Chapter 1

Jaide

 

 

“Hey Jaide, you almost done?” Patty yelled from the kitchen. I put the extra packets of sugar and sweetener back where they belonged. I had just finished refilling the containers on the tables.

“Yeah, five minutes.” I yelled back. It’s been six months since I left my friends and mate, back in a town just outside of New York. Now I was living in a town about the same size just out side of LA, California. I was working at a café about three blocks from my small apartment. I fled across the country to get away from my mate.

Seems a bit odd, but I had my reasons. My mate was a human named Devon. I was a vampire. Not the normal kind that they show in movies, but a born vampire. Devon worked for an organization that captured vampires to study them. They didn’t even know that born vampires existed, until they caught me. They killed my parents in the process. It turns out that Devon hated vampires. A vampire had turned his brother and he in turn killed the rest of his family except him, though not from the lack of trying.

When his brother turned up, at the same building that the rest of us were being held, things got a little hairy. A scientist almost killed me, because I wouldn’t take the tranquilizer they were feeding the others. After that we decided it was time to leave. But before we did his brother told Devon some rather nasty things about me. Things to make me seem like the monster under the bed. We also found out that the organization was only studying us in order to figure out the best way to wipe out our kind.

We managed to escape the compound with some important files, and ran to Devon’s uncle, who turned out to be the owner of a local favorite club of mine. It seemed like everything was going fine. Except Devon became really distant. I didn’t understand why so I confronted him about it. He unleashed on me. Calling me a monster and saying some horrible things.

It didn’t bother me so much that Zeak had said those things about me. We weren’t on very good terms seeing as how he basically tortured my best friend, and forced me to turn her. But it really bothered me that Devon, my mate, believed that I would be capable of being the monster that he called me. So I left. Fled across the country to get away from him. It tore me apart. It’s hard to explain what it feels like to have your soul mate reject you like that. I left it up to my friends to stop that group of madmen from wiping out our existence.

So here I am. Doing my best to make ends meet, and to stay unnoticed. I didn’t mind the work. Actually on most occasions I rather enjoyed it. I finished my walk through of the dining room to make sure that I hadn’t forgotten anything. When I was done I went back to the register and emptied my apron. I exchanged my tips for larger bills and went back to the kitchen. Patty was bent over the grill cleaning it.

“Hey boss, I’m done, mind if I call it a night?” she turned to look at me.

“Sure. If you want you can stick around I’m almost done. I can give you a ride.” I gave her a small smile.

“No thanks, I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t like you walking around at night. There are some real weirdoes out there.” If only she knew.

“I’ll be fine. I promise.” she looked ready to argue, but let it go as a lost cause.

“Alright but call me as soon as you get home, and let me know that you made it safely.”

“I always do don’t I? I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah okay, bye.”

I walked back to the front and grabbed my leather jacket. I walked out the front door locking it behind me like usual. Patty always went out the back. I turned and sampled the night air. Heightened senses really came in handy. Not smelling anything out of place, I began my short walk home.

It was a normal night. A little on the cool side but that’s what my jacket was for. It was only three blocks to my place but it always seemed much longer. I walked up the stairs to my second story apartment and unlocked my door. I stepped in and dropped my keys on the table next to it. I turned the light on and sighed. Home sweet home. I looked around my cheap two bedroom and felt the usual wave of depression.

Most of my furniture I found on various curbs. The nicest thing I have I found out side of a rich family’s house. They must have upgraded, but the couch they got rid of was actually rather nice. Dark brown faux leather. The coffee table isn’t bad either but its pretty easy to find a decent table. I don’t have a TV, but I’ve managed to collect a decent number of books. The kitchen was open to the living room. The only thing that separated them was where linoleum met carpet. There was a small hallway with three doors. My bedroom, the bathroom, and my roommate’s room.

I grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and sat down on the couch. It was only ten o’clock, so I picked up my most recent book and started reading. It was a little after midnight when Amabel came walked through the door.

She was the first person I had met when I came here. She was also the only person that knew what I was. I didn’t tell her, I didn’t have too. She actually scared the hell out of me.

I was just standing there reading some wanted ads in a newspaper at the local supermarket, and she walked up to me all chipper.

“Hey Ms. Vampire, how you doing today?” I had dropped the paper and turned to look around. No one was close enough to hear her, and she held up a hand to stop my panic attack. “Relax, I’m not going to out you or anything. Geez, I know your kind is usually skittish but this is just ridiculous.” Turned out she was about as human as I was. About three weeks later, I was working at the diner and she just walked in like she owned the place.

I was struggling because I had just gotten my apartment and it was almost bare. She moved in a week later, and brought all of the kitchen supplies with her. She was my only friend in this place that I could truly trust. There were others that cared, but she was the only one that knew what I was.

She served drinks at a local bar and paid her half of the bills. It amazed me just how much easier it was with her around. I didn’t really have to stress about anything. Turned out she had an in with the local hospital, so I was able to just go in and buy donated blood. Plus, it helped that she wasn’t squeamish and I could store it in the bottom drawer of our refrigerator.

She dropped her apron on the table and plopped down on the couch next to me. She turned to me with tired eyes.

“I swear if one more drunk man tries to grab my ass I’m going to lose it.” She sighed, I chuckled lightly.

“I could get you a spot at the diner if you want. It’s a lot more peaceful.” She shook her head.

“The money’s better at the bar. Besides most of the time I like the atmosphere.” I shrugged and went back to my book as she went to take a shower. I loved that I could just sit quietly and read without having to worry about her bothering me.

 

The next morning I got up and got dressed. I went into the kitchen and took stock of my meager amount of food. I’d have to go to the grocery store. I put my last slice of bread in the toaster and pushed the button down. With a little tampering it stayed down. I grabbed my last bag of blood out of the refrigerator. It looks like I’ll have to go to the hospital today too. I downed the bag and was halfway through a bottle of water when the toaster popped. Call me crazy but toast and blood just don’t go well together. I put a little bit of strawberry jam on it and ate it leaning against the counter. As is my usual routine.

Belle was still asleep so I didn’t bother letting her know that I needed to go out. She always worked late and slept in. and we exercised out freedom to leave and come in whenever we wanted. Neither one of us made any demands on the other. We had a comfortable friendship, as long as the bills were paid we were good.

After I was finished I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my keys and wallet. I locked the door behind me, and started walking to the hospital. It was about a fifteen minute walk. When I got there the usual nurse was on duty.

“Hey Michelle, how are you today?” Ahh I almost forgot that I was going by a different name these days. I changed a lot of things. Well mostly my name and my hair. The rest of it there was really nothing else I could do. I got my hair cut into a choppy short style. I was told it looked really cute. It felt odd to me since I was always used to having long hair. Only those who had to know my real name used it. Which really only included my boss and Amabel. And they respected my wishes enough to never use it where anyone else could hear.

“Not bad I need the usual.” she nodded and set about writing the order. About ten minutes later she brought me a black clothe bag with ten packets of dark liquid in it.

“Ten bags of O positive. You need anything else?”

“Nope I’m good thank you.” I handed her the money and left. Ten pints was enough to last me a month, and I only ever went in on the days that that particular nurse was working. Anyone else might question the fact that a teenage girl was buying that much blood with no sign as what it was being used for.

I dropped my blood at the apartment. Then immediately left and started for the grocery store. At least that was only a five minute walk. Everything in this town was within walking distance. That’s one of the reasons I had chosen it. The other being that it was literally across the country from the man I never wanted to see again.

I was browsing the shelves when I glanced up and did a double take. I could have sworn my friend Scotty just walked by the end of the aisle. He was one of the people I left behind in New York. What would he be doing here in California? Maybe I was just hallucinating. Yeah, you know it’s a bad day when you hope you’re going crazy.

I realized I was breathing heavily. I was on the brink of having a panic attack. So I pushed my cart to the front of the store and started putting my things on the conveyor belt. All the while keeping my head on a swivel. When I finally paid and got all of my bags I almost ran from the store. Lucky for me the shortest way to my apartment is to go around to the back of the store.

I didn’t breath easy until I locked myself back into my apartment. I took a deep breath and started putting my food away. About an hour later my heart jumped into my throat when someone knocked on my door. I looked through the peep hole and let a breath of relief. It was only Kathy.

She was about my age and one of the few friends I had bothered to make here. Not to mention she’s the only human that knew what I was. Not that I told her or anything she just happened to be stubborn enough to figure it out. Lucky for me she’s open minded about that kind of thing. I opened the door and yanked her inside really quick.

“Owe! What was that for?” I looked outside really quick and saw that the coast was clear. I slammed the door closed and locked it. I turned to her to see her rubbing her arm. Oops.

“Sorry”

“Yeah yeah. You okay? You look a little paranoid. I told you it’s not healthy to live in isolation like this.”

“Yeah, I’m fine I just thought I saw an old friend at the store earlier. And I‘m not isolated. I live with Belle.” Speak of the devil and she shall appear. Belle walked out of the bathroom as soon as she heard her name.

“Old friend as in…?” she knew a good bit about what had happened.

“Yeah”

“Jeez. What are you gonna do if they’re here?” I shrugged and plopped down on the couch. She sat down next to me. “You’ll run again won’t you?” I thought about it for a moment and nodded.

“Yeah probably. I can’t face them.” she was quiet for a few moments, and Kathy took the seat next to me. I worked with Kathy. She was a good waitress and a better listener. Which, coincidentally, is how she figured out what I was.

“I understand. Well if you need, you know you can crash at my place for a while. Throw them off your trail. I know how it is when you need to get lost.” I spared her a small smile. She ran away from home when she was sixteen. Her mother had died and her father got really abusive. “So anyway, I originally came over to invite you to a girl’s night out. You’ve been here for almost six months and you haven’t taken any time to have fun. It’s not healthy.” I rolled my eyes.

“Yes I know. You’ve given me the, it’s not healthy, lecture more times than I can count. But I can’t.” she sighed.

“Oh come on.”

“I can’t I have to work tonight.”

“Are you kidding? You have enough money saved up that you can live for the next two years without working, the way you live.” I had to admit she was right. One of the benefits to being a vampire was quick reflexes and a lot of stamina. I can run the dining room by myself on the busiest of nights. My boss loved it. It saved her a lot of man hours to schedule me on nights by myself. So I worked about forty hours a week and made almost a hundred dollars in tips a night. I lived cheap so it all added up. Although, I had recently considered getting a TV, just to have some background noise when I was home alone.

“Still, Patty is counting on me. She doesn’t have anyone to work nights anymore.” She nodded knowingly.

One of the reasons I had agreed to work only nights was because I could handle myself. There were quite a few gangs that decided to use the small out of the way towns around the city as their base of operations. And I had caught the scent of vampire around the town, so I knew a few of those gang members weren’t human. So far they had left me alone, and I didn’t search them out.

It surprised me how easily they allowed me to stay in their territory. Then again I wasn’t the normal vampire, and my scent would show that. Even new vampires knew not to screw with a born vampire of my caliber. It probably helped that they didn’t know I was female. I’m sure they had caught my scent by now, but they would only catch the power in my scent, not my gender. They most likely assumed I was a powerful male, and as disgusted as I was on behalf of my gender, I was in no mood to teach a lesson to a few delinquent males. As long as they left me alone and didn‘t leave a trail of blood, I wasn’t about to call attention to myself.

“Fine, but do you mind if I crash here tonight then?” She didn’t have many friends.

It was dangerous for her to get close to anyone. She was only seventeen, whereas I turned eighteen not long after I got here, she was still legally supposed to live with her father. If someone got too close they would feel it was the right thing to turn in a runaway. They wouldn’t mean her any ill will, but several people never understand the circumstances.

All they would see is a troubled girl who threw everything out of proportion. They wouldn’t bother to get the facts before acting the good Samaritan. People never stop to think in their attempt to do the right thing, that they may be causing more harm than good. Like sending a victim back to their abuser.

So she didn’t go out by herself and she stayed with us a couple times a week. I didn’t know what she did the rest of the time. All I knew was that she worked at the diner as often as she could. But then again, money makes the world go round.

“Sure thing sugar. I could use the company while miss responsibility over here works herself into the ground.” Belle answered shooting me a snarky smile. Kathy wasn’t the only one irked by the amount of time I spent at work. Belle had the night off anyway so Kathy would be safe for another night.

I rolled my eyes before getting up to get ready to go to work. I didn’t have to do much. I didn’t have a mandatory uniform, all I really needed was an apron. I made sure I had my pen and order pad, then headed for the door. I waved a goodbye to my friends, then walked out prepared for another grueling night.

Chapter 2

It wasn’t until halfway through the night that anything unusual happened. I was just standing there making drinks when I felt eyes on me. It wasn’t abnormal for a few customers to watch me work, but this gaze made the hair on the back of my neck stand.

I turned to look out the window and standing there was a wide eyed Devon. I did a double take, but he was gone. But this time I knew I wasn’t hallucinating. He was there, and if he was in town then so were the others. My thoughts turned to panic. Why were they here? How did they find me? Of course, it didn’t even occur to me to check the bond. I had worked really hard to suppress it. It was now just a low hum in the back of my mind, that I barely noticed.

“Michelle? You okay?” Patty asked. She was the only one working tonight except for me and the dish washer, I think his name was Josh or something, I never really bothered to remember since I only every saw him long enough for him to grab some dishes and go to the back. I hadn’t realized I had been staring out the window, and shook my head while trying to get my breathing back under control.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine, sorry just kind of zoned out I guess.” I chuckled awkwardly trying to put on the air that I was okay. She didn’t buy it but she left it alone with just a slight nod before she retreated back into the kitchen.

The rest of my shift crawled by. All I wanted was to go home and hide. I knew it wouldn’t work, if he was here then so were my friends and it wouldn’t take them long to follow my scent back to my apartment. But the vision of my locked door comforted me.

I walked home quickly, but I felt others following me. So I did the only thing I could. I ducked into an alley and waited. I moved silently down to the middle of the alley and waited. I didn’t have to wait long.

About two minutes later a dark silhouette filled the mouth of the alley. I pressed back into the wall as he walked closer. He moved slowly and cautiously, but I could hear his accelerated heartbeat and smell the sweat that he excreted. If he was sweating and his heart beat was elevated that meant that he was human. A vampire wouldn’t have anything to fear, especially from the dark.

When he became level with me I acted. Within a second I had turned him to face me and pressed him back against the wall with my hand around his throat. He was much taller than me, but my added strength and speed was no match for him. He grunted when he hit the wall.

“Who are you and what do you want?” I snarled, to my surprise he chuckled lightly.

“Nice to see you too Jaide. Good to see you haven’t lost your touch.” I let him go and stepped back. Now that I really focused I could make out his features and I knew his voice.

“Nikolai, what are you doing here?” I asked a little panicked. I was right to be too. A few seconds later I heard running feet, and seconds after that several people spilled into the alley.

As they came toward us their scents hit me, and it was all I could do not to cry. Jess, Lexi, Matt, Scotty, and Sam slowed as they neared us. I eyed them warily. It didn’t even occur to me that Devon wasn’t with them.

When they got close enough they stopped. Then I was rushed by all of them, including Nikolai. They crushed my body between them as they all struggled to hug me at once. I couldn’t breath but the feeling of having them all with me made me want to cry.

“God, we were so worried.”

“I missed you so much.”

“You didn’t have to run away.” They all spoke at once as they disengaged themselves from me. There was only one person left close to me, and guilt filled me as I met her gaze. She reached out and slapped me across the face. The irony was that she was the only person in the world that could do that and keep a hand.

“How could you?! I was worried sick! Why would you leave me like that?” The first two questions were rhetorical and the last was spoken around tears. I sighed and opened my arms. She crushed herself to me and sobbed on my shoulder.

“I’m sorry, but I had to leave. I couldn’t stay with him, and I knew you would be fine without me. You’ve never needed me, you can take care of yourself.” She nodded through her tears and after a few more minutes pulled back and composed herself. I looked over them all then sighed. I had missed them all so much.

“Come on, we can talk at my apartment.” I said resigned. I left the alley with them close on my heels. I think they were worried that I would run off again, because I could constantly feel one of them touching me.

We made it to my apartment not long after and I unlocked the door. The place was empty and I found a note stuck to the refrigerator. Belle and Kathy had decided to go to the movies and would be back around midnight or so. That at least gave me some time. Belle was more than capable of taking care of herself and Kathy.

I turned to see all of them surveying my apartment. It wasn’t exactly impressive, but it was mine. They each decided to take a seat then all of their stares turned to me. I decided to take it one at a time, and I started with Nikolai.

“I see you got away alright.” He nodded.

“Yeah, they’re looking for me, but we managed.”

“We?” He nodded again.

“Some of the men left with me.”

“Where are they?”

“A couple miles outside of town, camping in some woods. We thought it would be best if only the people you knew came in to look for you.”

“A lot has happened since you left.” Jess said staring at me. She was sitting with her fingers intertwined with Matt’s. I was happy to see that they were still together. He made her happy and she deserved happiness after everything that has happened to her.

“Jaide your hair!” Lexi gasped, she had been staring as well. “It’s so cute!” I smiled at her, she hadn’t changed a bit.

Our little session was interrupted when Belle slammed through the door with a confused and slightly worried Kathy behind her. She took us all in. Me leaning against the wall opposite the others who were scattered around the floor and couch. They all tensed and stood at her sudden appearance but I waved them down. She walked next to me and put her hands on her hips. This was her ‘I’m serious’ posture.

“Will somebody tell me why there are werewolves all over my town?” She snapped and I raised my eyebrows at the others. My suspicions grew as all of them looked here or there sheepishly. Sam cleared his throat.

“Um, that would be my fault.” My eyebrows climbed higher. I always thought that his scent was off, and I knew that werewolves existed, I just hadn’t put two and two together before. He met my eyes and shrugged a little. “I was going to tell you, but you left before I got the chance. I’m the alpha of my pack, when I decided to come help find you, they wouldn’t take no for an answer. They were just supposed to roam the town and look for your scent then report back to me. They were never to approach you.”

“So deserted members of the hunters and a pack of werewolves. You brought a small army to come find me?” I asked incredulously.

“Well, it was more like they just followed along. We just kind of followed Devon to you.” Scotty supplied, and had there been room I would have plopped down on the couch. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, then sighed as I looked back up at them. The truth was that about a quarter of the worlds population were supernatural. They were all just different species, and kept to themselves. I scanned them all then asked the question that I didn’t want the answer too.

“Where is he?” I asked and again their eyes scattered here and there.

“Well, we don’t actually know.”

“How could you not know?” My voice lowered an octave and they all tensed.

“He called us to tell us that he had spotted you, but before we could get to him, he just disappeared. We thought he was with you, but when we tried to call him he never answered.”

“The vampires have been active tonight.” Belle said in a hushed tone. I looked to her and worry riddled her face.

“What?” She nodded in answer.

“That’s how I noticed the wolves. I heard a couple of them say something. They think someone is attacking the town, trying to take their territory.” She sighed. “They think it’s the new resident vampire trying to over throw them.” I sighed again, this time in frustration.

As much as I hated it, I knew I had to go save Devon. I knew they had him and I knew why. Even though I did all I could to ignore the bond, it was still there. And since it was that meant my scent would still be all over him, despite the distance and time. And they had had plenty of time to learn my scent.

If they were trying to get back at me, then they would take what they considered to be my human. It would be my only weak spot and in truth it actually was. I took a deep breath and broke down my walls around the bond. There he was in all his glory.

To my surprise he wasn’t scared, but angry. So very angry. I couldn’t feel any physical pain from him and in an odd way it made sense. They wanted to get rid of me, but nothing was more dangerous than a born vampire with an injured bonded. And they knew that they only had a weak sense of how much power I had. My guess is that they were going to try to use him to negotiate with me. But they wouldn’t dare hurt him. I could easily follow the bond to him, but it would take time, and I wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, so I turned to Belle.

“Where are they based?” She nodded slowly, she knew what I was planning. It was what made us so compatible.

“They live in the abandoned warehouse just off sixteenth.” It was my turn to nod and I turned to the others.

“Stay here, it won’t take long.” I grabbed my keys and Sam stood fully prepared to argue.

“Back off pup. She knows what she’s doing and I highly doubt you fully understand the vampire hierarchy.” Belle said waving him off. I half expected him to explode. Werewolves did not take kindly to being talked down to. But instead he thought for a moment then nodded, taking his seat. I leveled my gaze with Belle’s.

“This won’t take longer than an hour.” She knew what I was saying. If I didn’t make contact in an hour then something had gone wrong. If that was the case then she knew to send the cavalry.

I walked out the door and used my enhanced speed to get there in seconds. I was not in the mood to uphold appearances. I didn’t even want to see the man, but here I was going to save his ass.

The warehouse was large. Perfect to hold a number of vampires and humans. There were only windows on the second and third floor, so the vampires would be on the ground floor. Or the basement, where, judging from the bond, Devon was being held.

There were two large men guarding the double doors, and I knew instantly that they were bitten vampires. I couldn’t sense a single born vampire from where I was. That didn’t mean that there wasn’t one in the building though.

I walked calmly towards the men and I didn’t need enhanced vision to see their sneer. They still weren’t expecting a female, and I was in the mood for some violence. A small deep down part of me relished the opportunity to cause a little blood shed. It was a part of myself that I rarely acknowledged, let alone expressed.

When one of them reached for me I decided to get it over with quickly. I grabbed Dumb’s outstretched arm and turned throwing him as hard as I could into the building across the street. Judging from the loud thwack I heard upon his impact, he would be out for a while. Which only left Dumber to be dealt with.

“You little bitch!” He snapped and tried to lunge for me. Instead he met my foot, my strength plus his momentum sent him sailing backwards into the double doors that opened to the building inside. The impact was too much for the run down doors and instead of bouncing off them he instead went through them. Both doors gave and he landed about a dozen feet inside the building.

I walked calmly after him to see several gang members scattered around the room. Some of them were vampire but most were human. At the sight of their comrade out cold on the floor several came towards me. I held a hand up and to my surprise it worked. They all hesitated and stopped where they stood.

“Now, I believe you have something that belongs to me. Who do I speak to, to get it back?”

“That would be me.” A strong male voice to my right answered. I turned my head slightly to take him in. He stood tall and strong, with blonde hair and blue eyes. I supposed he would be considered really attractive, but I found his looks to be slightly generic. The amused grin he wore only added to my aversion to him.

“Cal, why don’t you fetch some chairs so our guest would be more comfortable.” he said to a large man to his left. The man left immediately and within second was back with two large puffy chairs, one in each hand. They were placed in the middle of the room one on each side of a table that I hadn’t noticed before.

Blondie made his way to one of the chairs and took a seat indicating that I should do the same. I walked over and stood next to the chair but folded my arms instead looking at him expectantly.

“Come now, there is no need to be rude. We simply wished to gain your attention, there is no need for blood shed.” The threat was veiled well, but it was still a threat. One I didn’t appreciate. He basically just told me to do what I was told or me or Devon would get hurt, his smirk told me he knew that I knew what he meant, and I let a little more of my power show. His eyes widened slightly in surprise. Like I said, they weren’t expecting a female. And as history has told many, females were always considered the weaker gender. This pompous ass thought he had the upper hand.

“Bring him to me, then we’ll see just how much blood will be shed.” I let just a fraction more power show in my voice and had I not been so focused on him, I wouldn’t have seen his hard swallow. He snapped his fingers and two human left immediately. I let my senses roam for a moment while keeping my eyes on him. All of the vampires in this building were bitten, all but him. He was born.

I stood in silence until the humans came back. They each had a restraining arm on Devon, but his hands were still bound behind his back. His eyes roamed the room and I saw the fury in them. He wanted to shed some blood of his own. His eyes finally found mine and the fury was replaced by shock and guilt. They brought him to my side and I stood still while I took him in.

He had a bruise on his forehead, but other than that he seemed fine. I sensed no pain from him, but I blocked all of his other emotions. If I didn’t it would be likely that I would vomit from his constantly swirling emotions, and I could not afford to show any weakness.

I took in his bonds and smiled slightly. They had a large plastic zip tie holding his wrists behind his back. It was a great technique to hold humans, but useless for vampires. I reached behind him and used the nails on my thumb and forefinger to snap the flimsy plastic. Then I turned to the man holding him hostage and calmly took the remaining seat.

“Now, you have my attention. What is it you hoped to gain from this exactly.” I asked, just as calm, but Devon opened his mouth to say something in anger, but one look from me and he shut his mouth. I did not need him making the situation worse than it already was.

“As I said, we merely wished to gain you’re company.” Blondie said with a smirk that bordered on a sneer. He was trying to regain the upper hand.

“Is my company worth such foolish actions?” I asked evenly and his eyes narrowed. “Mr…” I was looking for his name, I was getting tired of thinking of him as Blondie. His smile returned.

“You may call me Blake.” I nodded.

“Well, Blake, this was quite extreme when you could have easily just approached me on the street.”

“You have been staying on our territory for months now.” He answered putting an emphasis on the word ‘our’. “So far we have seen no action from you. You have not attempted to contact us, and then one night we sense, not only three more vampires, but a full pack of werewolves as well. We could not help but to suspect you being behind it. It is after all in our nature, to protect our territory.” I nodded slowly. This was what I suspected.

“Yes, the new comers came here for me, however I have no interest in your territory. I simply wished to be left in peace.” Devon moved gaining the attention of the tension filled room. He didn’t move to sit but stand behind my chair. From the outside it would look like a submissive move, however, I knew it to be that he was simply covering my back.

“You must realize how unlikely that sounds, Miss…” He was looking for my name and I figured it was time to pull my Ace out of my sleeve. I smiled slowly at him and he gulped again.

“Jaide, Jaide Black.” The vampires in the room gasped and Blake’s eyes widened then lowered to the floor for a moment until he gained his composure.

The irony of the situation almost caused me to laugh. Every vampire knew my heritage. While this is the modern age, vampires still hold some traditions of the past. Some might even be old enough to remember it. And as old fashioned as we vampires tend to be, they always kept themselves up to date as to who their royalty was. When a new member of the royal line was born or died, word spread like wild fire. They all knew my name, and they all knew I was the equivalent of their queen. Not only because of my blood line, but because of it‘s purity. I was stronger than any and all of the vampires in this room, combined. And if there’s one thing vampires respected, it was power.

“I beg your pardon, Miss. I did not know. I had no idea he was your human. I truly meant no offense.” Blake stammered with his eyes wide and his torso leaning forward in urgency. I waved him off.

“Yes you did. You just didn’t know who you were offending. Next time, I suggest you find out first. If you don’t, you might just end up hurt.” My threat was just as apparent as his had been earlier and he nodded his head vigorously.

“Now, as far as the intruders on your territory. They are here because they were searching for me. They are nothing for you to worry about. They will be leaving shortly. Although I must ask, what exactly is it that you do here?” I asked with raised brows. He bowed his head slightly and I had the overwhelming desire to smack him.

“The gangs in the city are getting awful. They spread unneeded violence and blood shed. So me and several of my close friends decided to lend a helping hand to the humans. We took over some of their gangs and moved them out of the city. Now the worse they have to worry about is some graffiti and a little petty theft. Some of the youngest human members were sent back to school and back to their parents, provided their parents were of a stable home.” As he spoke I felt my eyebrows going higher and higher.

“So you took over the gangs to save the humans and a few kids?” He nodded.

“Precisely, when you came we feared that you were one of those that would take over and reinstate the violence that had previously been going on. That is why we came on so strongly. We had to try to establish fear for any that would attempt to take over.” I nodded in understanding, then stood. We had to get going before said intruders barged in assuming the worst.

“Well, though you’re actions are admirable, I must be going.” He stood with me.

“Your majesty,” I cut him off.

“Don’t call me that. This is the twenty first century, Jaide will do.” He nodded instantly.

“Jaide, is there anything that we can do to assist you?” I shook my head then hesitated slightly.

“Not right now, though you could do me a favor. I have a feeling that I will be leaving this town soon, there is a human I’ve grown close to. Her name is Kathy, and I fear for her safety once I’m gone. She ran from her abusive father and I suspect he is still looking for her. She is not legally allowed to live on her own, and I worry. I would appreciate it if you could look after her while I’m away.” Again he nodded instantly.

“She will not come to harm for as long as I live.” I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, he was being a little extreme.

“Do you wish us to protect the witch as well?” He asked and I looked back at him in slight shock and he shrugged. “She has been here longer than we have and we have picked up her scent more than once.”

“She can take care of herself, but keep your ears open for her. It would be nice if I could keep in touch with you though.” I added with sudden inspiration. Since the others found me it wouldn’t be unheard of if the hunters could to. It would be an added comfort if I could set up a safe house or two just in case. “I have a few unsavory people looking for me.”

“Of course, if you ever need us for anything, you can always find us here, and my phone is always open. I have connections all over the country. If I can get it for you, it’s your’s.” I nodded.

“Again, I appreciate it.” With a dismissive nod I turned and left the warehouse with Devon not far behind me.

Chapter 3

It was a twenty minute walk to my apartment. I stayed ahead of him and thanked my lucky stars that he didn’t try to talk to me. Being this close to him, where I could smell his scent, and sense his warmth behind me, it made me a little dizzy. And I couldn’t help the sadness that overwhelmed me.

I couldn’t help the love that I still felt for him. But all it took was the memory of all the things he said, everything that he believed of me, to harden my resolve. I wasn’t lying when I told Blake that I would be leaving.

I didn’t want to be around Devon, couldn’t be if I wanted to retain what was left of my sanity. There was a time when all I wanted was him. When all I could see was a happy life with him. Now when I thought of him all I felt was sadness and a strong sense of loss.

When I opened the door to the apartment, everyone stood. Devon walked in behind me and I kicked the door closed behind him. He didn’t say anything, just went to the corner and sat facing the room, but it didn’t look like he was looking at anyone in particular.

Belle walked in from the bathroom and spotted him. I watched as she gave him a once over, then she turned to me. Carefully assessing me to make sure I wasn’t hurt.

“So this is the one that caused all the trouble.” There was a double meaning to her statement and I gave her a nod to answer both.

“Well if its any consolation I can see why.” I gave her a small smile then turned my attention back to the room. Everyone was looking at me, except for Matt and Sam. They were watching Devon with worry leaking from them in waves.

I turned to watch him for a moment. Now that I thought about it, he wasn’t acting like himself. Ordinarily he would have been demanding answers or at least conversation. But he hadn’t said a word since I had seen him. Especially since Belle was a new arrival and someone he didn’t know. He should have asked who she was by now.

Then I noticed what I had intentionally been ignoring. He was pale, and covered in sweat. His eyes were glazed and his breathing was labored. I listened closer and his heart beat was too fast.

I knelt down in front of him, but he didn’t even react. Again, not like him. I put my hand on his forehead and tried my best to ignore the warmth that spread through my chest. He had a fever, which he shouldn’t since he was sweating. I waved my hand in front of his eyes, but got no reaction, it was almost like he was blind, but I knew that wasn’t true.

Finally I checked the bond, and felt nothing. It was like it was just a void in my mind. But since I could feel the void I knew the bond wasn’t gone, and it wasn’t me. It was him. He literally felt nothing. I spun to others and they flinched from my quick movement.

“How long has he been like this?”

“Not long. Well, not his bad anyway. He’s been having night sweats a lot and he’s been really cranky. He’s been snapping at everything, and he hasn’t been eating or drinking anything. We’ve had to fight with him to eat almost everyday.”

“How long?” I asked again.

“A couple of weeks I think.” Matt said solemnly. I touched Devon’s shoulder and barely pushed. He fell over with a thud and I straightened him out. I stood and looked down at him.

He looked, he looked like he was in the middle of the…. My eyes widened and I dropped again, this time next to his head and I forced him to open his mouth. When he opened it and I was sure that he wouldn’t snap my hand off I pulled back his top lip. There right above his canines his gums were swollen, making way for new teeth.

I leaned back on my heels and rubbed a hand over my face. I looked at the rest of the room and they had all moved closer, even Kathy. As I met their eyes I could tell that they had been worried for a while.

“Has anyone fed from him? Does he disappear for a while every night?” I asked in a hushed tone, but from the look on their faces I knew the answer.

“No, someone’s been with him at all times. What do you think it is?” Jess asked.

I had never seen it myself, but I had heard of something like this. Well, not exactly like this, but close. I’ve heard of sadistic vampires that would pick a victim and then prolong their change. Draining and replacing their blood in small amounts over a long period of time.

It was torturous and often led to death for the victim. There body would slowly make the change, but not in the right order. They would end up having the need to feed, but not developing their fangs in time. They would ultimately end up starving to death, before they ever got the chance to save themselves. It was a cruel way to kill a victim.

Looking at him now, it was almost too late. His fangs were close to developing but not close enough. He was close to starving as it was. It explained his lack of appetite and the inability to eat. The fever, the sweat, the lack of feeling. It all fit. The only problem was that he hadn’t been fed from in six months and no other vampire had touched him. He was going through the change for no reason, and it was killing him. Finally, I looked at Jess to answer her question.

“He’s changing.”

“That’s not possible.” Matt said and Nik nodded in agreement. For some reason I got angry.

“Yeah, well a lot of things aren’t possible with him, and yet he still does it all.” I snapped and they flinched. Then I realized it wasn’t anger I was feeling but worry. Then I actually got angry because I was worried about a man that tore my heart out and hated me. I took a deep breath and turned to only person that could help him.

“Belle, I need the coven.” She grimaced but dug her phone out of her pocket. She scrolled through the contacts and selected the right one before handing it over. Before I hit the call button I looked down at him.

He needed blood, but even then it might not be enough. The change could still kill him, mostly because he was still human at the base. Even if the coven agreed to help him, they were still in New Orleans. I might not be able to get him to them in time. The only blood that could give him what he needed and stave off the symptoms of the change. The only blood that could buy him more time was… I looked at Belle, she looked back at me with understanding. She was the only one in the room that really knew what was going on as well as I did.

“I know it’s a lot to ask…” She waved me off, cutting in.

“Don’t worry about it. His pain is your’s and you my good friend will not suffer anymore than he’s already caused.” I gave her a grateful smile as she turned to the rest of my friends. “How many of you know you’re way around a needle?” As she spoke to Matt to tell him what she needed, I hit the call button on her phone.

Someone answered on the fourth ring. I recognized the voice and hesitated for half a second. My family had always been close to the coven. They were like extended family that we only saw once a year or two, but remained in contact all year round.

“Auntie Claire, hi…” I pulled the phone from my ear as she screamed.

“Jaide! Honey where have you been!? I’ve been worried sick!”

“I know and I’m sorry things have been hectic for a while.”

“Yes, I know about your parents, I’m so sorry honey.” I smiled through my sadness.

“Yeah, look Auntie, I need help.”

“You bet your petite ass you do. What are you doing with my runaway daughter anyway.” I sighed.

Belle wasn’t actually her daughter, but Claire was the head of the coven and anyone in it was an extension of her. At least that’s the way she acted. If Belle had actually been related to her I would have met her a long time ago. Belle was just a very powerful and skilled witch that decided to live apart from the coven. A freedom that was given, but frowned upon.

“She’s been helping me, but that’s not what I meant.”

“Okay, I’m listening.”

“Um, my, uh, my mate is sick.”

“Oh you mated! I’m so happy for you!.” I closed my eyes tightly before answering.

“Thank you, but I’m worried and this isn’t something I can fix on my own.”

“Well then, tell me what’s going on.”

“He’s human, but he’s going through a prolonged change. I don’t know how,” I said quickly to keep her from interrupted. “but he is. He hasn’t been fed from and we’ve been apart for the last six months. No one has bitten him or tried to change him. Apparently it’s been going on for the last couple weeks, and none of us know how or why, but he doesn’t have much longer.” The line was silent and I began to wonder if the call was dropped or if she had hung up on me. Neither was unheard of.

“Bring him to me.” Was the only thing that she said, and her tone was serious, something that was rarely heard of. It meant she knew what was happening and how to fix it.

“We’ll be there in three days.” She hung up and I handed the phone back to Belle. She took it awkwardly, seeing as how she had a tube running out of her good arm.

“Now what?” Matt asked, as he watched Belle’s blood run from her arm to an empty water bottle. All of us were on the run from something, we didn’t exactly have a lot of high tech equipment.

“Now we figure out how to get a pack of werewolves, a group of renegade vampire hunters, and the eight of us to New Orleans within the next three days.”

“Nine.” Belle said as Matt took the needle out of her arm. She winced but met my eyes.

“Are you sure?” She shrugged as she waved off his attempt to bandage her arm.

“Yeah, I haven’t seen the family in a while.”

“They may not be willing to let you leave.” I warned, I had a better understanding of the inner workings of the coven than most. She scoffed.

“Like they could stop me.” I shrugged, there was no point in arguing with her.

“What about me?” Kathy asked. She had been standing in the corner out of the way, I had almost forgotten she was even there.

“You’re going to stay here.”

“But…” I held up a hand to cut her off.

“This is much deeper than just knowing that we exist. People are going to get hurt, and as mean as it sounds, we can take care of ourselves, while you can’t. Instead, you’re going to stay in this apartment, while we’re gone. The bills are paid up for the next couple of months. And I’ve got some friends looking out for you. But do not, and I mean do not, trust every vampire that talks to you. And more importantly, don’t let anyone feed from you. You have my number, if a vampire comes up to you, get there name and text me. If I say that I don’t know them, get the hell out of there. And under no circumstances do you bring them here.” I put my hands on her small shoulders. She was scared. We had been here for her, protecting her, for several months now. And now that we were leaving she was on her own. “Do you understand?” I asked softly.

“But if I do come across a vampire that you don’t know, how do I stop them if they want to feed from me?” She asked tentatively. I turned to Nikolai, and bless him, he knew what I wanted.

He grabbed a bag that I hadn’t noticed before and rummaged through it, before getting up and handing me a small hand gun, along with several small clips. I had no idea what make or model it was, I generally had no use for the things. I was much more dangerous with out it. I grabbed her hand and placed the weapon in her palm.

“If any vampire tries to touch you, you empty a clip into them. Head, chest, and neck. Don’t be stingy with the bullets. As soon as you’re free, run like hell.” She nodded hesitantly, and I motioned for Nik to teach her how to use it, without shooting herself.

I turned to the rest of the room. They were all looking at me expectantly. Everyone but Belle. I resisted the urge to sigh. I had not missed being the one to always have to come up with a plan. I had enjoyed the time I had had when I didn’t have to worry about anything more than deciding what to wear.

“So, how do we get everyone across the country? Anyone? I’m open to all ideas here.” I said kneeling down on the floor. Everyone else had taken couch and any other seats I had.

“Do we have enough money to fly?” Lexi asked. It was a good idea, and quick, but there was no way they would let Devon on a plane. When I said as much Sam spoke up.

“We could drive. It would take the full three days, with everyone taking turns, but we could do it.”

“Exactly how many of you are here?” I asked, it all depended on how many vehicles we had, and needed.

“There are thirteen from the guard.” Matt said and turned to Sam for the number of wolves.

“About twenty wolves.” He said wincing. I sighed.

“So we have to find enough vehicles to transport,” I did the math really quick in my head. “forty two of us. Plus, one that can’t be out in the sunlight.” I ran a hand down my face.

“It sucks being the only bitten vampire.” Jess mumbled and I chuckled.

“If we can get at least one SUV that can seat us, and we can rig the back to have complete darkness.

“More like a Suburban. And those are really bad on gas.”

“Not necessarily. An SUV with two bench seats would do, but the back would be really cramped.” Scotty answered, looking at Jess. She would be the one cramped. She shrugged in response.

“I can handle that for a few days.”

“Great, now all we need to do is find a way to transport the other thirty three people following us.” Then something occurred to me. “Wait, how did you all get here?”

“The wolves spent most of the time in their wolf form, and mostly stuck to the wooded areas. You should have seen the looks on some of the human’s faces when they had to run out in the open. The humans and those of us with an aversion to sunlight had to drive. We have four SUV’s a few miles out of town. That‘s part of what took us so long to find you. We had to stick close to the wolves.” Scotty answered.

“So you already have a car equipped for Jess?” Several nods answered me. “Then we just have to lift one of the seats in the one that you used, and find at least two more vehicles. With five of them we could reseat a couple people and it wouldn’t be so cramped in ours.” The looks on their faces told me that they didn’t agree.

“There is no way I’m riding with those creepy ass wolves, no offense.” Matt said and added the last for Sam’s benefit. “I thought vampires were creepy, but the wolves are just weird. Nice but weird.” I already knew the answer from my vampire friends. Vampire’s and wolves, though we don’t have the rivalry they show in the movies, we still don’t exactly like each other’s company. Too many instincts in one place. And both species are territorial.

“It’s no picnic for me either, you know. Traveling all this way surrounded by humans and vampires. There’s a reason wolves are considered antisocial with other species.” Sam replied heatedly.

“Well, then would you mind riding with the wolves? We can give the human’s their own vehicles and then the rest of us can ride together. Belle, Matt, and I have to be with Devon at all times. I need to be there to control him, in case bloodlust sets in, Matt is the only one with medical training, and Belle, well she’s just essential.”

“And there’s no way I’m spending three days with strangers.” She added.

“Excuse me but, and I’m not trying to be rude, but why is she essential exactly?” Nik asked.

“Because, Mr. Hulk, my blood is the only thing that can keep him sated.”

“Why?” Lexi asked. Though she was a distant cousin of mine, she didn’t have any relationship with witches. I didn’t even know if she knew they existed. It wasn’t exactly something I spread around.

“My blood holds power.” Was the only answer she gave, and the only answer she would give. Witches kept to themselves, simply out of the need to survive. Though they had a shit load of power, and could hold their own, they still didn’t have the physical advantages that the other species had. Not to mention that the humans had proven more than once that they wouldn’t tolerate them.

About an hour later we had come up with a solution for the vehicles. I was still hesitant. Even with all of the money I had saved, it would take all of it to cover the gas. But Sam said that it wasn’t really a problem since he had someone running the club, he was still making a good income available to him.

They left to stay with all of the other people that they had brought. Jess, Lexi, and Devon were staying at the apartment. Lexi was sharing Belle’s room, Jess was sharing mine, and Devon was sleeping on the couch. He had passed out after his first few gulps of Belle’s blood, and I wasn’t worried about him throughout the night.

Kathy left to go get her things ready to move in the next day. I had no idea where she was staying, and I knew better than to ask. The less people knew the less they could say. I respected her wishes for secrecy just as she respected mine.

Chapter 4

I woke up to someone pounding on my front door. Jess was sleeping peacefully next to me, so I did my best to get up without disturbing her. Not like that was a problem, all bitten vampires slept like the dead during the day. No pun intended.

I moved through the apartment as quietly as I could. Amabel was not the most pleasant person early in the morning, and it was only five thirty in the morning. Whoever it was started pounding on the door again, until I yanked it open.

There stood Drake with a struggling, cussing Kathy. He had a good grip on her arm, but her gun was in his other hand. He had been using the butt of it to knock on the door. I rubbed a hand over my face, hoping it was only a dream. When I blinked and looked back up they were still there, and I sighed.

“What is going on? And why did it have to happen so damn early in the morning?”

“This brute sent one of his men to where I was staying. He wouldn’t give me his name, and then he dragged me here, like some rag doll he could throw around!” Kathy snapped, then she stomped on his foot, earning a rather girlish yelp from him.

When he let her arm go, to hop up and down while holding his foot, she rushed into the apartment, and hid behind me. I rolled my eyes at the both of them, and then turned to the still cursing Drake.

“You wouldn’t even introduce yourself?” I asked. He stopped his babying and looked at me.

“She shot one of my men! He found her sleeping under the bridge at the outskirts of town. He just wanted to make sure she was okay. He tried to bring her to me so she could at least get out of the open night, but she pulled a gun on him. He tried to take it from her and she shot him in the leg. He finally disarmed her and brought her to me, kicking and screaming. I caught your scent on her, so I figured you’d know what to do with her, or at least be able to calm her down. She almost brought my roof down with her screaming.”

I sighed and ran my hand down my face again. I turned to Kathy only to catch her sticking her tongue out at him. I raised a brow and she put her tongue back in her mouth, before looking at the floor sheepishly.

“Okay first, this is the friend I told you about, that I had looking out for you. Although in retrospect I probably should have told you his name. I don’t know all of them. Second, if you have been sleeping under a bridge, you could have stayed here. And third, I told you to aim for the head, chest, or neck. If you shoot them in the leg all you’re going to do is piss them off.” She nodded and I turned on Drake. “And you need to make sure that all of your men know to introduce themselves first, before they try to take her somewhere. Make sure they drop both mine and your name, before they reach for her. Now if all of this is cleared up, I’m going back to bed. Do me a favor and take her back to the bridge to get her things. She’s going to be staying here from now on. And give her back her gun.” I turned to go back to my room, but a load groan stopped me in my tracks.

I turned to the couch, expecting to see Devon groaning in his sleep. Instead he was halfway off the couch, with one hand and one leg on the floor. He was looking at Kathy, well he was looking at her like he wanted to eat her. His eyes had turned an icy shade of green, and he was barring fangs he didn’t have. So much for going back to bed.

“Shit! Belle! Lex!” I yelled for the only other girls that could help me restrain him. I turned to Kathy who had gone pale and frozen. “Outside NOW!” I yelled at her as I made my way to Devon, his eyes never left her. Drake stepped in and looked at Devon.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“None of your damn business, now get her outside!” I snapped before yelling for the girls again.

I stepped in Devon’s line of sight. Even if Kathy ran for the door, he would be up and chasing her before I could blink. His gaze settled on me just as Lexi and Belle came stumbling into the room. They paused when they saw my awkward stand off.

“What’s going on?” Belle asked. Devon turned on her and gave a rather impressive feral hiss.

“Blood lust.” Was my simple answer, and I threw myself at him just as he tried to throw himself at Belle.

I hit him with a painful thud and pinned him the couch. I couldn’t hold him long though. He had a height advantage on me, and there was only so much I could do. If we had been on a flat area I would have had a better chance at maneuvering myself and by extension him. But the couch limited me and his strength was increased. From the change or bloodlust, I didn’t know.

“Lexi, now would be a good time to help.” I snapped and she shook herself out of her stupor and grabbed one of his arms.

Together we managed to pin him down and Belle approached cautiously with a bottle of her own blood. It occurred to me then that thinking about it that way made it kind of creepy. But I shook the thought as she knelt in front of him. He snapped at her a few times but when she opened the bottle and the scent hit him, he froze.

She carefully put the bottle to his lip and tipped it up. He guzzled half the bottle before he finally relaxed. By the time he had finished it he was ready to pass out again, so me and Lexi positioned him back on the couch before we collapsed.

“Well, that was one hell of a wake up call.” Lexi said with a whoosh of breath. “Do you think there’s any chance we could get a couple hours of sleep before the others get here?” She asked just as there was a knock on the door.

“You just had to jinx it.” I answered, before getting up to answer it.

Sam, Nikolai, and Matt stood there grinning. The only thing that saved their lives was the large box of donuts they held. I stepped back and let them in. They each surveyed the room. With all three of us still in our night clothes, Devon half-hazard laying on the couch and all of us still slightly out of breath.

“What happened here?” Sam asked.

“Oh just a small episode of blood lust. Nothing big.” I shrugged it off and snatched the box of donuts from Matt’s hands.

I sat down on the floor between Belle and Lexi. As we stuffed our faces the guys made themselves comfortable. I stared at Devon as I sank into deep thought. If he was having bloodlust already then we didn’t have as much time as I had originally thought. It meant he was more vampire than human now. Plus, since he wasn’t actually bitten I didn’t know if he would be a bitten vampire or still have the advantages that born vampires do. Such as going out in the sunlight.

His body was changing out of order. He should have had his fangs before blood lust set in. I had expected him to need blood but not be so aggressive about it. That’s why I had asked Belle to donate last night. But he’s already gone through an entire bottle. That left us with only one to get us where he needed to go to get help. I sighed and everyone turned to me at once.

“We need to leave as soon as possible.” I stated and Belle snorted.

“Yeah, no shit. If he keeps trying to take love bites out of me, I can’t guarantee I won’t draw blood instead of giving it.”

“What’s going on?” Matt asked around his donut.

“He shouldn’t be having blood lust yet. He’s progressed further than I thought. If we don’t get there soon, he won’t survive. The change will tear him apart. His body still thinks it’s human, but it’s more vampire now, and it doesn’t know how to work anymore. That’s why human’s who have been bitten, sleep through it, so there body’s can adjust in a certain order, and it happens all in one night. Since it’s taking so long he’s not changing in the right order.”

“Why does it matter what order he changes in?” Nikolai asked.

“Our blood cells don’t carry oxygen remember? That’s why we have to ingest healthy blood. If we don’t feed we get blood poisoning, and it kills us. But it’s more like our organs die from lack of oxygen. His body is screaming that he’s suffocating, but he hasn’t developed the tools to give his body what it needs. But on the other hand his body is also saying that’s it’s human. If a human ingests too much blood they get sick. That’s why it seems so repulsive to people, it’s an evolutionary trait. So while half of him is saying he can’t breath and needs blood, his other half is saying that if he drinks it he’ll get sick. His body will reject it. Normally, he would have developed fangs before his blood stopped carrying oxygen.”

“So we need to leave, like now.” Sam said in a rush.

“One problem, we have a vampire in the other room that is severely allergic to the sun.” Lexi added before grabbing another donut.

“Well, it’s really cloudy today. They’re forecasting a lot of rain for the next two days, in this area. Do you think that if we wrap her up and cover her skin, that she could make it to the car?” Matt asked. It wasn’t a bad idea really. And if we were lucky she’d just sleep through it, it was hard to wake a bitten vampire during the day.

“Okay, but you’re the one carrying her.” I said and got a chuckle out of the girls.

I got up to go pack a bag. Belle did the same and ten minutes later we all back in the living room. Somehow or another, in that short time, my apartment managed to fill completely with bodies. Some I knew, some I didn’t, but in the corner as far from everyone as she could get, stood Kathy.

I caught her eye and she came back to my room with me. Matt came in to wrap Jess, and carry her out of the room. I sat Kathy down on the bed, and basically told her to behave. I warned her of what to watch out for, and what to trust. After a long hug, I left her on the bed, and made my way back to my crowded living room.

Matt came back to me to tell me that Jess was safely in the car. I nodded telling him to clear the room so we could get Devon out. It took some maneuvering but we managed to get Devon to his feet. Scotty took his other side and we helped him stumble to the car.

We convened with the rest of the group to map out the quickest way and where we would meet, just in case we got separated. Then we all filed into the cars we were most comfortable riding in.

Sam declined the offer for him to ride with his pack, instead he preferred to stay close to his nephew. So I took the front passenger seat while Nikolai got behind the wheel. Scotty, and Lexi took the front bench with Devon between them. Amabel, Sam, and Matt took the second bench, and Jess was already crammed in the back.

A few minutes later we drove out of town. And even though I had only lived there for six months or so, I knew I would miss it. The town itself wasn’t really anything special, but it was quiet, and peaceful.

Chapter 5

The drive to New Orleans took roughly two days. We drove non stop, once one of us got too tired to keep going, someone else took over. We only stopped long enough to get gas and trade drivers, which actually lined up really well.

There was only one incident on the trip. Devon had been sitting in the middle of Lexi and Scotty, when another onslaught of blood lust set in. Nikolai had been driving and I was in the passenger seat, when Devon suddenly lurched forward, trying to grab Nik from behind.

Lex and Scot had gotten him pulled back, but he was driven by bloodlust and they were in a cramped space. They were having a hard time holding him, and in his effort to feed, he had jostled Nik, who almost lost control of the car. Belle was struggling to grab the other bottle of blood, so I climbed over the center console, and straddled him.

He paused from my sudden appearance, and the other two were able to gain a better hold on his arms, and I pushed his shoulders back into the seat. Belle finally got a hold on the bottle, and I used my forearm to hold him in place, to grab it from her.

I sat up as best as I could and held the bottle in front of his face. He stopped fighting to stare at it, and I gently opened the bottle. I couldn’t afford to spill any, so I didn’t waste any time putting the opening to his lips. His eyes met mine as he gulped it down, and he never looked away.

I was caught in the emerald green of his eyes for a long moment. Only the sound of air coming from the bottle pulled me out of it. He had drank the entire bottle, which meant he was needing more and more blood each time. He was escalading faster than I had expected.

As I climbed back into my seat I caught myself thinking that I didn’t remember him being such a pain in the ass. That took me to all of the memories I did have. All of the fights and misunderstandings. The memory of my parent’s death, and then realizing that he was the reason we couldn’t out run the people that had murdered them.

But then all of those memories faded, and the good ones took their place. Like the conversation where he told me his story, and the realization that he just didn’t understand the world we lived in. He was so determined to think that all of my kind were evil that he was desperate not to believe otherwise.

That was why he had done what he did that led to my parent’s demise. Why he shoved me away and rejected me when we were safe. I remembered all of the tender touches, and laying curled up in his bed together. I remembered the times that he had saved my life, and told me he loved me.

“Jaide, we’re in Louisiana.” Scotty said, while looking at me from the driver’s side. He gave me that knowing look, that said he knew what I was thinking.

Jess had taken his spot next to Devon. We couldn’t afford for a human to sit next to him. He was stronger now, so strong that it was taking more than two vampires to hold him. I couldn’t help my curiosity. Wondering just how strong he would be when the transition was done.

“Head towards New Orleans from the south. They’ll be just outside town, in the woods.” He nodded and turned back to the road. After fiddling with the GPS I sat back and closed my eyes. We still had another two hours before we were even close. At least the sun had just set, which meant it shouldn’t be too late when we finally get there.

I woke up to someone shaking my shoulder. I looked around but didn’t have a clue where we were. The full moon was shining so I could see the trees that covered both sides of the road.

“Where are we?” I asked squinting to see any landmark at all.

“That’s what I was about to ask you. The GPS says that we’re fifteen miles from town. We’re south of it, like you said, but I haven’t seen a single living thing for miles. Where are we going?” Scotty asked.

“Fifteen miles?” he nodded. “We’re close, drive for another five miles, you’ll see a clearing filled with gravel and dirt on the left side of the road just outside the trees. Pull over and park there.”

“I thought we were going to see people, not trees.” Sam grumped from the back.

“We’re going to see people that live behind those trees.” I answered and everyone fell silent.

About five minutes later we saw the clearing, and Scotty pulled in. There was enough room for all of the vehicles as well as a few more. This was the visitor’s parking lot so to speak. I took a deep breath before climbing out. Getting here was easy, it was getting into the village that was the hard part.

Once we were all gathered between the vehicles and the forest I spoke to them all at once. They weren’t going to like what I had to say. I didn’t know about the others but my friends certainly wouldn’t. My biggest problem was that I had brought way more people than the coven was expecting.

“I have to go on my own, but I need one person to come with me.” There was an uproar. Half of them thought I had led them to an ambush and the other worried for mine and my companions safety. I spoke over them.

“And they must be human.”

“Why?” Sam asked. He looked like he was ready to explode.

“They are expecting me, not forty people. This many could be considered an attack. I have to take a human because they would pose no threat.” It looked like a lot of them were about to argue, but Amabel spoke up.

“The coven are an old and proper people, at least on the outside.” She whispered the last bit. “I can not join her because they look down on me for leaving them in the first place. If she went alone they would assume that she is in fact here alone, and they would take her for a liar when they found you. She must have one other non threatening person to show that there are more in her party. Honor is the key to the coven doors. Honor autem est clavis ad ostium coetu eo confluxissent. It’s actually their motto. She must tread carefully until we are all inside. If you value your lives, you’ll do as she says.” They all quieted down, and I eyed the ones closest to me, finally settling on Matt. He met my gaze.

“Feel like taking a little hike?” I asked, he gave me a small smile and stepped forward. I turned to the rest of my friends.

“Stay here until I come back for you. Do not under any circumstances let anyone enter the woods. They have a perimeter spell set up just inside the tree line. If anyone comes in it will alert them and they’ll assume it’s an attack. And they will strike first.” I eyed them all to make sure they understood. When I knew that they did I turned and signaled for Matt to follow.

I took the same path I remembered taking with my parents all those times growing up. We came here four or five times a year. Sometimes for birthdays or solstices just about any kind of holiday that we had time for, whether ours or theirs.

The most memorable time was my sixteenth birthday. When a member of the coven reaches their sixteenth birthday, they come into their full power. It’s a big deal for the coven and theirs a huge celebration. The birthday girl or boy is expected to show off their new power. It’s this huge bonfire party, including drinks and being primarily herbalists, smoking a few natural plants. They consumed or inhaled only what they cultivated from the earth, and herbs that would otherwise be used for medicinal purposes, nothing harmful. With the exception of over use of course.

That night I was treated like a daughter of the coven. It was a bit nerve wracking at first. I was expected to show off my power, but not being born with magical energy I didn’t know what to do. But it turned out that they didn’t expect much from me. They don’t necessarily consider their magic to be the only form of power.

There are a few human families that live with them. When one of them turn sixteen they receive the same treatment. Some of them whittle, or paint something extraordinary. Others do blacksmithing or just tell stories. That night I was taught that you don’t have to have magic to have power. Your character is your true power.

So I spent the night jumping at long distances, or breaking something hard. It is the one time a year that they consider it okay to show off. It is dishonorable to show your skill for no other reason than to appease your self. It is seen as if you are intentionally trying to make others around you feel bad about themselves. But on a sixteenth birthday they consider it such a time of celebration that everyone joins in. It is amazing to watch. But it’s truly amazing to join in the festivities. It’s a time for everyone to appreciate everyone else.

“Umm, Jaide, what are we doing here?” Matt asked about a mile in. I turned to him.

“We’re here to see the coven.”

“Yes, but why?”

“They’re the only ones that can help Devon. He’s in a prolonged change. They’re the only ones with the knowledge and resources to make sure he makes it through it alive.”

“So you’re not just using this as an excuse to run again?”

I stopped and faced him fully. The moon was full, but the trees cast his face in shadow. I could see just fine in the dark and could see his face. He couldn’t see mine though and he was nervous.

“No, I’m not using this as an excuse to run. You know why I left before, I had every right.”

“I know I’m not saying that you didn’t.” We continued walking and I had hoped he would let it drop. “But, if you had just waited a few more minutes he was…” I cut him off by stopping and turning to face him.

“He was what? Going to apologize? Tell me that he had been wrong and that he was sorry? And then what? I wait until he does it again? I’m not a masochist, Matt. I don’t enjoy pain. And I have no intention of giving him the opportunity. I’m doing this now to save his life, nothing else. And you don’t have to advocate for him.” I turned to keep walking but he grabbed my arm to keep me in place. He removed it immediately after he knew I wouldn’t walk away.

“I’m not advocating for him. He screwed up and you have every right to be pissed. Every right to shut him out. To be honest it’s your business, he’s on his own when it comes to you. It’s not him I’m worried about. You didn’t see Jess after you left. She was heart broken, and now that we’ve found you, I don’t think she could take it if you left again. She cried for weeks. I don’t want to see her like that again.”

“Do you think I wanted to? I knew how upset she would be, and it tore me apart. I missed her, all of you, everyday. But I couldn’t be around him, anywhere near him, in fact. It’s like if Jess had completely rejected you in the worse way possible. And then you had to wake up everyday, and see her, talk to her, knowing that she thought so badly of you. Knowing that even if you managed to patch things up this time, there would still be another, and another. It would be torture, just breathing the same air as her. Would you stay for that?” He stood completely still for a few seconds, before he finally let out a deep breath and his entire body relaxed.

“No, no I wouldn’t.”

“I’m sorry that I hurt all of you, but I did what I had to do.”

“I know you did. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to attack you like that. It’s just that I can’t stand to see her like that.” I put a hand on his shoulder.

“I know, you’re only trying to protect her. But I won’t be leaving, not now anyway. With Devon changing he’s going to need someone around to guide him, and he’s already too strong for the others.”

“So your torture is beginning all over?” I sighed.

“Pretty much.” We turned as one this time.

Two more miles in and I felt the air change. It was like it had become super charged. I could almost see the electricity in the air. I knew we had reached the inner perimeter spell. A few more steps and we reached the visitor’s clearing.

I held out my arm to stop Matt, and took a few steps forward. I told him to keep quiet, no matter what was said, and he gave a nervous nod to show that he understood. I waited for five minutes. It was irritating, I knew they were out there, I could smell their scents. They were intentionally keeping us waiting.

I did my best to calm my temper. Their actions were considered rude, and I knew that none of the Family were with them. This was just a regular patrol group. Finally, a large male stepped out of the tree line opposite us. He had at least five others still behind the trees, and only one of them were female. I racked my memory for the proper phrases, they were in Latin, and if I messed them up, there’s no telling what would happen.

“Ego oro ad ostium coetu eo confluxissent.” ‘I beg entrance to the coven.’ The male raised his head a fraction. He had obviously expected a regular trespasser.

“Et locutus est nomen tuum negotium.” ‘Speak your name and business.’ He answered with the traditional response. His voice was deep, and he held an arrogance that grated on my nerves.

“Jaide est nomen meum, dicendum est enim mater et.” ‘My name is Jaide, I must speak with Old Mother.’

“Jaide? I thought that was your voice.” Me and the man looked to his left. A young woman had stepped out. She looked vaguely familiar.

“Elizabeth? What are you doing out here?” I asked in mild, but pleasant shock. She was just a few months younger than me, but she was my closest friend in the coven.

“I petitioned to advance my studies. As penance for such knowledge, I must serve time on patrol.”

“That’s great, I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you. But what are you doing here so early. We weren’t expecting you until tomorrow. They had planned this big welcome for you.”

“We traveled faster than expected. It’s better that we don’t have a big welcome. Things are getting bad faster than I had anticipated. And I didn’t know at the time that I would be traveling with so many. There are a lot of us here.”

“How many?”

“Forty two I think.” her shocked expression made me hasten to explain. “Things are not well in the vampire world. There is a large threat to our kind, and we’ve gained some allies in the mean time.” Elisabeth was a distant cousin to the coven leader. They were several generations apart, but her word held a lot of weight. If the coven mother or any of her direct descendants weren’t there then the others differed to her once she came of age. She immediately turned to the others.

“Brian, take the group and go get her companions. I must get her to the Mother as soon as possible.” The large man drew his shoulders back and his face reddened slightly.

“This is a direct violation of protocol.” His voice boomed, but Elisabeth drew her shoulders back and lifted her head.

“This is the next in line to the vampire throne. Her family has been our ally for the length of coven memory. Will you jeopardize that relationship to appease your pride?” Her voice was magnified as she issued the challenge to his honor. It was a direct blow, but probably saved a good hour of argument. He placed his right fist over his heart and bowed. It was a show of humility and his face was blank.

“Of course, we will fetch the new comers.” With that he took long strides across the clearing, and into the trees the way we had come. I wasn’t too worried. Belle was with the group and would know what was going on. Elisabeth turned to me.

“Come, we must hurry.” I gestured for Matt to follow, and I felt a little guilty at his confused expression. I couldn’t imagine what all of this would look like from his point of view. I made a mental note to explain it all to him later.

It took another half hour to reach the village that was completely surrounded by forest. They were almost completely self sufficient. But when they had to go into town, they had their own parking lot on the opposite side of the forest. And it was only a ten minute drive to civilization from there.

We broke out of the trees abruptly, and no matter how many times I visited, I never got used to the sight. There were well built, fabulous houses built on opposite sides of a dirt road. There was a school and market place set up. And basically a person for everything. Whether it be live stock, or vegetable gardens someone was working on it. It truly was amazing to witness.

Elisabeth took us to the largest house in the very center of the village, where a courthouse might be. And sometimes it served as such. It was where the coven leader lived. And although they had a fully functioning hospital, this was where they took people with supernatural illnesses. There was a court room in the basement, just a few doors down from the infirmary, but to walk through the front door, it looked like a semi modest house. The access to the underground floors was an elaborate door on the back of the house that led to some stairs.

Once when I was about five, I had forgotten to feed for too long. We had been on vacation and here for a couple of weeks. But there was just so much to do and so many people to play with that I had simply forgotten. I had passed out on the play ground and the other children had grouped together to carry me. They carried me for about a mile to get me down to the infirmary where a really nice nurse forced a bag of blood down my unconscious throat.

My mom had thrown a fit. Since then she had been paranoid about how much I fed. Every day she laid out my rations and watched me closely to make sure that I drank every last drop. I remembered complaining about it hundreds of times over the years.

Beth didn’t bother to knock when we reached the house. Instead she just walked in with me at her heels, and Matt at mine. An elderly man rushed into the foyer. I remembered him. He was Aunt Clair’s butler, but no matter how busy she kept him, he had always found time to play with me when I was a child. I used to sit in the kitchen with him when I got older. He would tell me the most wonderful stories.

This time though, he took one look at me and rushed out of the room and up the stairs. Beth led me to the living room and I stood in the middle of the room and waited. Matt staked out a corner and glanced around nervously. Finally, Claire walked in.

“Matur salutem.” ‘Greetings Old Mother.’ It was the formal greeting to the leader of the coven. Claire was seen as the mother of the coven, and though she looked to be in her early thirties, she was in fact very old.

“Salutem filiae.” ‘Greetings my daughter.’ She said back and I floundered for half a second as to what to say. Luckily she saved me by walking up to me and giving me a hug. She smelled like strawberries and whipped cream. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a bun, and she wore jeans and a t-shirt.

“That’s enough formality I think. What are you doing here child? You said three days. We were going to have a feast.” She was a few inches taller than me so when she pulled back she looked down at me.

“Actually, it’s probably a good thing that you didn’t. I’m not alone. I have about forty people with me.” The look of disdain on her face made me flash back to when I was a kid and had done something wrong. “I didn’t know there were others when I talked to you. I only found out after when it was too late to change. It was not my intention to deceive you I swear, but I had no choice but to bring them.”

“There is always a choice, Jaide.” My sadness almost overwhelmed me.

“No Aunt Claire, sometimes your hands are tied.” She took a half step back and surveyed me from head to foot, before finally meeting my eyes. Whatever she saw there made her expression change to one of understanding.

“Very well, then we will just have to postpone the feast, until we can prepare enough for everybody. We will discuss business later, but for now where is this mate you told me about?”

“Right here.” Brian grunted as he and Nik half dragged Devon into the room. The only other ones that came in with them were my close group. They dragged him to the couch and laid him down as gently as they could without falling over themselves.

Devon looked even worse than he had in the car. His breathing was labored and he was slick with sweat. Claire shooed the others away, until only she and I were close enough to look him over. His face was pale as she put her hand to his head, before checking inside his mouth. His gums were swollen to twice the size they had been just a few hours earlier. He was progressing even faster.

“Take him down to the infirmary. Tell Annette to put a feeding tube in him and feed him coven blood. He must have a steady stream if he is to survive.” Brian nodded and Edmund, the butler, stepped forward to help move him.

Chapter 6

When they were out of the room she turned to my companions. They all looked bedraggled and exhausted. Forty eight hours in a car and a couple of hours traipsing through the woods will do that to you. Even Jess was looking tired and she still had a few hours until sunrise. Then she focused on Belle.

“Amabel, you look well. Have you enjoyed your stay in the world?” Her expression was stern but her eyes said she was relieved. Belle stepped forward to give her coven mother proper respect.

“I have. I take care of myself well, Matur.” Suddenly Claire dropped the stern demeanor and gave Belle a gently smile, opening her arms to her. Belle stepped into her hug with a smile.

“Oh child, we have missed you. You must visit more often.” At those words Belle visibly relaxed. It meant that when this was all over she wouldn’t try to stop Belle from going back to her life on the outside.

“Now, let’s step into my office and you can fill me in on what the hell is going on.” Claire said to me as she stepped out of the hug.

I nodded and followed her down the hall, into a spacious office. It had enough room for all of us and more. With a large desk, two chairs on the opposite side of hers, and two couches behind those.

I took one of the chairs and motioned for Nikolai to take the one next to me. He knew more about the inner workings of the hunter’s facility than I did. Claire took her seat and folded her hands on top of her desk. When she looked at me expectantly my mind went blank.

“Where do you want me to start?”

“Let’s start where everything went to hell.” I nodded.

“You said you had heard about my parents. Do you know how it happened?” She shook her head.

“I only know that they were murdered by hunters.” I nodded again.

“They came to our house. We escaped through the skylight, but they tracked us into the city. We were cornered on a roof top. They were shot, too many times to recover. I was taken prisoner and stayed in a testing facility made to look like an apartment. There were dozens of us there, but I was the only born. When I refused to let them drug me one of the scientists went rogue and tried to kill me. We decided to get the hell out of dodge, but I did some backtracking first. I grabbed all of there papers and blood samples first. When I grabbed them I learned that they planned to eradicate all vampires. We got out and went to Sam’s house, Devon’s uncle.”

“And Devon is the young man in the infirmary?” She asked and I answered with another nod.

“I didn’t know until a few days ago that he’s the alpha of a wolf pack. The night after we had gotten to safety me and Devon got into a fight. He rejected me and I took off. I’ve been living in California for the past six months. Apparently, some of the hunters decided they wanted to switch careers and followed my friends as they tried to find me. Devon was in on the search, and with Sam being his uncle, he and his pack followed. That’s all I know aside from the fact that I’m sure the hunter’s are still looking for us.” Her eyes got distant as she went into deep thought. Then she snapped back.

“Did you bond with the boy?” I nodded.

“It was on accident. I didn’t feed directly from him, but he donated to me and the bond formed. We couldn’t explain it.” It was her turn to nod before turning to Nik.

“And how did you find Jaide? It couldn’t have been easy. Vampires are very good at disappearing. Especially the ones that can walk in the light.”

“Devon used his end of the bond to track her down. It took a long time, but we figured out that he could sense what direction she was in, and the closer he got to her, the stronger the feeling became.” I stared at him.

“That’s not possible. He shouldn’t have even felt the bond let alone manipulate it like that.” He just shrugged at me.

“Oh but my dear girl it is possible. If he has vampire blood in him.”

“But we never exchanged blood.”

“No, I’m not talking about exchanging blood. I talking about his bloodline.”

“You mean one of his ancestors was a vampire?”

“And from a strong line at that. When he tapped into the bond he awakened his vampire genes. The closer he got to you the stronger they became, it triggered his change.”

“So you’re saying that his closeness to me changed him?”

“Precisely.” I sighed and whispered a word that had Claire raising her eyebrows.

“What do we do?”

“Well, the rest of you should get some sleep. But you need to go to his room. The closer you are to him the faster his change will be.”

“That explains the sudden bloodlust.” She gave me a sympathetic smile. Before we all dispersed to our own spaces.

Edmund was already standing outside the doors to show the others to where they will be staying. I went straight for the back stairs that led down to the basement and the infirmary.

It was still just early morning so the halls were dark and empty. The dark didn’t bother me, it was the loneliness. The absence of other living beings. It made the whole place look desolate and feel hollow.

They had put him in the farthest room down the hall away from any of the other patients that might have been down there. It was best. An injured vampire is a dangerous one, and he was about as injured as you can get. He was vulnerable and it made him deadly. It was rare that a vampire saw the inside of the infirmary. No doubt rumors would be flying by sunrise. And my sudden appearance and my parent’s deaths would help fuel the flames.

There was a small light shining in the corner of the room when I entered. It was empty aside from Devon laying on a hospital bed. I stood at the side of his bed and looked down at him. He was just as gorgeous as he had been the last time I saw him. His hair was just a bit longer, but just as dark. His skin looked a tad paler than before, but that would be fixed as soon as he finished the change. I hated myself for longing to see his dark green eyes.

I was supposed to hate him. I should have, but I still loved him as much as before. Maybe even more from not seeing him for so long. But he had rejected me. I had no idea what would happen after his change. Mating was different for us than humans. It was possible that he would become just as devoted as he would have been if he were a vampire the whole time. But it was just as possible that his rejection would stick. What was worse is that I didn’t know if I wanted it to or not.

With a sigh I turned to the only chair available in the small room. It sat in the corner just down from the door. I didn’t know how long the change would take after his steady supply of blood. It seemed I didn’t know much of anything these days.

I got as comfortable as I could in the plushy chair and settled in to watch. It was incredibly boring, but I didn’t have much choice. I watched the sun rise, and listened to the rest of the infirmary wake with it. No one came in. I guess they assumed I was taking care of him, or didn’t want to disturb him. There really wasn’t anything more that they could do for him. So I sat, watched, and waited on the uncertainty to become clear.

 

 Devon

 

I woke up warm and comfortable. The sun seemed too bright but judging from the angle that it came in the window it had to be late afternoon. As I focused I could see tiny dust motes as they shimmered and danced in the light. It was unusually beautiful to watch and something I had never seen before.

It was right after that that I realized I was laying in a hospital bed. There was a tube that ran under the hospital gown that I was wearing. I had no idea what it was or what it’s purpose was, but it freaked me out.

I wracked my brain for how I had gotten here. But the last thing I remembered was being in the basement of the warehouse. I had heard the vampires that guarded me talk about something. They were waiting for my bonded to come get me. Said they had to be powerful. I remembered thinking how ridiculous they were, because they thought Jaide was a guy.

Jaide. Where was she? Was she okay? Did the vampires at the warehouse capture her? I started to panic until I heard a soft deep breath from the corner of the room. I sat up just enough to see Jaide curled up in a chair in the corner.

She was sound asleep and looked so peaceful. Just like she did when I would watch her at the institute. Even asleep she still looked exhausted. It made me wonder even more about what had happened since I had blacked out.

I tried to sit up but I had several wires attached to my arms and chest. It just looked like those sticky pad things that they put on patients to monitor their hearts. But they still made it difficult to move around. In my efforts to thwart my confinement I must have made some noise, because Jaide opened her eyes and lifted her head.

As soon as she saw what I was doing she jumped up and was at my side in a flash. Well it should have been a flash but to me it just looked like a regular person hurrying across the room. But I felt the rush of air that followed her haste, and I wondered if there was something wrong with my eyes, that I was seeing in slow motion.

She put her hands on my chest and pushed me back down to laying flat on the bed. She must have been trying not to hurt me. I could feel the pressure of her hands but ordinarily when she pushed at me, even when she was going easy, it still bordered on painful. This time though it just felt like anyone else trying to hold me down. If I had wanted to fight I could have without feeling like I was fighting a brick wall.

“Lay still, you have a feeding tube in. A nurse has to take it out before you can get up or you could hurt yourself.” Her voice was unusually soft, like she was almost whispering, but still speaking loud enough for me to hear. After I nodded to show that I understood she turned her head towards the door, but never took her hands from my chest or released any of the pressure.

“He’s awake.” She yelled out into the hall, but it sounded like a sonic boom had just sounded right next to my ear. I jumped and tried to cover my ears. She looked back down at me with a sympathetic expression.

“Sorry, that’s gonna take some getting used to. But you’ll learn to control it.” I looked up at her in confusion but didn’t get the chance to ask before a short woman in a white uniform hurried into the room.

She rushed to the other side of the bed and lifted the blankets and the gown just enough to see my stomach. Sure enough the tube was sticking out filled with some red liquid. She touched the skin around it and I jumped. Her hands weren’t cold but the touch was foreign. It was almost like I could feel every line that made up her finger prints.

“Hold still so I can get it out cleanly.” She didn’t speak loudly but the sound still made me wince. After a couple of minutes she tapped a piece of gauze over where the tube had been. “I’ll leave you alone to explain.” She spoke to Jaide who nodded in what could only be in appreciation.

Finally, Jaide let go of me and stepped back until she reached the chair she had been sleeping in. She watched me expectantly as I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. After I had gotten my feet under me I stood but had to grab the railing of the bed for balance. My legs felt weak but strong at the same time, it must have messed with my equilibrium. I didn’t have long to contemplate it though, as I had squeezed the metal bar and a squealing sound met my ears. I looked down and removed my hand only to see that I had bent the bar. I could see clear dents where my fingers had been. I looked up at Jaide but she didn’t seem surprised.

“What’s wrong with me?” Her dark eyes stayed level and her shoulders were straight as she met my eyes and answered.

“You’re a vampire.” I stared at her for what had to be hours, but was probably only a few minutes.

“The vampires at the warehouse?” She shook her head. I wracked my brain for an explanation.

“You?” She scoffed.

“Of course not. If you don‘t recall I left you remember? Why would I want to spend eternity with you?” Her answer stung. I went across the country to find her and she’s acting like even that wasn’t enough space between us. I guess Lexi was right. I had ruined things with her.

“Well what happened then?”

“Turns out you already had vampire blood in you. Somewhere in your family tree a vampire had joined with the humans. That’s why we bonded like we did. And that’s why you were able to tap into the bond to find me. When you started using the bond you awoke the vampire genes in you. As you got closer to me you triggered your change. That was three days ago.”

“So I’m not human anymore?” She shook her head.

“You were never fully human, there was always a little bit of vampire in you. It was just dormant.” I shook my head. I just couldn’t believe it.

“There has to be some kind of mistake.” She rolled her eyes.

“Look at the railing. Better yet, look at your stomach.” I did as she instructed. Sure enough where the tube had been, where the incision should have been. There was…nothing. No injury not even a scar. It had healed completely. I looked back up at her.

“This isn’t something you can just deny. Congratulations you’re one of the monsters you hate so much.” She got up and moved towards the door. “Your clothes are on the table in the corner, I’ll let you get dressed.

And that was it. She just left the room without giving me the chance to deny her statement. She still believed that I hated her. That I thought she was capable of all of the things that I had accused her of before she left. Then the reality of that thought struck me and I had to sit down for a second.

Of course she still thought that I believed all of that. It was why she left to begin with. I was so stupid. I had thought that me searching for her would be enough to prove that I had made a mistake and wanted her back. But there could be several reasons to find her. We really did need her help not just with the hunters but with other vampires as well. I didn’t know if the others had had a chance to tell her everything yet.

It was naïve of me to think that I would find her and everything would be okay. That she’d welcome me back. There was no way for her to know that everyday without her was torture to me. The thought that I might never get her back sent me into a panic attack. I felt like I couldn’t breath. And now I would have to live forever knowing that I could never have her.

I took a deep breath and strengthened my resolve. I would just have to prove to her that I had learned my lesson. That I knew I had screwed up and was determined to make it right. I nodded to myself as I pulled my clothes on. It was a relief to be out of that hospital gown.

She opened the door a few minutes later and stepped in. The distance between us was palpable. Not the physical distance, the room wasn’t that big, but the emotional one. We might as well have been across the country from each other. The urge to wrap her in my arms had me crossing them to keep myself in check. She needed time and space to see that my intentions were pure.

“Come on, I need to take you to see Claire.” I nodded and she turned with me right behind her.

We went down a long hallway filled with women and men dressed in all white. It looked like we were in a full service hospital. But each and every one of these people greeted Jaide with warmth and smiles. Like they had known her for years.

Then we found the stairs and as we made it to the next floor the building completely changed. It went from being a hospital to being a home. An extravagant home. The carpets were plush, the walls were decorated, and there was a comfortable feeling to it all.

When we reached another door Jaide knocked. A few seconds later an elderly man answered. He felt different. Not physically, but on a more instinctual level. Like he wasn’t what he appeared to be. I must have taken a half step back because Jaide turned to me with a half smile.

“Relax your senses will take a little while to get used too.” I had no idea what she was talking about but I trusted her advice, and nodded to show that I did.

“Ms. Claire will see you.” He said before stepping back to allow us to enter. I kept as much distance between us as I passed him. He smirked like he was enjoying my reaction.

Behind a large desk sat a woman in her mid thirties or so. She seemed human enough but power leaked from her like a faucet that was never fully turned all the way off. She sat and looked up at us. After bestowing a very fond smile on Jaide her eyes turned to me. She didn’t look at me with any particular emotion but there was a calculating look about her. Like she was sizing me up or comparing me to someone.

“You must be Devon.” I nodded. “It seems you’ve made quite a bit of trouble for our Jaide.”

“Aunt Claire.” Jaide said with a certain amount of warning in her tone. Then the woman laughed.

“Aunt? Jaide where are we?” Jaide turned to me.

“We’re at the coven.”

“The what?” Jaide rolled her eyes.

“The coven. What you didn’t think that vampires and werewolves were the only supernatural creatures that existed did you?”

“I was still getting used to werewolves.”

“Well boy, you will have to get used to a lot more than that before the night is out.” The old man replied from behind me. I looked at the windows. When we had first walked in I thought the drapes were closed. Now I saw that they weren’t it was just dark outside. I turned to Jaide.

“Can I still go out in sunlight?”

“I don’t know. It’s just something we’ll have to test.”

“Great.” I muttered but she ignored me.

“I think we still have a lot to talk about. I have some explaining to do with my friends. I’ll go get them.” Claire nodded and Jaide sped out of the room. I was getting better at measuring speed, at least I could tell when someone was moving faster than humanly possible.

“Have a seat Devon, she won’t be long.” Claire said and I nodded as I took a chair in front of her desk.

“Tell me Devon, what was it that caused you to fight with your mate?” I looked up at her in shock.

“Excuse me?”

“She told me that you fought and it caused her to leave. It would take a lot for a vampire to leave her mate.”

“My brother said some things to me, and like an idiot I believed it. I accused her of horrible things, called her a monster among other things. And she left.”

“You rejected her.” I nodded and hung my head.

“I didn’t mean to. It’s just that I had a part in her parent’s death and I couldn’t face the guilt. I thought that if they were the monsters that I had always thought vampires were then I wouldn’t have to feel guilty anymore. I tried to make it right but she had already left.”

“So your world flipped upside down and you tried to right it, without realizing that your world was finally right side up for the first time.” I nodded relieved that she understood.

“Yes.”

“Now your only problem is getting Jaide to see it. Good luck with that, she’s not so easily forgiving. You’re lucky she had anything to do with her after her parent’s deaths.” I sighed in frustration, but didn’t get the chance to answer. Jaide and the others walked in, along with a girl I had never met before. Or at least I didn’t think I had, but she looked at me like she had known me for a while.

“This is Amabel, she helped us get you here. If she hadn’t the change would have killed you.” Jaide said in answer of my silent question. Then she plopped down on the other chair that sat in front of the desk.

Then she turned the chair so that it faced me directly so that she could see everyone at once. I took the hint and turned mine to match, but then everyone went silent. We all looked to Jaide but she seemed deep in thought. Finally, she spoke.

“I think we need to narrow down exactly what’s been going on.”

Chapter 7

Jaide

 

 

“It’s just that I’ve been thinking.” I said as a way to begin.

“A dangerous thing for you to do.” Jess said with a smirk. It was her way of loosening some of my tension and it worked. I gave her a grateful look and continued.

“It is, but none of this feels like a coincidence. My parents, the hunters, the coven, and now Devon, who actually had vampire ancestors to begin with. I mean, we wouldn’t even be here in this position if it hadn’t been for a little girl and a stray kitten. It just feels like there were too many jumps in the time line for it to add up smoothly.” Jess, Lexi, and Scotty all nodded in understanding. They were the only ones that were there in the very beginning.

“You think the stars aligned this way to make sure you were here at this time?” Claire asked. From anyone else it might have sounded condescending, but this was a way of life for her and the coven. If anyone understood my reasoning it would have been them. I nodded.

“Yes I do. I just don’t know why. If fate brought us all here in this condition then it stands to reason that something big is happening. World changing big.”

“Then I think this is the perfect time to fill you in on what’s been going on.” Nik said sitting forward.

“What do you mean?” I asked uneasily. He gave me a sympathetic smile.

“You’ve been out of the loop for six months. A lot has happened in that time.”

“Okay.” I drew out the word, to be honest I really didn’t want to know. I just wanted to go back to California and bury my head in the sand.

“A few of the guards stayed behind. To keep an eye on things and keep me updated. Looks like your plan to bring us all together worked better than you thought.” he said with a wry smile. “There are three of them, all in different ranks. Apparently, when you took all of their research and samples you left the scientists with nothing left to study. They had been doing it too long to start over. And then Jess leaving that nifty virus on all of their computers left them absolutely nothing to go on.” I looked at Jess, and she just shrugged.

“I had to do something to pass the time while I was stuck in the house. So I taught myself code and came up with a virus that will completely wipe clean a computer and every computer connected to it by a network. The computer I had found their plans on was actually the General‘s personal computer that his secretary used to conduct business.” I nodded, impressed, and turned back to Nikolai.

“So what’s been going on?”

“Well, when they realized that you had wiped them clean they didn’t know what to do. Then a certain vampire showed up and suggested that they get together and dominate the vampires instead of destroying them. A sort of truce between the vampires and humans with the vampires under one ruler.”

“Zeke.” Devon said staring at his folded hands. I felt sorry for him that he had to learn what kind of person his brother was this way. And that only made me more determined to stay mad at him.

“So the hunters decided to join forces with him and bring all of the other vampires under Zeke’s rule.”

“How has he been doing that? I mean the vampires have been more or less free for centuries.” I asked, it didn’t make much sense to me. “And why would they want to follow someone that wasn’t in the royal line?” It may be modern times, but modern had a whole other meaning to vampires depending on how old they were. As tradition stood they only followed the royal family. And tradition was very important to my kind.

“So far he’s rounded up any vampire he could find in New York, and convincing them to join his side. Those he doesn’t convince are slaughtered.”

“He’s using fear. Join him or die.” It was easy for me to simplify.

“Basically yeah.”

“If I may.” Edmund said before stepping forward. He held a piece of paper in his hands.

“What is it Edmund?” Claire asked.

“I received this letter yesterday before you arrived.” He said looking at me. “It’s from a very old friend of mine. One you know well I think. He spoke of the turmoil in our world. He said that an old enemy had been reborn and explained what this young man just spoke about. He’s doing what he can to rally all of the true followers of the royal family. He asked me to find the rightful queen, that her subjects would need her guidance.” His news stunned me for a minute. Then it occurred to me that only one person ever spoke that way about my family.

“Edward? He’s alive!?” I couldn’t help my enthusiasm. Edward had been a part of the family long before I existed. In fact, the last time I saw him he told me that he knew my first vampire ancestor. The first true vampire Queen, Emma Rose. Edmund gave me a wry look.

“Over the centuries that I’ve known him, I’ve seen him ‘die’ many times. But he is in fact alive and well. And building your resistance, and getting ready to bring them here. I am sorry I did not speak with you about this last night, Mature. It all happened too quickly for me to get a breath in.” She nodded in understanding.

“It’s quite alright. I would have insisted on it anyway.” Devon turned to her in surprise, and she gave him a pitying look. He was so new to all of this, it could be a lot to digest. “I have long been an ally of the born vampires. If there will be conflict I will do what I can to help.”

“How long exactly?” He asked.

“Edmund is a vampire.” I told him and he spun to stare at me for a second. “That’s what you felt when you first saw him. He’s rare though because he allowed himself to age.” Devon turned to stare at Edmund who nodded in to show that I was telling the truth.

“And I am much older than Edmund.” Claire said only to earn shocked looks from my friends.

“Claire is one of the few witches who gained immortality through her magic. It’s what makes her so powerful actually.”

“When I gained my immortality the average human life span was not much longer than how I look now. It was luck that I managed it in time.” Claire said with a wry smile. She looked to me and I knew that she wanted me to tell her story.

“I’ve known Claire all my life. Actually every member of my family had known her their entire lives. I call her Aunt because she has always been family. Played a big part in my upbringing really. She’s been around since the very beginning of the vampires.” I looked to her and she gave a nod for me to continue. “She actually created the first vampire.”

“Wait, so she turned Vlad the Impaler into Dracula?” Jess asked and I nodded.

“But you said he made a deal with the devil.” Devon stated and I turned to him.

“I said that was the official version of the story, not the truth. The coven, all true witches, are a closely kept secret.”

“Why?” Nikolai asked.

“The answer to that question is written in history. And a lot of the history textbooks.” Claire stated.

“The Salem Witch Trials.” Lexi answered and received an affirming nod from Claire.

“Exactly child. Humans have tried to wipe out witches long before they thought to do the same to vampires.”

“So what happened?” Scotty asked leaning in in anticipation of a good story.

“Vlad captured me not long after I gained my immortality. I had been ousted as a witch in my village. He kept me in his dungeon for several years, demanding I give him the same gift. I couldn’t just give him immortality. I gained it through study and work, but you can’t just turn a human into an immortal without a price. That’s why it had never been done. Often times it required a trade, my immortality in exchange for his mortality. There was no way in hell I was going to do that. Mostly because I knew he desired it for ill intentions. So I agreed in exchange for my freedom. I concocted a potion. Not to turn him into an immortal, but into an entirely different creature. I warned him that for every positive aspect he gained, he would lose one. A spell is a contract between the recipient and the fates. Everything has a price. He didn’t care. He only wanted to be indestructible. So I added a few clauses to the spells contract. A loop hole that would allow for his evil to be undone. To maintain his immortality he must consume the mortality of others, unfortunately that did not cause him as much pause as I had hoped. Another was that he could turn others, but they had the choice to maintain their humanity. I didn’t tell him of this though. Another was that I added a path that one could take that would lead to his destruction. He wanted invincibility, but I made it so only one of his own blood could deliver the killing blow. That left two options. His brother or his mother. To this day I do not know which one delivered the blow, but it was delivered none the less. He wanted unmatched power, so I made it to where if the person that was changed held an unmatched bond to the one that changed them, they would hold the same level of power. Whether it be mother, brother, or wife. Radu and his mother held the same amount of power as Vlad, as did Radu’s wife, Emma Rose. Emotion and affection were the keys to his destruction. Qualities that he worked to squash. His mother loved him, and his brother was close to him for a short time as children. Radu loved his wife, even if he didn‘t know it at the time. But if there were no feelings of fondness between the two then the one that was changed would not have as much power as the others.”

“It’s why I was never as strong as my sister. My father changed me and neither of us held any emotion for the other. Although I still held a strong bond with her and even through the distance I managed to be one of the most powerful. Much more powerful than my father. Something that irked him until his dying day. He held no emotion but I did. I had a sort of psychic bond with her and we were changed within seconds of each other. So even though I was not changed by the same person we were not far apart in power.” Edmund said from behind me. I turned to look at him.

“Who was your sister?” He smiled down at me.

“Emma Rose. Your long ago grandmother.”

“But…that means…” Lexi said staring up at him. We were distant cousins descended from the legendary twins. I came down directly from Emma Rose, and Lexi was a direct descendant of…Edmund, her twin brother.

“Yes, you are one of my direct descendants. It’s nice to finally get to meet you.”

“I thought you had died with your wife, hundreds of years ago.” He gave a sad smile.

“Unfortunately no. We had finally aged together, but she was murdered by hunters. It caused so much unrest with me that I stopped aging. So instead I found Claire and decided that I would rather spend my immortality in her company.”

“And what a marvelous several centuries it has been.” Claire answered giving him a fond smile that he returned. Then he turned back to me.

“I loved my sister dearly. I think we saved each other, our bond saved our humanity. And I have watched her descendants grow since her passing. You have the most likeness to her that I have ever seen. You even rival her daughter.”

“So where do we go from here?” Matt asked. In truth I had no idea. Zeke was building an army to take over all vampires, the humans were helping him. I had Edward out there building a resistance that were planning on following me. When I had no idea what I was doing. I felt like running from the room screaming. Instead I just dropped my head in my hands.

“Hey, it’s okay.” I looked up to see Devon kneeling right in front of me. “We’re here for you, you’re not in this alone. We’ll help you…all of us.” The last bit combined with the look in his eyes spoke volumes. He wasn’t just saying that they were there for me, he was saying that he was there for me. So not what I wanted to deal with right now. I took a deep breath and turned to Claire.

“What do you think. There’s really nothing to do until I know exactly what’s going on.” She looked thoughtful for a few moments.

“Well, this Zeke will not be sitting by idly. It takes a lot of work to overthrow an entire race. We don’t even know his motivation besides greed. Edward is doing his part, but until they’re here there’s nothing to do on that front. I will alert the coven as to what’s going on. Those who wish to fight will. I have a feeling that Zeke does not know of us so that gives us an advantage. We can fight him on our terms and in our own time. Now what is the situation on the werewolf front?” She asked turning to Sam.

“I have my entire pack with me they are camped out in your woods right now, on this side of the perimeter spells. They are willing to fight at Jaide’s side, several of them have been keeping a protective eye on her since she was sixteen anyway. Those that haven’t figure that once he gets control of the vampires it won’t be long till he turns to the wolves.” He came to stand at the desk and I stood to give him room. “But I suggest sending a scout out to the other packs. We are only one and there are maybe twenty something of us. It’s not enough to truly make a difference.”

“Agreed, I suppose a wolf would not be available to take the task.” Claire stated but Sam answered anyway.

“No, they will see nothing more than a rogue wolf on their territory. It’ll have to be a vampire, witch, or human. But if we act fast my guess is that you could get twenty or thirty packs here within the month.”

“How will we feed all of them? Even one pack will do a number on the surrounding forest if they only hunt in their wolf form. Let alone what they can eat just in their human form.” I said. Wolves ate a lot. No matter their form. It burns a lot of energy to change your shape.

“Oh sweet heart, we are not the only coven, even if we are the largest. We do not use magic on our crops simply because we do not have too. We can bring in a hundred times what we do now in a fraction of the time. Especially if we have more witches here to help. I will send a message to all that I know. Isn’t texting just wonderful?” I smiled at her enthusiasm of modern technology.

“Still there’s no guarantee that Edward will bring in enough vampires. Zeke had the advantage in that he does not need to hide to recruit. And fear will bring in more than kindness. And even if he does bring in a large number, how will we have enough blood?”

“The entire coven donates blood regularly. Just in case we get an injured vampire or two. And our blood will go a lot farther than a human’s.” Belle said joining our circle.

“Why?” Devon asked and I turned to explain.

“Witch blood has more power. One feeding is like ten feedings of human blood. A vampire will only need to feed a tenth of the number that they usually do. Plus, the magic in their blood makes the vampire much more powerful. It’s like an energy drink on steroids.” He nodded in understanding and I turned to the rest.

“This may be a bad idea, but what about the fey?”

“The what?” The question came from several directions at once. Only Claire, Sam, and Edmund knew what I was talking about. I ignored them for the time being focusing on the bigger situation at hand.

“Do you think they would be willing to help?” All three of them took deep breaths.

“Getting a message to them will be difficult. But I think it’s a good idea to contact them. They have as much claim on this world as we do.” Claire said and both Sam and Edmund groaned.

“Do we have too? They are so annoying.” Sam grumbled and Claire leveled a gaze at him.

“We are attempting to save the world as we know it. As it is even with all of our outside help it is likely that we will be outnumbered. We must pool our resources where we can get them.” He huffed a ’fine’. Then she turned to me. “I’m going to go set up a meeting with the coven and discuss who will be departing. Then I will get a few of the strongest to get a message to the fey. Amabel will you join me? I could use your power.” Belle nodded and followed both Claire, Edmund, and Sam out the door. Sam intended to give whoever will be going to the wolves a crash course in how to approach them. I turned to my friends only to see questioning looks in all directions. I sighed and dropped back into my chair.

“So I guess you want to know who the fey are huh?” I received several nods. “Okay, the wolves were created due to a separate line of evolution. Witches discovered the powers of the earth and universe. Vampires were created through that magic. But the fey were created by imagination. So many people believed in them that they actually came into existence. They started in Ireland and for the most part stay there. They are fairy, elves, pixies, banshees, and gnomes. They are the most widely believed in.

Now all of us make up the paranormal world, but we each have our own niche. Werewolves change their shape, vampires have the extra strength and senses, witches manipulate the magic in the world. The fey got precognition. Some of them have a hold on nature, but the majority of them can tell the future. But the future is fluid. So a lot of times one person will get one version while three other people may get three other versions.”

“Why didn’t Edmund and Sam like that you were going to get in contact with them?” Devon asked. It was a good question.

“Well, the fey can be very trying. It’s hard to have the patience to deal with them. First is their optimism. I’m all for being an optimist but they take it to a much higher level. Another thing is that with their ability to know something before it happens they tend to come across as a bit pompous.”

“So in other words we’re going to have to put up with chipper know-it-alls.” Jess said and I nodded.

“Yeah, but they’re powerful. Very powerful. The thing with all of our kinds coming together is that we are all almost equal in power. We just have different specialties. The ones you’re most likely to see on a battlefield are vampires and wolves. We have the strength, speed, and extra senses to cause some serious blood shed. You’ll find witches where you’d find archers. They do a hell of a lot of damage from a distance. The fey are the ones you want in the very back. They can tell you where to be and when. At the same time the ones that can’t tell the future, you definitely want on your side. They completely manipulate nature. You know how in some medieval movies you see trees and vines play a part in a battle? Well, the fey are the ones that can make trees stretch their roots and grab an enemy. Or vines reach out to do the same. Some of them can even send animals out to fight for them.” Matt let out a low whistle.

“This should be easy then.” Scotty said. I shook my head at him.

“It’s likely that we’ll only get a fraction of each group. And if Zeke scares half as many vampires into joining him as I expect he will, we’ll still be outnumbered. There are a lot of vampires, a lot of witches, and a lot of fey. But humans outnumber all of us two to one. Plus, it doesn’t matter how strong we are or how much power we have, enough bullets will still put us down.”

“How do you know all of this? I mean, you know about creatures we never knew existed and you know at least a little about battle and the odds. We never knew any of this.” I shrugged.

“I was raised with this. My parents trained me and what they couldn’t teach me the coven could.”

“They trained you to rule.” Nikolai answered softly. I didn’t have an answer.

Chapter 8

Zeke

 

 

“Zeke, come to bed.” Celeste whined from behind me. I longed for the day that I could dispose of her. Unfortunately she still served a purpose. It was so much easier to let her deal with the prisoners than to do it myself.

“In a moment.” I answered as I finished reading the letter that had arrived only moments before. I couldn’t help the smirk that appeared on my face.

It seemed my brother finally joined me in the world of vampire. And it wasn’t even by the hand of that nuisance Jaide. Though it was caused by their bonding and subsequent mating. Either way the end justified the means. I would have him under my control yet.

I had nearly succeeded before. If it wasn’t for that annoyingly forthright Jaide he would already be at my side. And when I had learned that Jaide had run from him I had had high hopes. But it seemed their bond was stronger than I had originally thought, since he followed her.

But she wouldn’t be a problem much longer. I had learned a long time ago that the path to obedience was the control of those they loved. Even now I was retracing her steps to find all that she had been close too. When I had those I would have her.

She would be inconsequential if the majority of the vampire nation did not already see her as their queen. I had begun my plans of vampire domination a decade ago. Ever since I had traced back my family tree. Even then I knew that my destiny held more than college and a career. I existed to rule, and rule I shall.

I searched for the vampires even then. I found Celeste and she was kind enough to introduce me to that world. It took some convincing but I finally got her to change me. Of course the first thing I did was dispose of my biggest obstacle, my annoying parents. They had forced me to spend years in therapy and to take medication that stunted my genius.

I didn’t count on Devon walking in on me. I had always intended for him to be by my side. I had planned on showing him my discoveries and convincing him to join me. I had planned to start small, just gain a small gathering, then growing slowly. I had not known at the time that the vampires already recognized a royal family. A sorry excuse for one as they did not even bother to rule anymore. And had not ruled since the time of Dracula.

So I was left with manipulation. It was pure luck that I even found Devon. Celeste had already been working for the so called hunters, and immediately reported his appearance to me. Celeste had impressed me back then. She was mistaken for a disgusting born vampire by then. As centuries ago she had tortured a witch in order to gain a spell that allowed her to walk in the light. Something I planned on doing once I got my hands on one of the pesky spell casters.

The humans were proving to be a nuisance as well. I had no intention of stopping at the vampires anymore. I would rule both races when this was over. But for now my success relied on a truce between us. They held the manpower and the weapons I needed. At least until I gained enough loyalty from the rest of the vampires. I needed to show them how much power I could give them.

If only I had been able to grab Devon before he escaped with the rest of them. Instead he had to go run to that miserable uncle of ours. Then gain the alliance with those disgusting dogs. They may prove to be more than just a nuisance.

I shook off my disappointment. I would rule over them all before everything was done. I just needed to be patient. I knew of the three spies they had in the human’s group. They were of no consequence to me. Let them know of my whereabouts for the time being. It only allowed me the chance to feed them false information. When the time came I would dispose of them properly. Until then they gave me an advantage.

I stood and stretched before joining Celeste in our bed. As annoying as she was in her bid to manipulate me she had an amazing body. One that I enjoyed multiple times throughout every night.

As she opened her arms to me the sheet slipped below the crest of her breasts, and I took my time enjoying the sight. Yes, she served a purpose yet. I rested my hands on her hips as I hovered over her, the extra strength in my muscles making it possible. I brought my lips to the hollow of her throat and breathed deeply before sinking my fangs into her soft skin. As she moaned in her pleasure I let the rest of my stress slide away and delved into the gloriousness of her body.

Impressum

Bildmaterialien: This wonderful cover was created by Nina Kari.
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 07.11.2013

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