Page 81 of You Will Obey

He looked out over the grotesque scene before him, his expression full of melancholy and nodded. “I have. I had hoped to never feel such pain again, and I’ve experienced it three times in less than a year. I took great pleasure in watching you rip Alexander’s heart out.”

“Do you feel stronger?”

“I feel the energy, perhaps I am physically stronger, but I already have everything that you’ve gained. I will have to run my own set of tests to see what is different about me and my line. And that’s if there are any changes at all, Sire.”

I nodded. “Good. I will stay for a few days to help get my vampires accustomed to their new abilities, then I will return to Greece. You are the reason we have survived, Théoden. Whatever lines you crossed, deals you made, losses you’ve taken… it was not without purpose or reward.”

“You honor me, Father,” he said with a bow of his head.

“Only a handful of my vampires survived the attack on Japan. But I will rebuild and Nolan will become the Prince of Japan,” I said.

“I’m sure he’ll love that, Sire.”

“He’s earned it.”

“Where will you have Titus’ funeral, Father?”

“Either here or in Greece, I haven’t decided yet. I will have it televised so that you and all of your brothers can pay your respects, either way,” I said.

“Thank you, Father.”

I put my hand on his shoulder. He looked exhausted and his clothes were a mess, hair too. “Go home, child, and take your sons with you. Get some rest, the threat is over.”

He took my hand from his shoulder and kissed it. “Thank you, Father.” He turned to face the open doorway and his two sons emerged.

“Can we go home, Sire?” Noel asked.

I checked him out, the one my son had gained my permission toEmbrace. He’d come a long way and was very impressive during the fight. But this other son of his, it was my first time meeting him and I wanted to know more about my grandson. My goodness, he was stunning. My vain child did have a great eye for beautiful men.

“We’re leaving now, come,” Théoden said, opening his arms.

I reached out, grabbing his youngest son’s arm before he could get to him. “Introduce us, Théoden.”

Théoden smirked. “Father, this is your grandson, Somchai Ananada.” He looked at his son. “Somchai, this is my Father, your Grandfather and King, Ara Leon.”

Somchai looked at me with soft brown eyes and bowed his head. Ahhh, already so well trained. I expected nothing less from my son. “Hi, Grandsire,” he said.

“Tell me, young one, how do you like being a vampire?” I asked.

He looked at Théoden as if needing approval to answer my question.

“Your King asked you a question, Somchai,” Théoden said, his voice deep with warning.

Somchai turned back to me. “I’m still getting used to everything, my King. And a day like this has given me mixed feelings.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “Oh? Like what are you feeling?” If I wanted to, I could gleam his mind and get my answer, but I wanted to hear his words.

“I used to try to avoid fighting and danger. I was very good at it, but I couldn’t avoid this. And I don’t know…” He shrugged. “I kind of liked the fighting. I enjoyed killing those vampires and I was never that way before,” he said. “Um… my King.”

“It’s in your nature to hunt, that is why you felt so invigorated. It always was. Humans, most of them, lie to themselves. Tell themselves they’re ‘not like that’, but all it takes is one small event to turn them into the savages they truly are. Vampires, we have control over that instinct and we channel it the way it was meant to be. There is no chaos in our lives. Even with this war that took place, there was a simplicity to it. An understanding, and in the end, we are the victors. Now, we embrace our time of mourning and reconstruction. There will be peace again, Somchai. You have been made a very fine vampire, worthy of my bloodline. Of course, I expect nothing less from my son when choosing a quality human,” I said.

“Thank you, Sir,” Somchai said and his voice held a bit of uncertainty. I ignored it. He was young and had been a vampire for about a month and was already fighting for his life. I was sure he was feeling every emotion ever known at this point.

“I’ll see you later,” I said, allowing Théoden to take his children home to rest.

“Will you be staying at your old home, Father?” Théoden asked. “You’re more than welcome to stay with me, or Marco, as his home is the closest.”

“I’ll stay with Marco.”

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