Chasing Snow - Chapter 4
Demetrius
I went out to talk to people who guarded our house. The group was made of 4 werewolves and a vampire. Ever since Annabeth took control of the elders she has been able to bring an age of peace between the two.
"Everything has been safe, my lord," Luke, the vampire, told me with a bow.
I shook my head and said, "What did I tell you about calling me lord? Just Demetrius is fine."
"But, sir," Adam, one of the werewolves said. "You are chosen by a god. That makes you higher than royalty. While we do not worship the King of the Underworld we have pledged ourselves to you and your family because we know you have such a power to rule if you so wished. You have helped all of us out in one way or another and we would give our lives to protect you and your family."
I sighed as I remembered how this guard team had been put together. After Ivry and I got married and she was pregnant with Payton I spent the nights that I couldn't sleep searching out Zoey and Abigail. While I never found them I always found their trail. Wherever Zoey went she left the mark of the King of the Underworld leaving small towns in chaos or killing off werewolf packs or even entire vampire clans. That was how I found these five individuals through solving these issues. The four werewolves, Adam, Justin, Matthew, and Kareem, I had saved from being hunted by a group of humans that Zoey and sent to kill them. I was able to save them, but unfortunately wasn't able to save their pack. Justin and Adam were twins and younger while Matthew and Kareem were older members of the pack. I explained what had happened and who did this to them and they put themselves as my personal guard. The respect they had for me and my power as well as their want to kill Zoey made them extremely loyal to me to the point they would sacrifice their lives for me.
Luke was a sole survivor of one of Zoey's attempts to bring vampires onto her side of this war. His clan had denied her and she ended up killing them all. Luke had taken serious injuries so when I found him in the castle he was barely clinging to life in the halls. He had a hole in his stomach and he was lucky to be alive at all. Through some miracle I was able to use my powers to restore Luke to full health. His clan were one of the few who recognized the existence of the King of the Underworld, so he instantly knew what I was when he saw my power. He pledged himself into my service for as long as he was alive and from there on I had my full team of guards. The guarded me and Ivry in the woods the surrounded our house and swore to protect us and Payton with all they had.
"I am very lucky to have you guys to protect my family and I. I cannot thank you enough." I said to them sincerely.
The werewolves turned back to their human form and they all bowed and spoke in unison, "Anything for you, my lord."
I sighed and dismissed them all and they went back to the house they had some way off in the woods that served as their guard post. I stayed outside in the small field in front of our house and called upon my power as Lord of Shadows. The familiar cloak surrounded me and I felt its power flowing through me. The four black marks hurt on my side where the serpent once bit me and I knew what was happening. That serpent injected me with a poison that threatened to allow the power overtake my body. The four black dots began to grow and spread over my body when I summoned my power and I had to fight its spread with my pure will. If it consumed me I had no idea what would happen, but I had to continue to strengthen my power because it was the only thing I had that could protect Ivry and Payton.
Once I got the poison under control I brought for the mist and created four lifelike dummies made from the mist armed with weapons. The solidified and turned into clones of people that charged at me with raised weapons. I brought for the mist and brought forth my favorite weapon, a sword that when swung correctly broke the blade into pieces along a whip. I parried the first attack and stabbed it through the chest and it burst into smoke. The second swung for my head and I ducked and broke its wrist then cut its head off. One of the remaining two had a gun while another held a pike. It began to shoot at me and I tightened the smoke together and solidified it into a shield to block the bullets as I flicked my sword and it turned into a whip. I cracked the bladed whip at the one holding the gun and it cut its hand off. I swung it again and it cut through its skull making it burst into another cloud of smoke. The last person charged at me with the pike and I decided to try a new skill I had been practicing. I didn't move, but instead turned my body into smoke and snaked my way around the mist and materialized behind him and wrapped its body into a whip the cut it to bits.
I smiled victoriously as the mist vanished, but soon after I collapsed onto my knees and coughed up blood. Another spasm of pain shot up my sides worse than before and I lifted my shirt to see that a line now connected the four circles and more lines were spreading inside it creating a black diamond. I had no idea what this meant, but I knew it wasn't good. "I probably shouldn't use that move unless it's dire," I thought as I dropped my shirt and wiped my mouth. I released the power and I checked again to see if the diamond was still there and it was. I turned around and there she was. Zoey. I tried to call back my powers but for some reason was unable to do so.
"You can't do that now, sweety. I placed a hex for now that won't allow either of us to use that power for the next hour."
"Why the hell are you on my land?" I hissed at her hoping that my guards would smell her and rush over.
She walked past me and ran her hand down my back causing the hairs on the back on my neck stand up. "You know your sweet little daughter could have been our child."
"I already told you. I am done with you. I am married to Ivry now."
"Oh I forgot about that." She said as she tapped her fingers on her lips thoughtfully. " Well it sucks that you will be joining me soon."
"What do you mean," I asked hesitantly.
Zoey held up her arm and around her forearm sat the same black diamond, but instead of one there were multiple laced together around her arm with strange runes along the lines. "This is the mark of my king." She said with a snakish smile. "Once this is completed you will be reincarnated into one of his great demons. Then you will taste true power and understand why you should join us. The more you use your power in more powerful ways the quicker it comes about. The poison that my king's pet serpent, Largantha, place inside you spreads and corrupts your body speeding along the process of changing every time you use your power."
"I will never join you," I snarled at Zoey.
"Very well," she said with a false sadness. "I guess I will see you during the war then, my love." She turned into mist and disappeared but I still heard her voice. "Be wary of your child. She is special and my king wants her."
Her last words sent panic through me and I ran inside to check on Payton. I burst into my room to saw Payton asleep curled up against Ivry and I release my breath that I know realized I was holding. I fell back against the wall and slid to the ground as I ran my hand through my hair.
I had reached a dilemma. I could either use my powers to protect my family and possibly be turned against them. Or I could not use my powers and watch helplessly as my family was slaughtered. Either way Zoey got what she wanted. I buried my face in my hands in frustration unable to decide what to do. I felt a small hand on my knee and I looked up to see Payton smiling at me sleepily.
"Stella and I both think that you are strong, daddy. I believe in you."
Tears slipped out of my eyes and I pulled Payton into me with a tight hug. "I love you so much, Payton. I love both of you."
