Out of Light Into Darkness

97 Pages·2013·0.54 MB·English

by  Chase T A

A Total-E-Bound Publication

www.total-e-bound.com

Out of Light into Darkness
ISBN #978-0-85715-274-9
©Copyright T.A. Chase 2010
Cover Art by Natalie Winters ©Copyright August 2010
Edited by Claire Siemaszkiewicz
Total-E-Bound Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination
and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or
places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form,
whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of
the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound
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proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs
and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator
of the artwork.

Published in 2010 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL,
United Kingdom.

Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature
readers. This story has been rated Total-e-burning.
OUT OF LIGHT INTO DARKNESS

T.A. Chase
Dedication

Thank you to all my readers who have become more like extended family. Thanks to Claire
for taking a chance on my blind vampire. And as always, thank you, my love. You stand
beside me no matter what happens.
OUT OF LIGHT INTO DARKNESS T.A. Chase 5

Chapter One

Shadows blended, graduating from light grey to the darkest black. They neither stayed
still nor moved in any direction. The harder Andor strained to make out any tiny detail, the
more the lights pulsed with a weird life of their own.
A cough drew his attention to a larger shadow standing where he knew the door to his
study was.
“Yes?”
“He’s arrived, sir.”
They had sent Tony to inform him. Andor recognised the hesitation in the young man’s
voice like Tony weighed every word before he spoke.
“Good. Where is he now?”
Andor didn’t move from where he sat, not wanting to appear weak in front of any of
his herd.
“In his room, sir. Malachi escorted him there before sending me to tell you.”
A heady surge of relief swept through Andor. It had almost killed him when Sven left
the compound, yet he stayed away from the young human. He hoped Sven would have
returned on his own, but with Andor’s health and very existence in jeopardy, he couldn’t
wait any longer. Hopefully, he’d be able to convince Sven to help him instead of forcing him
to give Andor what he needed. Also, with Sven back home, Andor wouldn’t have to worry
about something happening to the human meant to be everything to Andor.
“His door isn’t locked, is it?”
“No, sir. Malachi has someone watching it, but there’s nothing to keep him here.”
Tony was right. There wasn’t anything to keep Sven at the compound, yet Andor hoped
the mortal would be angry enough at being forced to return, he’d stick around, if only to
chew Andor out.
“Thank you, Tony, and relay my appreciation to Malachi. Tell him he may have his
choice from the herd as an award.”
“Certainly, sir.”
OUT OF LIGHT INTO DARKNESS T.A. Chase
6

Unhappiness filled Tony’s voice and Andor knew the young guard hoped Malachi
would choose him instead of one of the humans making up Andor’s herd.
“Good night.” He waved, dismissing the messenger and the dark block he assumed
was Tony disappeared through the black square behind it.
Andor rubbed his eyes. Damn vision was fucked and not having fed for a week didn’t
help matters. Being an older vampire, Andor didn’t have to feed as often as the younger
ones, but with the poison still ravaging his body, he should have been feeding every other
day to try and combat it.
Standing, he remained still until he oriented himself with the large desk at one end of
his study. No one had been in his suite of rooms since he awoke and there wasn’t any way
they could get in while he slept. It was one of the many precautions Malachi instituted when
he’d come to work for Andor.
He made it across the room without mishap, hating the shuffling steps he had to take to
insure he didn’t run into a coffee table or a piece of furniture he’d forgotten was there. There
was truth in the cliché, ‘you never know what you have until it’s gone’. He never knew how
much he relied on his eyes until they had been taken from him, or at least, his eyesight had
been stolen from him.
Andor had been a god in the vampire society he travelled amongst, but now he was
pathetic and helpless. Weak when being weak could get him killed. There were those waiting
in the wings for his downfall. The loss of his eyesight was only the beginning of his decline in
power, if he couldn’t do something to stop the deterioration or assert his power in a different
way.
He found the top of the chair at the desk and slowly eased down into the seat. Pulling
himself closer to the desk, he fumbled with the drawers until his hand found the right one
and he tugged it open. Andor reached in and grabbed the box he’d tucked at the back of the
drawer. He rested it on his lap while he trailed his fingers over the engraved words along its
top.
“Elessa,” he murmured. “I could love him as much, if not more, than I loved you, but
he fears me and what I offer.”
He closed his eyes, and rested his head back against the cushion of the chair. His head
pounded from forcing his eyes to focus on something, to draw details and colours into his
OUT OF LIGHT INTO DARKNESS T.A. Chase
7

brain. He longed for the way things used to be, but knew in his soul, they would never be the
same. His grip tightened on the wooden box in his hands.
Centuries passed like the trickling of water through a riverbed. Minutes and seconds
built on each other until years had gone by and he’d lost anything that made him human. His
only connection to what he once was hated him and had run away instead of taking his
rightful place at the head of Andor’s herd.
Elessa would tell him it was wrong to think of the humans he fed off as cattle, but what
else were they? He housed and fed them. In return, they gave him their blood. It was just like
any rancher or shepherd. Was that the reason why Sven ran away? Or was there more to
Sven’s leaving than Andor treating humans like livestock?
Opening the box, he pulled out a small frame. He ran his fingers over the bumps and
swirls left by the oil paint. The pain in his heart made him gasp. Gods, it hurt to know he’d
never be able to look on this portrait and remember her face. Without this image, he feared
he would forget what Elessa looked like. Yet even now, Sven’s face often became super-
imposed over Elessa’s in his mind.
It had only been since Sven turned eighteen that Andor had thought about feeding from
him. Most humans experienced pleasure from the connection and Andor wasn’t ashamed of
the fact that he took advantage of that to feed and fuck whoever he drank from. Men or
women, it didn’t matter as long as Andor got their blood.
“What am I to do, Elessa? He is one of yours and I can’t make him do anything he
doesn’t want to do.” He could almost hear her laughing at him. “Yes, my heart is involved
this time. The first since I held you dying in my arms. If you were alive, you would enjoy
this. I could love him, yet he is disgusted by me.”
No answer came from the painting and he put it away before returning the box to the
desk drawer. Inhaling deeply, he straightened his shoulders and climbed to his feet. It was
time to face the lion in his den. He made it to the door without incident and found Malachi
waiting outside in the hall.
“The hallway is clear. I had all the furniture removed, so you will only need to worry
about running into the walls, but the carpet covers the middle of the floor until about two
inches away from the wall. When you feel the edge under your foot, you know the wall is
close.”
“Tony said Sven is in his usual room.”
OUT OF LIGHT INTO DARKNESS T.A. Chase
8

“Yes, sir. Summon me if you need me.” Malachi’s voice faded, though Andor knew the
man stood in the darkness behind him, watching and keeping an eye out for him like any
loyal dog would.
Sven’s room was four doors down from Andor’s on the opposite side of the hallway.
Andor tried to move confidently, trailing his hand over the wall, across the doors, counting
them, even though it was only Malachi who watched him. Agonizing minutes later, Andor
stood outside Sven’s door. He knocked and waited. When there wasn’t any answer, he
turned the knob and stepped in.
Anger hung in the room. Andor understood. No one appreciated being dragged back
home like a wayward child. Malachi wouldn’t have told Sven anything. Shifting through the
layers of emotions piling in the air around him, Andor discovered a tiny hint of relief hidden
deep under the anger. Was Sven happy Andor had sent someone after him? Had he wanted
that all along?
Andor shook his head, frustrated by his doubts. It had been so long since he was
human, he’d lost any ability to discern the truth out of emotions. He doubted he’d ever had
that ability. As a warrior, emotions could get one killed, and as a vampire, through the
centuries, one learned emotions meant nothing when one lived forever.
Rustling caught his attention and he imagined Sven either sat on the bed or stood by the
window. The only good thing was both were in the same direction.
“Thank you for returning with Malachi.”
Sven snorted, but didn’t speak.
“Something has arisen and your presence was needed.” Desired.
Andor didn’t need his eyesight to tell that Sven stared at him in disbelief. It was how
he’d react to that statement if someone said that to him.
“I hope you’ve found your room the way you left it. The only one allowed in here after
you left was Malachi. I didn’t want it to be dirty when you came back.”
He snapped his mouth closed. Babbling like an idiot wasn’t a becoming trait for a
vampire. No words seemed forthcoming from Sven, so Andor decided retreat was best. Plus
the sun was about to rise and exhaustion pulled at his senses.
“Welcome home, Sven. If you wish for anything, ask Malachi.”
After shutting the door behind him, he started down the hall towards his suite.
Malachi’s shadow appeared in his range of vision.
OUT OF LIGHT INTO DARKNESS T.A. Chase
9

“Bring Doctor Ramshall to the compound, Malachi. Maybe he can help us figure out
what’s wrong.”
“Yes, sir.”
Confident Malachi would do as he commanded, Andor headed for bed, hoping Sven’s
intoxicating scent would dissipate soon. No sense in driving himself crazy over something he
couldn’t have.
OUT OF LIGHT INTO DARKNESS T.A. Chase 10

Chapter Two

“Sir, the doctor is here.”
Andor acknowledged Malachi’s announcement with a wave of his hand, motioning for
the doctor to enter. Turning, he stayed by the window and waited for the man to join him. A
second presence came to stand by Malachi’s solid form. This one was slight and, in an odd
way, soothing. It had to be the doctor, for healers were the only ones to give off that sense to
Andor.
His eyesight had worsened since his last full feed and his instincts told him not even
Sven’s pure blood would help him, which was why he’d had Malachi bring the doctor to
him.
“How can I help you, Master Andor?” The doctor stopped a respectful distance away,
and his outline, the only thing visible to Andor, bowed.
“You came highly recommended for your talent and your discretion, Doctor Ramshall.
Since you have worked with my kind before, I know you won’t discuss what we talk about
in this meeting.”
Ramshall’s close-mouthed policy when it came to his clients attracted Andor more than
the man’s talent. If any of Andor’s rivals got wind of his blindness, they would use this
opportunity to oust him from his throne. He’d fought too hard and too long to allow that to
happen.
“Of course not, sir.” Ramshall’s tone bordered on the patronizing.
Andor flashed his fangs, silently warning the doctor who the most dangerous one in the
room was.
“Sorry, sir.”
Motioning for the doctor to join him, Andor accepted his apology.
“My herd has become contaminated.” Once he’d figured out that whatever ruined his
eyesight came from his herd, he stopped feeding from them.
The outline of Ramshall’s head tilted and Andor worked out the doctor was staring at
him.
“Contaminated? In what way?”