Arcanus 7

[catriana_fiction]

Title: Arcanus (Previously known as Demon King)
Series: Original
Genre: Fantasy/Drama/Romance
Rating: M
Chapters: 16/??(WIP)
Summary: He is the Demon King of the West, one of the few true immortals of the western lands. When his kingdom is frozen by 'Olde Magick' he goes out into the world to find clues and answers. Along the way he binds himself to a young vampire, encounters a half-elf that is more than what he seems and quickly begins to realize that freezing his kingdom was only the beginning.
Notes: Awkward times are awkward.

 

7

xxxxx

 

While Liari slept Rioran had contacted Naliel to let the half-elf know what happened and where they could meet up. The first thing the demon wanted to do was to investigate the temple where the Monsters were supposedly coming from before leaving vampire and human territory altogether. From there they would travel to Liunos territory and then he would head back to his territories to reunite with his sister. Until they met back up with his friend he didn’t want to leave Liari alone while sending and receiving messages through the wind. Not that the vampire couldn’t take care of herself, all purebloods were well versed in combat and she was no exception. On top of that she was also well versed in shadow magic and could teleport decent distances making her extremely difficult to hit. For the most part she was a melee fighter, either with hand to hand combat or wielding two one handed swords.

Regardless, he had to admit to himself that a bit of it was him being slightly overprotective. Finally, after fifteen years he had his life mate and he knew that the vampires would be sending hunters very soon to track her down. Once they were in elven territory he would probably let down his guard a bit.

His feelings on her were rather mixed and a bit confusing. For the longest time he had seen her as a child and even though he had been forced to stop doing that when she had turned of marrying age there was still an emotional distance there. Rioran cared for her, he could do little else for his life mate, but he wasn’t in love with her, not as she was with him. What she felt when he looked into her emotions seemed to be completely different from what he felt and it was slightly disconcerting. He cared for her, physically he did desire her, but it wasn’t love. There was something there that was keeping him from truly bonding with her and he had no idea what, he just knew he was the problem.

It wasn’t as if he had never held feelings for a woman before, although he had never actually had any children like his siblings Rioran had held many lovers throughout his life. All of those feelings, however, had never extended beyond enjoying their company be that physically or otherwise. It was one of the reasons he didn’t have any direct descendants, he had never had a woman that he had taken seriously enough to want to spend an extended amount of time with. The longest he had ever held a relationship for had been twenty years, laughable considering how long he has actually been alive. Rioran had always been fine with being alone, if he had wanted company he had gone out and found someone willing to tolerate his ways until either she had become tired with him or he no longer was interested. He had a rather crude personality that had always been rather off putting to females. Liari was probably the exception and that was because they had shared such a close link for so long.

Rioran did not view Liari as he had those other females yet at the same time he found himself unable to truly and deeply love his own life mate. Was that even possible? There was always the possibility that because he had never truly loved a woman that he could be in love with Liari but not know it. It was all rather annoying and confusing. He didn’t like not knowing or understanding himself.

Around late afternoon he watched idly as the young vampire finally stirred, yawning slightly before sitting up, looking confused and slightly disoriented. With a small frown she looked around until she spotted him on the other side of the room leaning against the wall. Their gazes locked but he kept his face impassive, guarded. She was trying to read him physically and mentally but he kept her locked out for now. It was enough that she would have a ton of questions for him, he didn’t want her looking into his head as well.

There was an awkward tension in the air as the two regarded each other. This is the longest they have been together physically and neither is entirely sure of what to do or say. After a moment she looks away, her expression sad and he knows she is recalling last night. It is frustrating for him, because he doesn’t really know what to do about her situation with Eris and his opinion on the vampire is not the same as hers. He holds back the urge to snap at her after a moment, ask her if she’d rather just go back to the kid if she was going to let it bother her this badly. Of course, that was jealousy speaking and he refused to behave like an idiot like he had four years ago. Liari had chosen him and she was only sad because she had ended up having to hurt her friend so badly. She felt guilty because Eris truly had loved her, as much as he could for a spoiled vampire noble. It wasn’t that Liari would have been happy with the Lotros, her personality truly made that impossible. Still, Rioran knew this girl like the back of his hand, Liari’s interest in Eris had been romantic, it was just that she loved Rioran more.

It…really bothered him knowing that if he hadn’t been in the picture, she would have fallen in love with Eris. It bothered him a lot.

“We should get you some clothes to travel in.” he breaks the silence, still keeping his gaze blank “As cute as those pajamas of yours are, they’re not practical.”

Heat rises to her cheeks as she takes in her state of dress. She was wearing a simple silk nightgown, thin and definitely feminine. Liari turns away from him, crossing her arms as if the garment was revealing, which it wasn’t. A little form fitting, but not revealing. Resisting the urge to sigh he moves from the wall, stopping halfway to regard her.

“There’s still time before the shop closes, if we hurry we can grab you a few things and leave.” His voice sounds bland and detached. When she stands he turns from her to head to the door, feeling her confused and concerned gaze on him. Liari knew he was acting strange, he knew he was acting strange, but he didn’t really know how to deal with her now that she was physically there. 

I need to stop acting like an idiot.

Except he didn’t really know how. She was sad and instead of wanting to comfort her he was jealous so he was keeping his distance to make sure that he wouldn’t do or say something completely ignorant or idiotic. She really didn’t need that crap and he didn’t want to be the one to give it to her.

The shopkeeper hadn’t been too pleased when the couple had arrived ten minutes before closing. That had changed when Rioran had dropped a small bag of money on the counter and told the man to consider it as a ‘tip’. No death glares or dark mutterings came from the human after that. Liari did not linger, she knew her size and so she picked out several pairs of pants, casual long sleeved blouses, a pair of long brown boots and one overnight pack to put it all in. As he paid she also picked out a few hair ties and was currently pulling her long black hair into a low ponytail. She was allowed to use the fitting room to dress and then the two left the town shortly thereafter. He did not speak again until they were about a mile away.

“Once we’re out another mile we’ll take to the air,” he informed her “I could use illusion to hide us before that but it’d be annoying and we’ll get to Naliel all the same.”

Once again he wasn’t looking at her but he could feel her gaze on him. The redhead knew he needed to relax and be himself but there was too much tension. Some of it was the vampire boy, most of it was all of the unanswered questions she would have whenever she got around to asking them.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw her bite her lip demurely and she turned her head away “Who is Naliel?”

That was an easy enough question to answer “Naliel Liunos is a half-elf that I met a few years back. We have been working together for a few years now on the Monster issue.” He spared her a quick glance “Are you aware of that particular situation?”

A small nod “Vaguely. Mostly rumors and whispers. Neither my parents nor the elder vampires had commented much on it, everyone else believes that it’s the demons doing it…” she frowned and shook her head “But that’s not true right? I mean, why would you hunt them if you’re creating them?”

His smile was genuine “A girl after my own heart. Yes, that is exactly right, we are not creating them. Well, ‘we’ is a relative term since there aren’t really many demons left but it would appear that the vampires do not know this. I find it strange as it is been almost seventeen years since the onslaught began.” He shook his head “Anyway, I have told you very little concerning demon’s blood but Monsters are indeed created by humans ingesting it. There is a group that is behind it all and Naliel has been looking into the situation for quite some time now. We exchange information and the current plan is to investigate a suspicious temple that could be creating the creatures under the guise of religion. From there we will travel to old elven territory, specifically Liunos.”

Hazel eyes widened at the mention of going into elven territory and he could sense her curiosity and anticipation. His smile widens for once, a very very long time ago, he had felt the same as she when he had first ventured out into the world. Rioran has shown her many mental images of locations throughout her life and it felt good to know that he would be able to take her to all of the places she had been enthralled with. It helps him relax a bit and he’s surprised at just how tense and stiff he had been prior.

The following silence was more peaceful and Liari didn’t speak up again until he had lifted her up in his arms, extended his wings and took to the air, covering the remaining ground. Her head was buried in his neck and because of the wind she spoke to him mentally.

“So…” she pauses, as if unsure of herself. “You…you are a demon king.” There is awe, confusion, hurt, and another emotion he couldn’t pin a name to at her tone.

Yes.

More silence. “So then…we…we weren’t really growing up together…you had me believe that…” she cut herself off. She wasn’t angry, he could sense that, but she was hurt and she did feel a little betrayed. Mentally he sighed.

When I first met you, you were five years old and frightened out of your mind. I decided I would shift into a form that would placate you. If I had approached you as I am now you would have been terrified. A pause And to answer the question I know you are about to ask, I did not tell you the truth as the years went on because knowing that you were associating with a demon king would not have been beneficial for you and we probably would not be having this conversation. You did not need a demon king as a child, you needed a friend. Had I told you the truth too soon you would have become intimidated and frightened.

Since he was right and they both knew it she remained silent for a bit longer, lost in her thoughts. After a long moment he felt her arms tighten around his neck “Rioran…why me? You don’t even like vampires but yet you still stayed and became my friend. Was it because you saved me?”

The redhead could not truly tell her any falsehoods and he really didn’t want to try. After years of secrecy she did deserve to know the truth now that they were together. Your knowledge on demons has been limited, most of it because of your tutors but I also went out of my way not to tell you much. I am not entirely sure how you will take this but the true reason I continued to communicate with you was because I realized that you were my life mate. Liari stiffened in his arms and he continued before she could say anything. Demons can sense when they have found their…spiritual match, I suppose you could say. In any case, when I saw you I realized this but you were only a child and I was not about to take you through my travels. For one, I am not a vampire so I would have been unable to show you how to properly utilize your powers. Secondly, I was doing rather dangerous things and having a child would have been too distracting. So I decided I would come for you when you became an adult. I did not lie, from that very first night my intentions had been to come for you eventually.

It took some time for that to digest. “Knowing you,” She sounded amused “you were probably angry to find out that your life mate was a vampire, weren’t you?”

I was infuriated. He said honestly and she giggled. It seemed she knew him as well as he knew her on certain things I have to admit one of the reasons I made it a point to keep in contact with you was because I was afraid of ending up with a conceited vampire female that would do nothing but drive me mad with her nonsense. I soon learned, however, that you were very different from other vampire children, I was very surprised. I truly enjoyed the years we have shared Liari, I do not want you to believe differently. Despite how it all began, I do care for you.

At this she pulled back a bit, looking at him. Her gaze made him feel a mixture of things, many of them a bit uncomfortable. He was in the middle when it came to his feelings, he valued her as a good friend yet he also held deeper feelings with one not overlapping the other. After a moment she buried her face into his neck once more.

“Are you the reason why anyone else’s blood but yours tastes horrible?”

…Unfortunately, yes. I was not aware that would happen and when I learned of it my reaction had been genuine. I can only assume that because you are my life mate and I gave you my blood that your situation developed. It couldn’t have been helped, when I had found you those creatures had practically ripped you to shreds, you would have died had I done nothing.

He could feel her shake her head “I’m not angry. I really don’t remember all of that night to be honest. I remember you, I remember taking your blood and how it had tasted, but everything else is very fuzzy. I remembered I really wanted us to be friends for some reason. You said that you sensed that we were life mates, does that mean that in a way I sensed it too?”

It is possible, but I am not sure. There is very little knowledge concerning vampires and demons holding a relationship. All I can tell you is that the reason we can speak like this is because I gave you my blood. For a demon, that seals the bond on their end. From now until eternity, I am forever bound to you, Liari. Demons have very few weaknesses, binding ourselves to someone with our blood is a serious one. Had you rejected me, I would have eventually had to kill myself or risk going insane. Demons cannot live without the person they are bonded to, it is why we do not give our blood freely.

She flinched as if he had slapped her, hazel eyes growing wide with shock and slight horror. Gently her fingers brushed along his jaw and she opened her mouth a few times as if to speak before hugging him close. “I’m…Rioran I’m so sorry…”

It was my choice. I could have let you die, I did not. I knew what I was doing and I do not regret my decision. Rioran adjusted her in his arms and began to descend Vampireling, we shall have to continue our conversation some other time, we have arrived.

When they landed and he set her down the tall, slender form of the half-elf began to approach them, walking into the clearing from the shelter of the trees. Long black hair was pulled back and braided from his shoulder blades down to a bit above his lower back. As before when Rioran had first met him Naliel was wearing a plain brown and green outfit with leather armor, a sword attached to his hip and his brown cloak around his shoulders. Cold blue eyes warmed as they took in the young vampire and he smiled. “This is your life mate, Rioran?” he asks politely and before he could answer Liari stepped up and bowed respectfully.

“I am Liari Varian,” she says just as politely “Rioran has told me of your name and your association…” her smile is soft “Rioran has spent many years physically alone so…thank you for being a friend to him.”

Both men seemed surprised by her statement but Naliel returns her bow “It is little trouble, the Western king has done much for the elves in the past and we share a common objective.”

Curious, Liari turns to the redhead “How old are you anyway Rioran?”

She’s not going to like this… “I am two thousand two hundred and thirty seven years old…give or take a decade or two. I had lost count at some point.”

The vampire just stared at him and he sighed out loud “Yes, I realize that I am very, very old and this is the worse case of ‘robbing the cradle’ ever.” He turned to the half-elf “If you wish, you may take Liari to the nearby shack, I must see what my sister has for me.”

He felt her curious gaze but ignored it for now, the message was more important and they really needed to get on the path towards elven lands. Spreading his wings he lifted himself off the ground a good few feet and held out his arms. Wind begins to gather like a sphere in his hands and he summons a shield to protect his body from any outside attack. His body grows slightly slack and his eyes become hooded as he connects with his element, retrieving the message his sister had for him.

“Rioran, I was actually able to find something very useful, return home as soon as you can.”

That was it for the message, but that was typical of her. He did want to know what she had found but if she had wanted him to know she would have said something. With a small mental sigh he opens his mouth to speak.

“I do hope you know that you’re being a pain in the ass with this lack of detail thing. I’m heading to Liunos territory to see an old friend and to investigate a strange temple along the way. After that I’ll head to the West, it will take me quite some time so I hope whatever it is isn’t time sensitive.”

Finished, he snapped himself out of the trance and slowly lowered to the ground, blinking curiously at the fact that the half-elf and vampire were still standing there. Then he realized that this was the first time Liari has ever really seen what his powers are and he smirks at her shocked and awed expression.

“Never seen wind magic before?” he teases lightly, knowing good and well she really hasn’t. Lotros’ specialized in ice and Varian in shadow and she had never really been around the other vampire clans to really see anything significant.

He was walking towards them when Liari’s expression shifted into one of thoughtfulness “Does it always sound like you’re singing when you communicate with the wind?” she asked.

Rioran stopped walking and stared at her as if she had grown a second head. He blinked twice “Excuse me?”

The woman frowned at him “Well, I mean, I could hear what you were saying in your mind and it sounded like singing.”

The redhead continued to stare at her “I do not sing.” He said flatly after a moment of silence “Obviously, you are mistaken or delusional, both can be applicable in this case.” There was something wrong with the girl, he didn’t sing when he spoke to the wind and he refused to believe such nonsense. His gaze snapped over to Naliel who in response turned his back although the redhead caught the smile on his face “What in the hells is so funny half-elf?”

The laughter was in the other man’s voice “Rioran, I have no idea of what you’re talking about. We should hurry to the shack and plan our route for tomorrow.” A pause “And I’m sure you have a very lovely singing voi –“

With a growl, the demon jumped him.

xxxxx

 Liari learned that over the years Rioran had created quite a few ‘shacks’ along the Varian borders and in the land itself. They weren’t beautiful, it was obvious that they had been made to be practical. Everything had been carved from wood and the ‘bed’ was little more than a spot with hay and two sheets over it. Since Rioran didn’t actually need to sleep he hadn’t bothered with such ‘trivial things’. The Hunter Naliel was used to traveling and so he sat down on the floor, his back to the wall and head down.

Watching the two men she felt very spoiled and worried if she would be more of a hindrance than of any use. She’s never had to do anything for herself or on her own, her life has been very privileged. Liari knew how to fight and that was about it. Despite the things Rioran had taught her over the years she still was highly ignorant when it came to the ways of the world and it was distressing and very intimidating.

She wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about everything up from when she left to this point, it all had seemed so fast and overwhelming. Rioran wasn’t a demon boy that she had grown up with after all, he was a demon king and well over two thousand years old. No wonder he had always treated her like a child, even though she was an adult now in comparison she was a toddler when it came to her ‘life mate’.

That was also very strange, the term ‘life mate’. Being born in a rather political family marrying someone for love was a foreign concept. Love itself was a foreign concept to vampires, it was seen as an excessive and unnecessary emotion. Not that it had stopped her, she definitely loves Rioran and she is fine with that. There were a lot of things, however, that she wasn’t exactly fine with and that she didn’t understand.

The vampire had so many questions yet she refrained, almost afraid to know the answer considering how monumental the last few questions she had had been answered. She was fine with knowing that Rioran had truly wanted her, they were going to be doing a lot of traveling and they were trying to find the source of the people turning humans into Monsters. There was also her feelings concerning leaving her friend behind in such a manner. Vampires could say that they didn’t believe in love all they wanted, Eris had loved her and his pain had been clear to see. For all his flaws he was not truly a bad person, he truly would have treated her well although she would have been subservient to him for the rest of her life.

I wish you happiness my friend.

Apparently, Rioran had been in her mind a bit more than she had believed for she felt him quickly withdraw and his face became devoid of emotion as he idly looked out one of the ‘windows’. Guilt filled her once more, it seemed that no matter what she was hurting someone close to her. The redhead hadn’t said anything but she could sense that it really bothered him that she cared for Eris. He never had liked the boy, but there was more to it than that and they both knew it. Of course, he would never say anything because in his mind he would be acting irrationally and he hated doing ‘stupid’ things.

Although she was happy that she was here and that she was with him, their relationship was strained. Somehow a barrier had formed between them upon actually coming together and she had no idea as to what she could do about it. All of these revelations were shocking but she understood them and was slowly coming to accept them. It wasn’t easy, she still felt a little hurt and betrayed, but she was making an honest effort. Rioran’s reasons had been sound and in the end did it really matter when no matter what he had wanted her to be a permanent part of his life?

Liari had thought that perhaps Rioran was being distant because of the situation with Eris, but that wasn’t really it at all. It bothered him, but that wasn’t the reason for their strange awkwardness around each other. One would have thought that being in each other’s heads would make it easier to be around one another…obviously not.

Well, she would not get answers unless she asked questions.

Rioran? She reached out to him, not wanting to awaken their traveling companion. A green gaze flickered over to her as she sat on the ‘bed’ before looking back outside.

“What is it, Vampireling?”

A smile drifted on her lips. She had no idea why but she still loved that old nickname. Are you upset with me or have I done anything wrong? You have been distant.

He didn’t answer and it wasn’t until she had practically given up on getting a response from him that he replied.

“I am not upset with you…” Hesitation “It’s hard to explain, I just feel…strange when I’m around you. The only thing I’ve been able to come up with at this point is that I am not entirely sure of how to act around you now that you are a physical presence. Save for those very few times we had met in person our relationship has existed solely through our mental link. In addition, although you are my life mate, our relationship has mostly been based on friendship. Now you are here and that is no longer necessary, but it is out of the norm and so slightly uncomfortable.”

She could understand that because she somewhat felt the same way. Liari could not imagine walking up and hanging all over him and acting like a girlfriend or whatever. They had kissed once and only once and it had been under circumstances where Rioran had not been really acting like himself.

What do we do? Liari was at a loss. She loved Rioran but she felt similar to him concerning intimacy, it was too foreign of a concept. At the same time she did wish to be with him, it truly was a very confusing and conflicting situation.

This time he did not respond. Instead he remained at his spot for a bit longer before shifting, turning his gaze in her direction. Their gazes locked and while his face revealed nothing his eyes were bright with various emotions, mostly confusion. With a small sigh he moved from the wall and began to walk towards her, his gaze remaining impassive. When he reached her she looked up at him curiously and he regarded her solemnly, looking thoughtful. Without making a sound he sat down beside her, not looking in her direction. It was almost morning, the shack was beginning to grow brighter and her body began to feel heavy with fatigue. When she tried to hold back a yawn his gaze slid over to her, an amused smirk on his face.

“Go to sleep, Vampireling.” The words sounded soft in her mind, affectionate but not in a romantic manner. Smiling back she gave him a small nod and shifted to lie down, turning her back to him as she faced the wall.

Warm arms came around her body and she stiffened as Rioran pulled her close to him, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

Rioran…?

“Go to sleep, Liari.” A small pause and then a sigh “The two of us have held a friendly relationship for so long we don’t know how to be any other way. The solution, therefore, is to start changing that. I’m not saying that we just jump into things but keeping our distance isn’t going to make it better either. In short, we need to get used to each other physically and that’ll only happen if we slowly become closer.” His arms tightened “It’s going to be awkward for a while but it’s not as if we’re pressed for time or anything.”

Understanding, she slid her arms over his, marveling over how warm he was and how strong his arms felt. It really was a completely different experience actually being with him but it wasn’t unpleasant, just different. After a moment of thought she decided to ask him something that had been on her mind off and on.

Rioran, you said that when you gave me your blood you sealed the bond on your end. What am I supposed to do? Do you take my blood?

He tensed for only a second before forcing himself to relax. “No. If you were a demon it would work that way, but with other races it’s different and it’s not something I really want to worry about at this point. Let’s just stick with this for now.”

The answer made her slightly apprehensive. If Rioran didn’t want to answer, it was because it was something she wouldn’t like or feel comfortable with. She forced herself not to sigh at how complicated the situation was. Instead she forced herself to accept his words and relax. Like he said, they had eternity, there was no need to rush anything. Feeling slightly reassured, she forced her body to surrender to sleep.

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