactly on friendly terms."

"I'm not going to apologize for that again, Serena."

"I'm not asking you to. But don't to pretend that you're the victim," she said, spitting blood from her mouth and rising. "I hate you."

"Come back to the castle. Your wounds need to be dressed."

"Thanks for your concern," she said, gathering the dress in her arms and storming past him, her heavy footsteps heading toward the palace walls.

Darien watched silently as Mary and two other human women attended to Serena. She had several bruises on her face and many cuts on her arm that he was responsible for. There were also numerous welts on her back that he was sure had not been caused by her time on his planet. They had stopped flogging people thousands of years ago.

"What happened to you?" he asked as Mary poured some stinging liquid onto her arm.

"You happened to me."

"I meant your back," he said impatiently.

"I got hurt."

"Obviously. Did that happen here?"

"No." She apparently didn't want to tell him who had beaten her so mercilessly and therefore he didn't press the matter; he would find out soon enough anyway. "Mary, treat the wounds on her back as well," he said, getting up from his stool and walking towards the door. "And, be gentle. Goodnight Serena."

Darien waited in the darkness of his underground bedroom. The sun had just come out and all of his brethren had already retired to their cavernous chambers to sleep. He waited patiently in the darkness for exhaustion to overtake her mind, so that her thoughts and memories would bend to his will and he could search her mind to find answers about the mysterious girl.

"Is he dead, mama?" asked a small blonde child, her long wavy hair tied up into two pigtails. She couldn't have been any older than five.

Her mother, a blonde woman with a warm smile walked toward the girl and scooped Serena into her arms. "Of course not," she said, touching the small kitten that lay lifelessly before them. "Help him."

"But I'm not supposed to," she said.

"Daddy's not here, go ahead."

Serena smiled brightly at her mother before placing the animal in her arms and clutching it to her chest. She closed her eyes, her face scrunched in concentration. The kitten began to glow as Serena's mother touched him as well. Immediately, the cat sprung to life and began furiously licking a giggling Serena. Her mother clutched the child and cat, sprinkling kisses onto the little girls face. Serena reached out to her mother, just as the bedroom door flung open and a man rushed inside, locking it behind him. He grabbed Serena and hugged her tightly.

"Get under the bed, princess, and not a word, okay? Be strong for daddy and mommy and be quiet!"

"Victor what's happening?"

"They found out about you two, Iliana," he cried, hugging Serena as she began to cry. The older woman immediately grabbed her daughter and hugged her tightly, her eyes shining with tears. "Be good, Serena, and stay quiet no matter what you see. Stay quiet."

Quickly, Serena crawled under the bed, tears leaking from her eyes just as the bedroom door flung open. She covered her ears as gunshots rang out. Her father fell with a loud thud onto the floor. She could see his empty eyes staring at her, the gunshot wound to his skull bleeding unabashedly. Her father's body was dragged from the room, leaving a trail of blood behind him before her mother was pressed into the ground. Serena opened her mouth to cry when Iliana shook her head and mouthed 'I love you' to her daughter. The last thing Serena saw was her mother's head covered by a black bag before she was picked up and taken away by the Order. She lay there quietly, clutching the black kitten as it purred against her. Despite her fear, she remained quiet, hiding under the bed until exhaustion forced her still and the present faded into black.

Serena immediately shot out of bed and buried her head in her hands, the memory of the last day with her mother and father suffocating her with grief. Darien could feel her sadness and reached out with his mind to calm her. Suddenly she felt a rush of drowsiness take over as her body stiffened and fell back onto the soft mattress beneath her.

'Don't cry,' thought Darien. She could immediately hear his voice in her head.

'Why are you here? Stay out of my dreams.'

'Sleep,' he replied, his command swallowing her up in comfortable cloud of weariness, leading her into a peaceful slumber free of memories of a time long gone.

Surrounded by darkness, Darien's stomach churned at the thought of what Serena had endured just because she was different. Despite his regret for hurting her, he fought against the urge to release the girl and let her live the rest of her life with little struggle. This had to be done for his people and she would have to suffer, for the greater good.