36 Bonds VI : Closure

When I placed Xaseah on the ground, she was already asleep. Dwayne looked at me with eyes that spoke of multiple and contradictory feelings. He probably blamed for what happened to her, and I couldn't fault him for that because I also blamed my self. After all I was the one had killed Uzi, and she only went through this torture because she wanted to protect me. At the moment I was sure Dwayne did not know whetherto be grateful, or to curse at me in anger. I felt sorry, but I discovered that I didn't really give a damn what the dwarf thought. It was strange, but almost getting his grand daughter killed was not enough for me to forgive him.

I walked out of the tower, leaving Nisi and a crying Teluna behind to look after the unconscious Xaseah. At this point in time, the only thing I can hope for was that she healed and fought her way through this period of darkness she now found herself in. But waiting for me outside the tower were questions, answers, complicated situations, awkward moments and a whole lot of people.

The first person my eyes fell on was Naturally Asha. She turned me. Made me into what I am, for it to have happened, she had to have betrayed me. I had to be hurt beyond the physical, that amount of pain, was what I suspected left me a blank slate. Before anything else happened, or I made any other decisions, I had to know what she did, that could push me into a hole so dark I could be turned.

"How did you do it?" I asked her, holding her gazeand watching every movement of her body.

She gulped, and took a step back, her fear, anger, remorse and disgust washed over through our bond, and I almost drowned in it. She wanted me to know how sorry she was, but until I knew what I had to forgive her for, I had to withhol judgment.

"If you run away don't come back!" It might have been a little harsh on my part, but she was taking more steps backward. I would be a fool to not know that was a precursor to a runaway bride scenario.

Asha took slow steps towards me, her body shaking like she was caught naked outside on a winter morning. She was afraid, but not of me, she was afraid of my reaction to what I was about to hear. Afraid that I could very well turn my back on her. That I would stop loving her.

To be honest I couldn't reassure her, because just like Xaseah, I did not know if I loved Asha or not. In fact her situation was even more ridiculous than Xaseah, I've know Xaseah for almost two weeks. More than enough time for me to somewhat get accustomed to the bond between the two of us.

But Asha I've only known for about three hours, and even though I felt a deeper connection to her than I did with Xaseah, it wouldn't be wise for me up and just go with the flow. It wouldn't help me, and it definitely wouldn't help Asha who I realized was also looking for closure from her sins against me. I put my hand under her chin and raised the eyes to mine.

"Tell me, blue sun. I deserve that much at least." Shenodded her head in acceptance as she opened her mouth to speak. It was barely above a whisper, but I was able to get everything she said. After all, my mind cultivation was at the second circle of the open mind realm, my senses weresharper than an average revenant. Granted I was the only revenant in the pit right now.

"I slept with someone right in front of you....and then I told you about our baby." She answered with her voice trembling.

Forget what I said, about withholding judgment, this was bad. And the white hot fury that bubbled up from the depths of my heart almost drove me crazy with rage.

"What's his name.?"

I asked, trying to keep my voice as even as possible, but Asha could feel my anger, a fury that moments I realized I was not the only one feeling it as Asha clenched her palm and spat out a name.

"He's the half elf son of a rival noble family. Andrew Anta Assilou."

I didn't know who that guy was but I hated him already. The sudden possessiveness was something I realized was strange to suddenly be feeling. But I didn't care, the very idea that someone would touch what was mine turned my guts inside out In burning rage. I wanted my wrath to fall on something, and while Asha looked like a prime target to lash out at, I couldn't bring my self to hurt her. She belonged to me regardless of whatever sin she's had to commit to turn me. I couldn't bring myself to hurt her.

"Why would you let him do that?" I asked. Pieces of memories aside, I had found out enough that as long as politics or nobles are involved with something, then it's impossible for a situation to be as straight forward as it seems.

Asha lifted her white cotton shirt up, and showed me what I can only call the mother of all seals. Numerous circles of rune sentences inlaid into each other and spinning in opposite directions. They were spinning really fast, so I could only pick out a few words. Trap, shock, heat, bleed, and death. This seal was an entire plethora of dangerous and malevolent words.Who ever put this here had no intention of taking it off, and he made sure if anybody else would try, it would be so hard that they would either fail in the process, or end up killing Asha and the baby in her womb.

"The seal also delays the birth of our child, instead of a maximum of five years for incubation, he might not be born for another seven to fifteen years. Carrying a pregnancy for three years is already hard enough for most vampire mothers because of how it's important to be meticulous and careful during the growth of our babies. But for me to carry it for a minimum of seven years...ha!They really want me to suffer before I die. "

I could feel her despair, her anger, her fear, and her pain. Thing is,even though Asha was a vampire, she was still a woman. And this was her first pregnancy, I was sure the thought of being a mother scared her, and with everything that's happened, she was so stressed it was miracle for her to rally herfollowers to go save Xaseah. I was still angry about the circumstances behind my turning, and until I kill that bastard called Andrew, I mightynever be able to forgive Asha. But this woman had shown in spades something I only felt from Xaseah and Asare. In fact her's might be a whole lot more than those two.

Loyalty.

It was a word that could be attributed to different relationships. And Asha had sacrificed everything she could due to her loyalty to me, I couldn't find fault with her for that. I was not happy some other bastard touched my wife, byI could also not begin to imagine the hell she was going through during the process with my eyes on her. The shame that shefelt, the anguish. I was not a hypocrite, so I won't say one thing and do another. But deep down I made a promise to look after her, I felt that promise, felt its power as it peeked out from my closed door of missing memories. I intend to keep it.

"What make's you so sure the baby's going to be a boy anyway?" I asked in curious voice as I peered at thatseal on her stomach.

I could feel her perplexed gaze on my head, before I looked up at her from my position crouched in front of her. It was a rather awkward position if I do say so myself, but Asha and I did not even seem one bit uncomfortable, even with all the people watching us.

She smiled as a trace of relief flowed from her through our bond,before she had a moment of doubt.

"but I..." I held her hands, stopping her from saying anything else.

"Just answer the question Asha." I spoke softly to her, letting her know through the bond that it was okay. She might be looking for punishment, but I was not going to give it to her, she's suffered enough. All this seems to point more to my incompetence as a man, I was not strong enough to protect myself, and then the people I loved and who loved me back ended up paying the price for my own safety. I would be damned if I let my child come into a world that's not safe enough for him or her. I had to fight back, I had to get stronger.

"Call it a mother's intuition. With all this trouble we've gone through, it's only natural that our child will be a boy. A man as strong and courageous as his father." Asha answered as she ran her hand through my strangely long hair.

"Well call it a father's intuition, but I think she's going to be a girl as strong, smart, brave and beautiful as her mother. It's only natural."

"Savior why must you challenge me on everything I say or do, I'm stronger than you, you know." She chided while rapping the top of my forehead with her knuckles.

"I always challenged you. I must have been an idiot." I answered.

Asha's eye's began to mist over as tears fell from both sides of her eyes.

"You really don't remember anything. How...…"

"Asha my mind does not remember. And I don't know if I'll ever get my memories back. To be honest I'm not sure if I even what them to return. This seems like a brand new slate for me, so I want to make the best of it. But one thing I can guarantee is that even though my mind does not remember, my heart does. My fingers remember the feel of your skin when I'm touching you, and my skin remembers the shiver you sent through me, every time your breath touched me. I'm still your Kael."

"Okay." Then she hugged me and buried her head in my chest. Isn't this supposed to be an adventure story. There so much romance in the air. Weird.

"What do we do about all this vampires Asha?" I asked as I finally decided to face the elephant in the room...…..or it should be the vampires around the tower.

Asha looked at them, and smiled up to me before she whispered to me.

"They followed you here, so it's up to you to decide what you want to happen. You're their hero after all, and as my savior I will follow everything you have planned. Then she kissed me on the cheek and went into the tower.

Well she had a point about this people following me here. And from her words I knew exactly what it was that she wanted me to do. Asha was a lot smarter than I expected. That woman was not all heart and beauty, there was a really powerful brain within that awesome body. Can't believe it all belongs to me.

I walked towards the vampires, smiling as I walked into their midst. I could swear I was some sort of vampire Jesus, but I could not be sure about the validity of that statement due to the simple fact that I have no idea who Jesus is.

As I walked through the crowd of vampires,they all made effort to touch me as I walked past them. Vampires a race of very powerful beings had been reduced to such a state, they were willing to grab tightly to anythingor anyone that could give them hope. It was sad, painful even, but this was how life was. History is written by the victors, and this people, my people have been loosing for a very long time. I intend to changethat. I turned to them an took a deep breath and spoke.

"Vampires! I'm here."