The Two Kings

The Two Kings.

Afterlife Saga.

By Stephanie Hudson.

Dedication.

I dedicate The Two Kings to the 96 LFC fans who lost their lives on that terrible day on the 15th of April 1989 in the Hillsborough disaster.

"You"ll never walk alone"

Justice at last All at once the crowd go silent, Holding a breath in waiting, So many Lives, so many Names, All in the hands of debating.

There is no price for Justice, There is only truth to remain, To find it for the hearts that have suffered, And every fan who feels the same.

A dream with heads held high, A journey of heartache and pain, A justice so utterly deserved, A never fading memory we gain.

It"s all about the hope we build, And the mountain we all climb together, In hopes to one day find, A truth so deep it affects us forever.

Justice for the 96"

YNWA.

About the Author.

Stephanie Hudson has dreamed of being a writer ever since her obsession with reading books at an early age. What first became a quest to overcome the boundaries set against her, in the form of dyslexia, has turned into a life"s dream. She first started writing in the form of poetry and soon found a taste for horror and romance. The Two Kings is her second book in the series of seven, with the story of Keira and Draven becoming ever more complicated in a world that sets them miles apart.

When not writing, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her very supportive family and friends, playing with her dopey deer hound Milo, who has a fondness for eating tennis b.a.l.l.s, chatting for hours with her biggest fan, her sister Cathy who is utterly obsessed with one gorgeous Dominic Draven. And of course spending as much time with her wonderful husband Rob, who is her real life hero, one that swaps his shining armour for jeans and comic book t-shirts.

This year she also fulfilled a life"s long dream and finally became a mum. Ava Jessica Hudson was born on the 1 of August 2012 Here is my dedication to my lovely first born.

Flying on a Dream I hold my breath, I take the pain, I see what"s coming, It"s the life we gain.

You look oh so beautiful, I can"t help but cry, You"re my baby girl, Happiness fills me so great, I could fly.

I hold you so close, I never want to let go, I touch your head, And let the love flow.

You are so tiny, A little bundle in my arms, A hand so small grabs for me, And a floodgate breaks the dam.

Now you drift off to sleep, And I can"t help but stare, I gaze at beautiful blue eyes, And skin so light and fair.

Dark hair frames an angelic face, As dark and soft as the raven"s wing, I hold on to you so tightly, As my heart soars and sings You"re my baby girl, You"re my Ava J, You"re my one and only, On this forever Day.

I love you.

Chapter 1.

Hunted.

Draven"s eyes scanned over me checking that I wasn"t going to go into shock from Vincent"s outburst.

"I"m fine, you go," I managed to say but before I knew it Draven"s hands were touching my face making me look into his incredible deep eyes. His gaze was edged with a concern he was most likely trying very hard to hide, no doubt to stop me from panicking...

It wasn"t working!

"Keira it will be alright, you don"t have to worry." Was he joking! Of course I had reason to worry. I mean, I was being b.l.o.o.d.y hunted and images of me on a "Wanted" poster in some supernatural tavern were filling my mind. But of course instead of saying this, I just nodded and pushed his hands from me.

"Go, I will be fine on my own and Takeshi needs you." I couldn"t help but lower my face as I said this, not needing him to see the pain in my eyes nor hear the worry in my voice. After all, my acting skills weren"t ever going to win any awards. So despite my best efforts, he didn"t look convinced but he knew as well as I did that he needed to go. With that in mind he kissed my forehead and begrudgingly left with his brother, to leave me with my own thoughts of dread.

I couldn"t understand how just hours after my own personal nightmare we were having to deal with Draven"s. It was like a cruel game of chance that we couldn"t win. We just wanted to be together but it was like every force of Heaven and h.e.l.l was telling us NO! I decided to get up as I knew I would never sleep without Draven"s warm touch on my skin. I went over to my bag which was still on the couch from the last few days I had spent here and grabbed the last pair of jeans and T shirt that I had left. At least now it would be safe for me to go home and get some new clean clothes and some other things that I might need soon. Then I stopped, thinking, was I right....would it be safe or was I forever to be in danger?

I had to stop myself before I lost my mind to all the dark places it wanted to go, I mean I couldn"t live in fear forever and with Draven as my protector, what really was there to be frightened of?

Just as I had slipped into my clothes and tied my hair back there was a light tap on the door. Without waiting for a reply Sophia came strolling in the room looking radiant as always followed by Candra who had a plate full of food.

"Dominic thought you might need some company and also feeding," she said smirking as my face said it all. He was worried I would be sat here freaking out on my own, so he had sent Sophia to check on me... Or more like Human sit me!

"He worries too much." I said frowning but still the smell of hot chicken soup and crusty bread had me close to salivating! She just shrugged her shoulders and made herself comfortable on the couch opposite, folding her legs as though she was ready to start meditating.

"Well at least you"re looking better, you looked like h.e.l.l....and trust me, I"m acquainted with the big man downstairs!"

This she found hilarious, it being her idea of a joke and I couldn"t help but relax at the sound. Draven had been right to send Sophia. It was just something about her that had you forgetting your worries and making you see the bigger picture or no picture at all, either way it worked. I mean she didn"t seem as worried as Vincent or Draven but who really knew her true feelings?

I sat in the big red velvet chair and rested the tray of food on my lap before diving in.

"I take it you were hungry?" She giggled as she watched me wolf my food down. I just nodded, not realising how hungry I was.

"Sophia... I need to know, what"s going on?" I asked not knowing whether or not she was ever going to tell the truth. Her eyes widened and her face tensed for a moment before returning back to her usual relaxed state. She flicked her curly hair back over her shoulder before eyeing my face carefully.

"Keira there is nothing that you should be worrying about, Dom will sort it out and make it right. This was something that he predicted would happen and he has taken precautions." She said all this in such a way that made me believe it had been rehea.r.s.ed. It was so "matter of fact" that I couldn"t do anything but not trust her words. I had seen the panic on Vincent"s face and then on Draven"s too, so I knew this wasn"t as clear cut as Sophia was making out. But I decided to play along and wait until I could get my answers from the one man I knew would give me what I wanted....after all, I knew his weaknesses!

"Ok then, answer me this...why is it n.o.body told me that Layla was being held prisoner right here under my nose?" I was determined that I would get at least that out of her.

"Oh no, I"m not falling for that trap again....these are things that only Dom can tell you, it is not my place." She held up her hands as though I had a large pistol in my possession and was about to mug her. But the only thing I needed from her was the truth, which just so happened to be the one thing this family had difficulty in disclosing. I decided to admit defeat. I mean, Draven couldn"t keep what was going on from me forever. I knew he didn"t want me to worry but not knowing was far worse than the truth.....wasn"t it?

"Keira, can I ask you something?" Sophia"s voice was as soft as petals blowing in the breeze and she knew that with this seductive tone, I would never be able to refuse her anything. But instead of showing just how willing I was to give Sophia anything she asked of me, I restrained my answer to just a shrug of my shoulders.

"I guess I am just curious but how does it work? I mean when you see us in our true form." She was edging forward in her chair and she eyed me as though ready to judge my response. This was something I didn"t want to be talking about but she was clearly waiting for my response and I was clearly stalling for time.

"I"m not sure I understand what it is you want to know exactly?" I said hoping that she would want to drop this conversation. Of course from the look on her face this wish wasn"t likely to be granted.

"Well...Can you see me now, you know... in my Demon form?" It was still hard to believe that such a beautiful creature as Sophia could ever be such the powerful Demon she was. I still thought of her as this pretty little doll that captivated everyone around her. Of course seeing her lay a punch so hard on Draven"s face, it sounded like bone cracking, well that did shed a little Demon light her way.

I looked down at my now empty bowl and brushed off the crumbs of bread that lay on my top. It wasn"t fair, they had all their secrets but the one thing they didn"t understand about me they wanted a full explanation on how it all worked.

"To be honest Sophia, even I don"t fully understand how it works or why for that matter but to answer your question, no I can"t see you in your Demon form, not at the moment." She sat there unmoved but I could see the faint flicker of red in her eyes and normally this would have given me a reaction of my own but after tonight, I was starting to think I would never be the same again. After all the horrors I had seen in my life and the even more horrific kidnapping years ago, I thought I had experienced enough for one lifetime but I knew now that it had only been the beginning. This thought did make me shudder. What else exactly did fate have in store for this plain, little Liverpudlian girl?

"I"m sorry Keira, please forgive me, I sometimes forget that you are human. I can"t imagine what it has been like for you to find out your world was not as you thought.....You must love my brother very much." By the time she was finished I couldn"t help the tears that fell down my cheeks and before I could look away in shame, Sophia was knelt at my feet, leaning up to wipe the tears from my skin.

"You are truly an amazing being Keira and never let anyone tell you any differently." She kissed both my cheeks before getting up off the floor and before I could thank her she was gone.

I curled up on the couch and waited till my tears ran dry. I couldn"t help it and I knew I was being silly but I think that without Draven"s secure arms to keep me safe, I felt vulnerable from my own emotions. It was a mixture of relief and dread. I was happy that I had finally found closure to a nightmare that had been haunting me for years. Morgan was dead and you couldn"t get more closure than that! But now I was in a world that I didn"t fully understand and I was way out of my league.

I got up and gave myself a shake determined to bring myself back to reality. I knew why I was doing this, so there was no reason to feel sorry for myself. I was alive and I still had the most important things, my family and friends were all safe and I had Draven, that"s all that mattered. I looked down at my bare arms and ran my fingers over the scars of my past, knowing that for the first time, seeing them like this didn"t bother me anymore. I had waited for so long to move on and get over hating myself for what I am, but now I knew my purpose and if I had never had this sight, then things with Draven would have gone quite differently. He was my reason.

I went over to Draven"s huge oak desk and searched for something I would look at for the last time. I found my case file and took out two pictures before walking over to the double gla.s.s doors that led onto the balcony. I placed my warm hand in the middle and the gla.s.s responded as though it was alive, disappearing back into the wall. The cool air hit me and my body reacted by covering my skin in gooseb.u.mps. I only had a t-shirt on and for once no gloves, so the feel of the night air on my scars was a feeling I was not used to but for some reason, it made me smile.

I walked over to the edge and noticed my blood was still on the floor in little droplets from where Draven had set me down before realising my feet were in such bad shape. I hoped the rain would come soon and wash it away, as I didn"t want Draven to have any reminder of what had happened tonight.

The wind had picked up now and I looked at the first picture. It was Morgan"s mug shot. I had never seen a face so evil in all my life, not even after years of seeing humans one minute and then as Demons the next. I had never met someone that emanated so much pure hatred. His twisted love for his sister had overtaken his senses and when he found she loved someone else, his love just fuelled his rage, killing them both in the most brutal of ways. I don"t know what it was that he saw when he looked at me... was it his sister incarnate or his guilt? Whatever it was, it was over now and I doubt that his fate would have led him to the same place his sister was. She was now at peace. I ripped up the face into as many pieces I could and threw them into the night, letting the wind take his face away from my nightmares.

I looked down at the last picture I held in my cold hand. This one was me, broken and afraid. It was when I was in the hospital, so soon after they found me outside, where Morgan had dumped me, slowly bleeding to death. This was the one thing Morgan had done with the last shred of humanity left in him. I had cut my own wrists hoping he would believe the Demon that was torturing him had made me do it. It was my last hope of escape and my last chance to save my family, who he had talked about getting rid of. I still thank G.o.d daily that it had worked and perfect smooth skin on my arms had been the only thing I had lost.

The picture was still painful to look at. Bringing so many terrible memories back but none as bad as when I saw my family"s faces, when they first saw me. My mother had been crying so hard she couldn"t breathe, my dad screamed out in an anger he couldn"t control and my sister couldn"t even look at me, which had been the hardest response to take. Of course I didn"t blame her, I would have probably been the same but from there on, I became I different person. I had been reborn into a hard sh.e.l.l of my former self and only my nightmares knew the truth...

I was afraid of the world, so I hid from it.

I was bitter at the world, so I was disgusted with it. I hated the pity in judging eyes that watched with their silent stares. I was convinced that everyone around me was thinking, "Oh dear, there goes the girl who tried to kill herself just to get away from the living nightmare." But they were all wrong! I didn"t want to die, I wanted to live but I knew one way or another, this was my only chance at saving my family. After all, if Morgan hadn"t done the right thing by taking me to hospital then he wouldn"t have needed to go after my family, if I wasn"t around any longer. But when everyone around you, even those closest to you, all believe you"re a suicide case, then no matter what you do, you will always be cla.s.sed and viewed in that same, sad light.

I looked at my old self one last time before bringing the picture to my lips as I kissed that bitter, bruised me goodbye before ripping it the same way I had done with Morgan"s and I let the wind take away my past forever. I fell to my knees and cried with happiness until my legs went numb on my last cold night of being afraid.

I went back inside once the tears of my past had all dried up. I was close to freezing at this point and the only thing keeping me from realising sooner was my goal. I was hoping to find Draven back because not only was I bubbling over with a million questions but I needed his touch again so badly. I felt like a junky needing another fix. It made me wonder if Draven had this effect on everyone or was it just me because I was so madly in love with him, that it physically hurt when we were apart.

I decided the only way I was going to warm up without Draven was to take a warm shower. I was so tired but I was fighting against it, as I wanted to wait for him to come back. I hadn"t been in the bathroom since my nightmare when I first saw Sammael but I knew I didn"t have anything left to fear when it came to that Demon, as I had witnessed Draven send him back to the underworld.

I got undressed and let the warm shower caress my skin, making my muscles ease and relax. I loved water and enjoyed it even more when it washed away my troubles along with cleansing my skin. By the time I was finished my hair was squeaky clean and my fingertips looked like raisins but I smelled great thanks to some luxurious bathroom products. Once I had dried myself off, I got dressed back into my clothes and went to sit on the couch hoping Draven wouldn"t be long.

When I next awoke it was dark and I was still half asleep but I was aware that I was being carried towards the bed. Strong arms gripped me tightly to a hard chest and I sighed taking in the tremendous scent. This was one of the things that always took my breath away with Draven. He always made my bones turn to jelly at just the smell of his skin. I still had my eyes closed as he laid me on the bed gently but I felt the covers move back with one swift movement. His arms left my body leaving my skin feeling cold in their absence. He then pulled the covers back up over me.

I was waiting for him to get in next to me but he didn"t. I could still feel him lingering over me before a hand came to my face. I felt fingers softly trace my cheek, running up to move the hair that had fallen over one side of my face. Then before his hands could leave me, I grabbed his wrist and pulled him to me. I lifted up my face to his before he could pull away. I didn"t understand why he would want to pull away from me but before I could think about it in depth, my lips found his and everything stopped.

At first his lips wouldn"t respond and I was doing all the work but as soon as this thought hit me his lips parted, letting me in. His mouth was warm and so soft but his kiss tasted different. However my mind was still filled with an intoxication that I couldn"t break from and this is where I found my drug of choice.

His hand held my face and just before his kiss got even more intense he pulled back suddenly, causing me to open my eyes. I was about to protest and try to pull him back to me as my body was screaming to be touched but then the faint moonlight touched the side of his face, making his perfect features light up like the Angel he was. I gasped and bit down on my lip so hard I thought I would taste blood. Of course it was a Draven just not the one I was used to.

It wasn"t Dominic.... Oh no, It was Vincent!

Chapter 2.

Ooops.

"Oh No.... Oh... I"m so, so,... so sorry, I thought..." I couldn"t continue as I was so ashamed of what I had just done but Vincent didn"t move. I was screaming with embarra.s.sment inside but on the outside I couldn"t even find the right words. I sat up, suddenly being wide awake and it felt as if my skin was going to melt off my cheek bones. I covered my face in my hands wishing I could take it back....what was Dominic going to say? Already I was referring to him as Dominic so as not to get confused even more.....well you sure couldn"t fault my logic! I felt warm fingers find my hands and start to pull them slowly from my face.

"Keira please don"t hide yourself, it was not your fault....you were not to know it was me." He said this so sweetly I couldn"t help but feel worse. I tried not to look at him but now there was a glow of candle light, which helped in lighting up my guilty red face. He remained bent down on one knee, so that he could see me better.

"Look at me" he asked me and unlike his brother, it didn"t sound like a command. His hand found my chin and lifted my face so my eye line met his. His eyes looked like blue crystals, full of emotion set in a handsome angelic face. His blonde hair was smooth curls, all pulled back from his face. It was the first time I had seen him looking so casual, wearing a tight white t shirt and jeans that fit him very well, too well in fact, I felt wrong for thinking how s.e.xy he looked in them. G.o.d what was wrong with me! Well at least I could say I was only human.

"I am so sorry Vincent" I said but he just smiled making my heart melt.

"There is nothing to be sorry about Keira, but in future, I think it best if Dominic himself were the one to put you to sleep" He was still smiling and he playfully ruffled my hair before getting up. But then something made him stop to turn and look at me one last time, before leaving me alone with my shame. The way his gaze had penetrated me, it made me blush seeing his soft eyes suddenly looking hungry for another kiss. Then he shook his head, as though he was trying to get the memory of my lips out of his mind. He left the room swiftly, almost like he had just taken flight, leaving the room in darkness once again.

"Good night Keira...sleep well." He echoed, his voice penetrating the walls before sounding further away and then fading into nothing but a bitter whisper. I threw my head down on to the pillow face first, I grabbed the other pillow and buried my head deep within the two, hoping I would wake and find it had all been a dream.

"Oh no...what have I done?" I said out loud knowing that Dominic would know about this, he would find out one way or another. I wonder if Vincent would tell him? Oh G.o.d, Oh G.o.d.....There was just one word that kept going round and round my mind......

s.h.i.t!!!!!.

I must have fallen asleep at some point but I had no idea how it happened as, after what I did last night, I never thought I would have been calm enough to sleep again! When I woke it was still dark but I soon realised this was because of the curtains that had been pulled around the bed, encasing me in a material island. I was lying on my front and my hair was loose, hanging down as I lifted my head up. I stretched out like a feline but froze when I felt my hands touch another body. I almost cringed as the memories of last night"s mistake came flooding back to me.

I don"t know why but my heart started pounding in my chest as I moved my curtain of hair back to discover it was Draven (Dominic that was) lying next to me. What else did I expect?

I looked at him and my eyes met perfection, only for a change he was still asleep. It was the first time I had seen him like this and I couldn"t help but smile at being able to study his features at length. It"s not as if I hadn"t looked before but I couldn"t help the fact that being around Draven still had me in knots. Sometimes he was just so intimidating that I found myself looking away from his intense gaze, so this was nice to be able to stare freely without feeling the heat flood my cheeks.

I tried to move closer to his face that seemed to be lost in a peaceful state of sleep. His strong jaw moved slightly as I turned on my side to face him. There was enough light coming through the cracks to show every detail. I had to resist the urge to stretch my arm out to touch his face, to brush a piece of his black hair from his olive skin. There was dark stubble covering his solid jaw line and framing his perfect lips. I followed it up to his straight nose, resting my eyes where his were still closed. He literally took my breath away. My dark Angel. His dark Demon.

I don"t know how long I was starting at him, getting lost in his splendour but my bladder decided for me to get up and use the bathroom. I turned my head begrudgingly away from him and moved off the bed slowly so as not to wake him. His reactions were so lightning fast, I couldn"t help the little shriek that came from my lips as his strong hands gripped my arms, pulling my body to his, as though I should have never been allowed to move in the first place. My heart rate rocketed for two reasons, one being that I was scared about what his reaction would be at finding out what had happened last night with his brother and the other was the feel of his immense manhood pressing into my back. Ok, so it was more the second reason but I couldn"t help it, just the feel of him made the memories of the intense pleasure he caused me during s.e.x was enough to get any girl"s heart rate up. h.e.l.l I thought I would find my release, just thinking about it!

His huge arms were wound tightly around my torso and his head was above mine, he hadn"t woken, so grabbing me had just been a reflex action and the thought made me smile to myself. I waited for his breathing to become steady again before I tried to move. Don"t get me wrong I would have stayed like this all morning, day and night but my bladder was now screaming out at me and I wanted to pee before it resorted to cursing. Getting free was no easy task, as every time I moved he just held me tighter. I managed to wiggle out of his hold and shimmied down, getting very embarra.s.sed when the back of my head got closer to his.... umm.....Sergeant. I had to resist the urge to giggle at what I had christened his large manhood. I know I was being a prude but the term p.e.n.i.s was too much like s.e.x education and the other words sounded too vulgar! So Sergeant it was!

Once I got free, I slipped out of the curtain without letting in too much light and shuddered when my bare feet touched the slate tiled floor. I was still wearing what I had put on last night and when I lifted the t shirt to my face I was glad it still smelt fresh thanks to the shower I had last night. Once in the bathroom, I decided not only to use the toilet but to brush my teeth to get rid of morning breath and to wash my face. I brushed my tangled, messy hair and tied it back into a high ponytail. It was still wavy from not being able to dry it last night, so it curled up at the ends by my waist.