Obsession is the height of passion, but what does one do when they find themselves enthralled with their enemy. Talamayas Sol loses his mother when he stumbles upon a mage in the deserts of his territory, and he is plunged into a despair he's never...
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"Your father wants you to visit for a day?" Tala asked with suspicion as Neil read the letter from his father in the greeting room. Shan had brought it not a moment ago, and it reeked of something nefarious. It had taken years for Tala to form up Neil from the ashes Vincent had left behind, and he wasn't enthusiastic to return him.
"My mother's anniversary is tomorrow, so I can see how he might want to honor her. My father wasn't very kind to me, but... he used to be when she was around. If nothing else, he loved her." Neil had matured over the last ten years, though he hadn't gotten much taller. Taller than a seven-year-old, yes, as tall as he should be at eighteen, not so much. The boy had yet to hit his growth spurt, but it would come with time.
Talamayas hoped.
Soon, the boy would be ready to be one of their kind, and Tala was still entertaining thoughts about stealing him for the Sols. Vincent would have no claim other than a blood bond as a human, which meant nothing as a vampire. The man hadn't bitten his own son to lay claim to him and Tala feared letting him go to his father for that reason. One he owned him, Tala couldn't take him.
"A day, no more, and only if you want to go," Tala said begrudgingly.
There was no reason to piss off Vincent when he'd left his son to him for so long. Shan nodded and headed off to return the message. The sun had just set and they had a full night together, so Tala would go over everything with Neil to make sure he could wear the face of a stronger man for his father. Vincent wouldn't return him if he didn't look primed for the change.
Before Shan could leave, dark energy ripped through his senses and Tala snarled, scaring Neil several feet away in terror. Someone had infiltrated the desert. Not on the edges or in a lull of anti-magic, right near one of the pillars. How? The pillars should have blocked all transportation magic into the Sol territory.
"Shan, with me. Watch Neil," Talamayas said the last to his closest guards and they formed up around the boy in a protective stance. This had to be dealt with or Neil would be in danger.
"Be careful!" Neil called after him as he took off with Shan, and Tala smiled back to him.
They'd grown on each other over the year, and the boys eyes shone a stronger blue under the light sunshine hair that tread his collar bone. The way he stood tall, even when frightened now, made Tala proud for the boy.
Whoever had invaded his territory, he would slaughter to keep his people safe.
They found the intruder, or rather intruders, in the dunes. Two of them picked themselves up from the sands, and Tala had to take a step back as he realized they were stark naked. They reeked of blood and humans, so they had been changed not a day past at most. The first turned to him, and Tala found the dark sunburst of the slave farms tattooed on the right side of his neck. These were humans bred to be fodder soldier for houses, but how had they gotten here?
