Free The Violet Line by Bilinda Ni Siodacain Page A

and destruction through some countries before finally coming to settle in the Carpathian Mountains. They built their castle there and set it up as the seat of the official Vampire Council. They sought out only the most talented and powerful vampires to accompany them on the council. Other vampires, Sam and Marianne included, who possessed powers, just not on the scale of the council members enjoyed powerful positions as the tools of the council. Sam’s power had begun to diminish as he refused to attack and drink fresh blood from humans. There was something in taking a life force that caused his power to spike, allowing him to pull anyone within range of his gaze into a trance. His power didn’t distinguish between vampire and human and it didn’t matter how powerful they were in their own right; his power of the gaze could take all in his path if he so wished it. Now it took him some effort to take a vampire under his control and that usually gave the vampire a chance to escape.
    Oskaar came to a halt in front of Sam and looked him over head to toe. “My dearest Samuel, you have certainly not been treating yourself kindly over the years. Why, I can see the gauntness of your body and face and you smell the same as one who is hunted. You do not strike me as the fearsome predator you once were. Now when I look at you, I feel pity. I should not feel this for one so young; you have paid a high price indeed for the love you hold for your Jade. Perhaps when she joins us you too will reconsider and follow her destiny, becoming one with us once more and enjoy the life you have been given.”
    Sam’s voice rang out strong. “She will never join willingly with you. Jade is not like you; to hurt another hurts her. For fuck’s sake, she will barely use her own power to defend herself because she doesn’t want to hurt someone who might want to hurt her! She is soft and kind and loving; she will never become this dark queen you seem to think she is capable of being.” He spat the last words out; he felt secure that the Jade he loved wasn’t capable of becoming a monster in the same way that he was one.
    “ Sam, so young, you have not seen what I have seen. It is true this human Jade that you love is soft and kind and loving. I will admit, she loathes hurting others, but it is her human soul that causes this. What you fail to understand or see is truly what Jade is; you do not know what she comes from or how she is made. When her human soul leaves her body and she ascends to become one of our kind, when she thirsts for the life that runs through all humans veins, then she will become our dark queen; the prophecy speaks of it. You cannot avoid prophecy, Samuel; it is woven into the very tapestry of her life. Would you like me to show you? I could do that for you, so you know that what I say is the truth. I’m not trying to deceive you, Sam; you have always been dear to me. It was I who saw the potential in you from the first moment you were dragged into the palace as a paltry human boy. I saw the power you could wield over the lesser vampires even in your human state. Let me share this with you. We cannot suffer anymore lies between us.” Oskaar reached out towards Sam as he struggled to pull away.
    “ I don’t want to see your prophecy!”
    Oskaar held him in place with his power. “It’ll only hurt if you fight this, Sam; relax and see what I see.”
    The moment Oskaar’s hands touched Sam’s face, he could feel the searing heat as it tore through his body; he felt as though he was being burned alive. He could feel the blood as it began to trickle from his nose and ears; a vampire should not fight a vision share. Sam knew this but he didn’t want to see any possible future in which his beautiful Jade was being used as an evil instrument.
    He screamed as the pain tore through him again and again. Oskaar continued to hold his face, forcing him to view the images he was being shown. Blood trickled from his eyes.
    Suddenly,