To Seduce a Mortal |18+✔

Book 8⌇48. Bloodshed

Chapter 48 ∣  Bloodshed

-Eris

Maverick and I slept together wrapped in each other's arms that night, learning from him of the relationship that Cayden and Rayne shared. My heart reached out to her because I know the feeling of being lied to, even when there really was no reason for it.

We talked a lot that night, of what the future would hold for not only the two of us but now the child growing inside my womb. It hadn't really bothered me that much getting pregnant, that I would continue to age, and Maverick wouldn't. I wondered what our child would think of this, reflecting on how this type of relationship could even work and how they would deal with eventually losing one parent while the other lingered on.

I don't want to be turned...even if it didn't kill me by some huge miracle.

Death gives life meaning.

I was slightly reassured though, having thought that this Erebus person Killian had called would only make matters worse but instead, I found myself with a bit of comfort.

Maverick and I sat in the parlor with Erebus and his grandson Orion, learning more about these two individuals last night as Maverick had explained their history in relation to everything happening now. This powerful pureblood was the sole reason for the vampires escaping the Dominion Plane, something I hardly knew about just that they escaped. He is by far the strongest pureblood alive and when I say pure, I mean specifically for the vampires without the added abilities that Maverick's bloodline possesses due to the crossbreeding.

I also learned about Orion and how he held such a grudge with Locaine and his late brother Enos, for biting him and leaving him for dead. Now he stands as a vampire hunter hybrid, his white irises flickering from Maverick and then landing on me. They were silent, collecting their thoughts as I did my own as I felt so small and insignificant among the powerful beings' present.

"Eris," Erebus began and I lifted my eyes to meet with him, Maverick's arm resting around my shoulders as he held me close to him. When he continued, his voice was gentle, "I take it you understand what type of being is growing inside your womb?"

A light nod of my head sounds my response, Maverick explaining much more in detail to me than Killian did prior. I replied quietly, "A hunter."

"Not just an ordinary hunter," Erebus nodded his own acknowledgment, "you carry a true born hunter which refers to the conception being strictly between a pureblood and a human," he paused a moment before he turned to Orion, "Orion's father, Gage, he was the very first true born hunter to come into existence, a lot of concerns arising from both his mother and myself."

Maverick's hold tightened a moment while Erebus continued, "There are a couple of things you need to understand about what we went through. To start off with, a true born hunter will automatically be labeled as a term well known now as a ranger, drawing their strength immensely from their vampiric gene."

Maverick was slightly uneasy with this comment and asked, "Kadessa and Enoch?"

Orion growled at their names and spat, "They were corrupted by their own interpretation of the world and it's a very good example of nature versus nurture."

"They were also twins," Erebus finished and then paused a moment as he gathered the rest of his thoughts, "another point is that a true born hunter will not just have the desire to protect humans from vampires like you've seen...but it's an innate draw that will condemn themselves to take risks they very well shouldn't in order to accomplish this goal."

There was silence.

When no one spoke, Erebus stated, "Take Gage for example...he went so far as to kill Theo's wife, starting the downward spiral of the kill on sight order from Enos and Locaine. If he had left well enough be...maybe the hunters could have gotten along much better with the vampires."