Page 3 of Stegian: Project Exorcism 4

Chapter Two

The Others’ compound on the planet Sargaidia, year 2208…

Stegian staredout into the darkness and wondered how much longer before one of his men sensed it in him—sensed his desire to rid the planet of Janelles no longer held the same drive it once did. It lacked the same invigorating pull. The yearning to wipe out an entire line of people, where it had once been all-consuming, had waned.

So had his desire to maintain such a tight hold over the ones the natives called the others—supernaturals like him, outsiders, men who fell from the sky, bringing with them additional godlike abilities. Of course, Stegian had also masterfully merged various species, creating things altogether new and terrifying. All obedient to him, or at least to his demon.

He had been their leader from the word go. Even when they'd first been herded onto the vessel on Earth, they'd gravitated towards him, as if already sensing his leadership skills were rivaled by no other.

If his men knew his desires were no longer as dark as they’d been since he’d set foot upon the planet, they would surely turn against him, assuming him weak. He ruled by fear and he ruled well. It had been his reign for over a hundred and fifty years that had gotten his kind to the point they were—rulers and leaders. They survived because of him.

His balcony, modeled closely to the one he’d had while on Earth, overlooked a section of the forest he found tranquil and inviting. Just beyond the horizon, on nights of the full moon, he could see the lagoons and they reminded him of home. The demon disliked his need to make things similar to how they’d once been for him, but it conceded enough to allow him to have his castle built to his liking. It picked its battles, and how he chose to reside wasn’t worth the fight.

He ran his hands over the railing made of a stone native to the planet. It was as close to Earth’s resources as he could get, while still sturdy enough to build his fortress from. He inhaled the night air, taking in the scents of all around him. The demon had already fed for the night and was content, so it afforded the man a brief moment of control—something it did on occasion.

His thoughts drifted to Earth, to the last masquerade ball he'd attended before being sired. He'd been a powerful, proud young male sorcerer and had thought the world was his oyster. He’d had no way of knowing everything would change later that night. It was the best and worst night of his life.

He lost himself in deep reflection of the past. Thoughts of the beauty who had tempted him that night returned. He could still remember the bright royal blue of her eyes, the alluring, deep sable of her hair and her glorious curves. He'd not been able to see her face fully because of the mask she wore, but deep down he'd known she was the woman for him—his chosen mate.

His fingers flexed around the rail as he remembered what it had been like to dance with her, to know the feel of her lush body against his. He longed for that moment again but it would never be. She was no more and he was no longer the man she'd danced with. Now, he was a monster. Not to mention he was light-years away from Earth. He had sensed something about her, something supernatural, yet he couldn't pinpoint what it had been. Odds were, even with supernatural blood in her veins, she was long since dead. Even if she had any immortality in her, she would have been hunted by the humans. She'd not been on a vessel. He'd searched them all before departure. That meant she'd been left behind. Left to the mercy of unforgiving mobs.

It had been over a hundred years since he'd thought of that night, and he wasn't sure what had prompted him to do so now. He focused on the serenity of the woods surrounding his castle and laughed at the idea he'd once thought this planet would provide the peace he'd once so desperately sought.

A rustle in the nearby brush caught his attention. His supernatural senses didn’t detect anything. Still, he knew he’d heard something. He descended the stairs to the ground level. Moving closer to the edge of the tree line, he stopped when he spotted a pair of royal-blue eyes staring back at him—eyes identical to the ones he'd just been thinking about. But that couldn't be.

The face the eyes were attached to was breathtakingly beautiful. Long waves of silky black hair hung to the young woman’s slender waist. Her skin, while pale, wasn’t as light as his. She was tall for a woman, around five-nine or so. The planet was rich with tempting beauties, but this one was different—even more alluring than the others.

Putting a hand out to him, she offered a slight smile. He was captivated, held in awe by her very presence. The light blue wrap she wore fit her form well and was accented by gold cords wound around her body. It also added to the blue of her eyes. Eyes he was so sure he'd seen before, yet it was impossible. The woman from the masquerade ball over a century and a half ago was no more. He knew. She'd not been aboard his vessel or any others. He’d searched for her back then. She couldn't be here, on this planet, with him now. The odds of that were stacked against him.

The very sight of this newcomer reminded him of a painting of the Greek goddesses he’d spent so long staring at while in museums back on Earth. Even those didn’t do the woman justice. She was beyond anything he could have ever imagined in the way of beauty.

“Let me help you,” she whispered, her voice sultry. She kept her hand out to him, parting the exotic foliage, but doing so with almost no sound. Her ethereal presence assaulted his senses, confusing him.

His cock hardened immediately. There was something different about the woman. She held no fear in her eyes, as all other women who gazed upon him did. It was not as though he looked like a monster, in fact many commented on how attractive he was, but his reputation preceded him. All knew what he was capable of. Murder. Mayhem.

“Please, let me help you,” she repeated, her voice as honeyed as before. It slid over him, tugging at his insides as if it were a command, not a request. “It is no longer safe for you here.”

He chuckled, sure his mind was playing tricks on him. He feared this day might come, when he finally snapped and lost touch with reality. When he'd first realized the demon had more power over him on this planet than it ever had on Earth, he'd assumed his mental faculties would break quickly—that the man he was wouldn't be able to live with the knowledge of the monster he'd become. Somehow, he'd survived.

“Young one, I am the master of this domain. It is you who are not safe.” As he said it, he knew it was a lie. Something in Stegian could not fathom the idea of the woman before him being harmed in any way. That was alarming, more so than the idea he might be losing his mind. “Leave me now. Go back from which you came, nymph.”

She shook her head, sending waves of bewitching hair spilling around her. It was as black as night, again reminding him of the faceless, nameless woman from long ago. Already Stegian's fingers ached to run through the sable tresses, to see if they were as soft and silky as they appeared to be. He had to fight to keep his hands to himself.

“No," she countered. "They will not sense me, Stegian. Only you can see me at the moment. And you are the only one here I wish to save. The rest are beyond hope, beyond redemption.”

Curious, he tipped his head. He could sense nothing supernatural about her, yet it was plain to see she was more than simply a villager. She was something; what, he didn't know. The harder he tried to figure it out, the more his power seemed blocked by something or someone. Was it her? If so, she truly was more than met the eye. “You know who I am, yet I sense no fear from you. Why is that?”

“I don't fear you, Stegian. I fear the demon you carry within you. The one who took over the good man the minute your ship crashed on this planet. The natural power and resources here allowed the demon to gain strength at a rate you couldn't control. You spent so very many centuries on Earth, able to keep the demon under your thumb. You couldn't know the power it would gain from our planet.” She stepped free of the wooded area and towards him. “Please, Stegian, I am begging you to come with me. Let me help you, as you once did me.”

“I have helped no one on this planet,” he said, his voice shaky. What was she doing to him? Better yet, did he really want it to stop? “What you think you know of me is a lie. I am and will always be a monster, and I have no wish to be saved.”

The woman shook her head as she moved close enough for him to touch. “That's not true. You were once a man who had his life stolen by a monster. One you swore you'd never be like. Come with me, Stegian. Please. Let me help you.”

“Master?”

Stegian turned to see Yunoc, who had long since been his right-hand man, standing in the shadows. The man’s reddish hair caught bits of the moonlight, as did his supernatural eyes. Stegian knew he could trust the man, but only to a point. He too had been swept away by the planet's pull of power long ago.

Yunoc approached with a calculating smile on his face. “I have your dinner ready for you in the dining hall. I think you will enjoy what I have selected. She has black hair, just as you like.”

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