Blood Lust

Chapter Eighteen

After dropping Rosie off, Ash walked into his own home, loosening his tie. He sat at the foot of the bed raking his fingers through his hair. The King's story repeated in his mind, the haunted, hallow look on the King's face as he remembered his true love. Is that how Ash looked before he fell in love with Rosie? If that was the case, Ash was thankful to every power that existed for finding her and loving her. This opportunity that was blessed upon him - becoming human - it seemed unanimous. Ash was to turn back into a human. Regardless of his form, Rosie would love him. Perhaps, she would love him more for being human. He thought of the last words of the King's story.

"She said she could never love a monster like me. And I've been alone ever since."

It made Ash wonder how lucky he had been to fall in love with Rosie. This strong, willful girl who made him happier and filled him with hope. How did Ash get so lucky? Pinching the bridge of his nose, Ash breathed deeply through his nose. He needed to go back to the King-

"Brother."

Ash glanced up to see Zach leaning against the door, a feral look on his face that Ash hadn't seen for centuries. He raised his eyebrow, waiting for Zach to continue talking.

"How did the meeting with the King go?" he asked, nonchalantly pushing himself off of the door frame and gliding into the room with ease.

Ash watched him sceptically. "It was alright," he said, his eyes following Zach's every movement as he took slow, loud steps across the room and to the window.

"What did he ask of you? And I'm assuming it was good news otherwise Rosie's head would have been delivered to the door on a spike," he commented, a little hiss stirring in his voice as he mentioned Rosie.

A bubble of anger rose within Ash for Zach even thinking the slightest of Rosie. He still felt uneasy knowing that Zach had intercepted Rosie's mind once, along with Jessie's. Ash realised that this hatred he beheld for Zach was never ending as well as not having a beginning. Their relationship was the furthest from 'brotherhood' than Ash had ever seen in all his life and wasn't it exhausting for having to see his brother who never relented once at trying to best Ash for a reason Ash couldn't understand even from an early age.

"It wasn't so much as a request," Ash said, placing his words carefully. "It was more... informing than demanding."

A cold laugh resonated from Zach. "A ruler does not simply invite a measly vampire and human into their home for nothing-"

"It's none of your concern, Zach," Ash stated rather gruffly, hoping it sent across a sign for Zach to quit his pestering. "If you care so much, go ask the King himself."

In a spur of the moment, Zach had Ash up by his neck. "I've been waiting for years to have an audience," he growled as Ash struggled under his grip. "So, how does my pest of a brother meet with the King of Vampires?"

Ash kicked his brother in the knees and felt the grip around his neck loosen as they tumbled to the ground. Easily recovered, Ash stood dragged Zach from the collar. "I think you've overstayed your welcome, brother." Ash spat the word 'brother' sardonically. He sped and threw Zach out into the darkness of the night, hours away from the sunrise. "Goodbye."

In a feeble attempt, Zach leapt up but he couldn't stop the door from slamming. A wicked grin swept up on Zach's face. "If you won't tell me," he yelled loudly into the night, "then I'll just have to ask our dear Rosie." Zach ran into the darkness like a flash, the cold night fueling his rage.

Ash followed a few moments after. He took a shortcut, trying to create a connection with Rosie but it seemed like she was already asleep. He yelled her name in his thoughts but she didn't stir. From the outside, Rosie's home looked exactly like it had when he left - dark with a single light coming from downstairs. Ash scaled the house and jumped through Rosie's window to see she was lying in bed. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ash," he heard her whimper and his eyes snapped to her to see her eyes slowly opening, coated in fear.

Looking closer, he could see a shadow perched on the other side of her bed. The duvet slid away and Ash saw Zach with his hand wrapped around Rosie's neck. Zach yanked her up and had his hands easily placed to snap her neck.

Ash asked through the link why she didn't answer him.

He threatened to hurt Joey.

"What do you want, Zach?" Ash asked, nearly begging, his voice low enough just so the three of them could hear.

"I want an answer," he demanded. "What did you get, Ash? Or your precious Rosie..." He chuckled darkly. "Let's just say she won't be graduating."

Ash bit his tongue, stopping himself from throwing everything he had at Zach. "His throne," he answered, looking Zach dead in the eye. "He told me to become King." Ash noticed Zach's grip soften from shock and took it as an opportunity. He sped around the two and managed to throw Zach back out of the house.

"Ash-" Rosie said, her hands on her neck, her eyes wide in fear.

"Lock the windows and doors," he instructed her. "I'll handle it." With a quick kiss on the cheek, Ash fled to best his brother one last time.

Rosie did as Ash said and went to every single room and stopped to sit with Joey when was done. He was in deep sleep, completely unaware to the havoc outside, just like the rest of the world. After such a long day, Rosie was sure of one thing: she felt drained.

The whole build up of meeting the King, seeing the beautiful palace, was all to offer Ash his crown. It made Rosie shiver thinking that it could be Ash up there, with the same dullness in his eyes - the same emptiness. She wondered what Ash was going to do about this predicament. She knew that he would have to choose a beautiful normal life or a life without her. The latter seemed to heartbreaking for Rosie to simply dwell on. She wanted to be with Ash in the whatever time she could. She didn't want a crown to come between them. She knew that this was Ash's choice and his choice alone.

Breathing deeply, Rosie rested her head between her hands. She heard a slight thud of steps outside the room.

"Mum?" she whispered, leaning closer to Joey.

The door opened slowly and silently, in a way that Rosie wouldn't have noticed if she wasn't watching the door. When she saw Ash's face, she ran up and hugged him.

"Angel," he whispered, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

Rosie gulped, thinking of what had conspired between the two. "Did you... kill him?" she whispered, pulling away slightly to look up at him.

Ash simply laughed without humour. He shook his head lightly before pressing his forehead to hers. "I couldn't kill him," he murmured, a sad smile on his face. "After all, he is my brother, Rosie."

A moment of silence passed.

"Do you think I would?" he asked. Rosie looked up confused. "Kill Zach, I mean."

Rosie's eyes softened and she pressed a kiss to Ash's cheek. "No," she said after a while. "I don't think you're capable of doing something truly horrible."

Ash leaned in to her touch, wanting to believe her, but he knew there was still a part of him that was capable of doing something horrible. It was something corrupt - something he finally had an opportunity to get rid of for good.