Passion for Blood

Chapter 33:

Fitz:

A day must have passed, I'm starting to feel the effects of starvation. Madeleine was right I should have left but then this cycle with Lucian would continue. I am the only one who can kill him, I never did all those years ago since I knew Anastasia wouldn't have wanted that. It was the least I could do for her but things haven't changed and he has gotten worse, still driven by the effects of my father's magic he is losing himself soon he will become self-destructive if he hasn't already and Madeleine can't be around him when that happens. I had hoped one of her brothers would come down here but nobody has come.

I followed her using a spell and saw everything between her and Lucian and her brother Xavier. She's told him everything. It pains me to hear how heartbroken she is but I chose to believe that's the mate bond talking and not me. I developed admiration for Ms. Collins but the line stays there, I don't know if I can ever trust her no matter how guilty she feels for that night. The first time I encountered a being equal to me and she helped with its creation, I felt betrayed even though we don't know each other well it still impacted me. I understood that this was hard for her, I couldn't help her though. I am a destructive being, I enjoy chaos and don't understand the concept of love or gentleness. Emotions are foreign to me this whole thing is foreign to me.

I hear boots approach and come face-to-face with Lucian and two hunters. "It's time, to take him upstairs," Lucians orders them. I get the faint smell of death, he used my blood to experiment on himself but my blood is poisoning his system, he's dying. "I can smell it you know,'' I say as they chain me up. "I might not be able to kill you myself but I have time to watch your world crumble." he soon leaves us as they finish putting the chains on. I would fight them but I haven't got the energy to do so. I am weak. They drag me upstairs and the moment the light hits my skin I feel a little better, I can't feel the warmth but just the light helps me sometimes. We make our way through this massive compound which I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that it's an abandoned mine one I should have figured out was under the Elwood's name.

We make our way to the courtroom where everyone sits patiently waiting for my arrival. They bring me to the centre stand and force me to my knees, I'd say this is intimidating if I couldn't hear their anxious heartbeats. But there is one steady one, her beats are rhythmic and calming so I focus on hers as I face Lucian and a few council members.

"Ladies and Gentlemen the objective of over a thousand years has been reached, we have finally been able to do what our forefathers could not. No longer shall our loved ones live in fear of the monster that started this all." I roll my eyes at his pathetic excuse of a speech. I never started the uprise of the undead and I don't intend to be the last. "Fitz Baker, last son of the Baker bloodline you stand here today to face trial for your sins, you stand trial for your family's betrayal to the council, how do you plead?" An old man with hair as white as snow reads over the amount of sins I have committed.

You cannot be serious. "Guilty," I respond after a while to which the crowd grows angsty. "Burn him!" "Torture him!" The crowd shouts. I have grown accustomed to this hatred, before my mother changed me we were hated for what we were by humans. Everywhere we went we were discriminated against, we could never be one of them. It took me a while but I learnt that being what I am made me stand out and it made me better than them in every single way possible.

"You have quite the army you know, a pack of mindless sheep," I say quieting everyone.

Madeleine:

Fitz continues talking but my focus is on a seething Lucian. "I'm the monster? Really? Tell me how many young men did you train here only to send them out there and die, you all sit up there on your thrones and look down on us like we are the filth beneath your boots." I can hear the venom behind his voice. This isn't just about Anastasia, it's about him too. "If you think that killing me will solve all your problems then you are wrong," he makes direct eye contact with Lucian. "I never started this uprise, I have lived much longer than this petty fight between humans and undead. I have lived long enough to see that you lot never change, you still think you're superior. You used to be at the top of the food chain but now you can't accept the fact that there is a stronger power." The entire room falls silent at his voice, my heart beats faster each time he talks, and a warm feeling overtakes my body. I notice two guards on two opposite sides of the aisle walk down. What the hell is happening?

"You think yourself superior?" Alexander asks. "I know I am superior to you, I haven't a weakness and you can't kill me." Fitz chuckles. "We may not be able to kill you but we are aware of your one weakness," Lucian says as he stands. The two guards turn down my aisle and approach me. My stomach drops as they grab both of my arms. "Let me go." I try and wriggle from their grip but it's of no use. "Madeleine!" Grace tries to come and help me but is cut off by her brother. They drag down to the centre to join Lucian and Fitz. "Lucian, what is the meaning of this?" Alexander stands. The crowd breaks into gasps at the encounter. "Your brother reminded me of something, I had suspicions that Madeleine was working with this crossbreed and now I have proper proof." Lucian gives me a short glance before he pulls a knife from his back pocket and rips the top left side of my dress exposing my neck. "He marked her! She has been working with him secretly most probably telling him every detail of where the hunters would be next. Why? Because she is in love with him." "Lucian we had discussed this! She is innocent." Alexander defends from his seat. I look at the floor unable to look at all the stares and judgemental eyes. They know. "Look for yourself." The guards push me to the floor where I stay until a pair of boots come into my vision. Looking up I watch Alexander examine my neck, hurt then anger flashes across his features. "No need to worry, as you said it was simply his influence on her," Lucian speaks much softer now. My eyes burn as tears fall, my world has come down and now my brothers, my only family hate me. I never cared much for the council's opinion but their hateful words sting more, they were my family and now they see me as their enemy. "No need to worry, this situation will be rectified. We can save our council member, we can purify her once again and drain away the evil that lurks within her." What is he going on about? Turning to Fitz I see the horror in his eyes. Is he going to turn me?

A/N: OK so I have good news and bad news, the bad news is that this book is coming to an end. The good news is I have been busy with book 2 so don't stress, the story isn't over ;)