26

y the time the first responders arrived at the Crifton site, the fire was fully involved. The glow from the blaze was seen for miles, leading some to believe it was a forest fire. And as more officials from The Brotherhood arrived on the scene, as well, they orchestrated the blaze as such—a forest fire. The firefighters and police on the scene assumed this to be work of the CIA or FBI, and all were ordered to remain silent on the matter, with each receiving a bonus for their work on this night. Money; the great negotiator.
But this was never about money for Lori. Money was no luxury to her. It was about control. To let someone like Owen to live after the control he had over her, compromised Lori’s domineering nature. And now he was no more. The feeling left a surge of euphoria within her. There was no emptiness as Owen prophesied. If there were any regrets it would be for her lack of restraint. Oh, how she wanted to deliver him to Demetrius and to witness his wrath. But Owen’s death was sealed no matter the prelude. Lori took an added solace in that thought.
One by one, the caravan reentered the underground parking lot. The mass of vampires, added with some freed werewolves, exited the packed trailers. The camaraderie of the attack and escape formed a bond between a few of them, some vampires even offering assistance in getting the werewolves home. It was an incredible sight for Lori.
As she left the van with Mikolas, the daytime liaison approached them.
Lori spoke before she could. “If this is about the trouble I’ve caused, you can tell your elder that we’ll be leaving at sunset. He’ll never have to deal with me again.”
“Please,” the woman said, “come with me.”
Lori detected a hint of somberness in the woman’s voice.
Deep within the haven the liaison led her, beyond the guestrooms and into an area restricted to haven employees. Miguel stood in front of a single door as he nodded for the woman to leave them.
As he spoke, the somberness within him was even stronger than the woman.
“Haven’s rarely have to deal with this kind of situation,” he began.
Confused, Lori replied, “What’s going on?”
“We strive to uphold a net of safety for the humans who seek shelter here, but even we fail from time to time.” Miguel opened the door.
The room was one all havens had, and all havens hoped to never use. Lori stepped into the cold room, it’s bare walls adding to the coldness. In the center of the room sat a table with a human form underneath a sheet. The scent of blood—her scent—filled Lori’s nose. She hurried to the table and pulled down the sheet.
No sadness found her. It was anger; familiar anger.
Lori touched the side of Jayda’s cool cheek, and then slid the sheet down further, checking for any new marks on her neck. The skin, now pale, shown the week old bite from the motel room but nothing else. She moved the sheet from her chest and found the blood dried on her shirt, surrounding a hole within the fabric. Lori ripped the shirt open and found the wound left by a knife.
Furious, she turned sharply to Miguel. “Who did this?”
“We believe it was the other human you brought here. He was seen leaving the room shortly before she was discovered.”
“He wouldn’t do this.”
Miguel remove a piece of folded paper from his pocket. “They found this on her body.” He handed her the paper.
Lori opened it, her eyes taking in the strange symbol. Below was a message written in Latin. The words sent the air from her lungs. The handwriting was Charles’, but the message…
“Excuse me,” she said, hurrying past Miguel and back upstairs to the parking area.
The large crowd from before had dwindled down to nearly half, while some stayed around to relive the night’s fun. Lori, on the other hand, stormed over to the lead van. Arden and Nicholas stood at the back of the van listening to an always-talkative Mikolas. He stopped talking as he saw Lori approach.
“Where’s that one guy, Christoff?” Lori asked.
Mikolas motioned to the front of the van. She marched on, finding the feeble human sitting on the ground with his back against the van. She handed him the paper.
“What can you tell me about this?” she demanded.
Christoff looked at the paper with slow moving eyes, then finally stood.
“This…” He stopped to reread the words underneath the symbol once more. “This here is the original hieroglyph used by The Brotherhood. It was abandoned when they aligned themselves with the government. But the words have nothing to do with it. ‘The King of Truth and the Queen of Lies will sleep within my Tomb.” He looked around Lori to see the two vampires and werewolf watching and listening, as well.
Lori crossed her arms. “Do you know a guy named Charles Winthrop? Blond hair, brown eyes, slender build, around his mid thirties? He use to work for The Brotherhood.”
“Charles Winthrop?” He stared at her, dumbfounded. “Charles Winthrop was killed ten years ago. And he was bald, grey eyes, weighed about 260 pounds, and was in his late forties. He tried to leave The Brotherhood and go public with our work. We managed to get to him before any damage was done.”
“How long have you worked for them?”
“Almost all my life it seems. It was the family business.”
“What’s this all about?” asked Nicholas.
Lori continued to stare at Christoff as she replied. “Jayda’s dead.”
Nicholas grabbed her arm, forcing her to look at him. “What?”
She tried to avoid his eye contact. “She was stabbed. They think it was Charles, the one who helped plan all of this.” She finally looked at him, tears threatening to leave her eyes. “I’m sorry. It was my fault.”
Nicholas’ eyes became distant as he backed away. “I want to see her.”
“She’s downstairs.”
Almost bolting into a run, Nicholas headed for the haven’s entrance with Arden following. Lori turned her attention back to Christoff.
“Jonas Reinhart. Do you know him?”
“Yeah. Everyone in The Brotherhood knows him.”
“Where can I find him?”
“You can’t. The man is like a ghost. He only shows up when a serious issue needs to be dealt with.”
Lori returned to crossing her arms, the once threatening tears now gone. “Who does he answer to?”
“No one knows.”
“But he does answer to someone?”
“He’s an errand boy, of course. But that’s all we’re allowed to know.”
“Is there any way I can find him?”
Christoff looked away as he shuffled through his memory. “He usually oversees our work. When a new piece is released onto the board, he won’t be far behind.”
“Piece?”
“Like in chess. We create the pieces to their game.”
Mikolas continued to listen.
“What is their game?” Lori asked.
“Currently? They want to take out Eden. But their real goal is SEVEN.”
“And you’re sure of this?”
Christoff grew uneasy before her, his eyes going from the vampire at her side, then back to her. “I’ve been with them through most of their planning. We’ve been testing different tactics to weaken Ingram mentally. We tried to eliminate his daughter, but she managed to escape that trap.”
Mikolas stepped in to ask, “You were the one’s responsible for drugging Keelan?”
“Was that his name?”
The shallowness of Christoff’s words cut through Mikolas. “Oh boy,” he said with a growing smile, “I know a couple of vampires who would love to get a hold of you.”
“I wasn’t a part of that team,” Christoff tried to defend. “I only heard about it.”
Lori shook her head at this new information. “Why does The Brotherhood want to get rid of Eden and SEVEN?”
“They are the only ones capable of waging war against The Brotherhood. Their plan is to hit them hard and take control. With SEVEN under their helm, they will have no threats in this world.”
“What about Redthorn?”
Mikolas spoke up. “Who’s Redthorn?”
“Redthorn,” answered Christoff, “is made up of two old families from the early Middle Ages. They were blessed with the strength and abilities of the vampire, but without the need for blood and the fear of the sun. They are very much mortal, but they do remain a threat to The Brotherhood. And this new strike against Eden will serve as one stone for two birds. Three children of Redthorn are staying at the estate until the end of next month. The attack will happen on the full moon before their departure. Those who will be killed are Ingram and the three in his care.”
“Shit,” Lori exhaled. Turning from them, she headed for the haven and down to where Nicholas and Arden went. She was once finished with all of this. She needed to be finished. But this news sent her back into the chaos. She had no direct ties to Eden, but the drive to send out a warning was more for the protection of her conscience.
Outside of the room where Nicholas stood by Jayda’s body, Arden waited patiently. Lori stopped to take in the scene and felt the sadness crawling forth once more. This was her fault. She brought Charles here.
The King of Truth and the Queen of Lies… Lori knew exactly what the line meant. But the last part, …will sleep within my Tomb, left her stumped. No matter what the ‘Tomb’ meant, the threat was clear. Charles knew who she was and the ties she carried, and this placed Demetrius in danger, as well.
As Arden finally looked at her, she hurried to him, arms embracing. “I need you to do a favor for me,” she whispered. Hugging him for a moment longer, she wanted him to embrace her as well, but his hands remained at his sides. Lori slowly pulled away. “I need to you to find Gabriel. Don’t tell him that I sent you. Don’t even mention my name. When you do find him, I need you to give him a message.”

25

n the rolling forest east of Seattle, a modern building sat tucked away, concealed from the stretch of road that snaked over the land miles away. The building looked like a three-story hospital. No vehicles were seen outside, but this was expected. Charles’ layout pointed out the garage that also served as a loading bay, and as Charles had also noted, two guards were stationed outside, having started their shift at 1A.M. It was now fifteen minutes after 2 A.M., and the guards remained as vigilant as the first minutes at their boring post.
Down the single, paved road, leading away from the facility and the bright exterior lights, a rumbling began. The guards exchanged glances and looked toward the dark road. The rumbling grew louder, shifting in pitch the closer it drew. Two bright headlights turned on and flooded the guards’ view, but it was clear what came screaming towards them.
At the last second, the guards dove out of the way as a large semi-truck, minus the trailer, barreled past, crashing into the metal door of the loading bay. The vehicle came to a dead stop as it fell short of breaching the reinforced door. The guards, with weapons trained on the cab, inched closer to the driver’s side and found the seat empty.
Back down the road, where he had leapt from the cab, the driver held up a small remote. The corners of mouth curled into a grin as he uttered one word, “Bang.” His thumb pressed on the remote’s button.
The truck exploded. The eruption of fire engulfed everything around, lighting up the surrounding woods and the small army cued into action by the blast. The vampires ran toward the fire as it began to die down. The explosion had ripped into the building just as planned, and the first wave of the attack was underway.
Lori followed Arden into the smoldering debris. Behind her was Mikolas, the bold vampire who wanted to be the driver of their battering-ram, but was turned down by Lori.
Upon entering the main building, the group split into two teams; one to clean out the upper floors, while Lori and Arden led a team downstairs to the holding cells. As they came to the first level of cells, they were met with a team of Crifton officials. The faux soldiers opened fire, some using bullets while the others fired darts. Several of the darts struck their unlucky targets, dropping the vampires in a matter of seconds.
Mikolas heard the horror stories about this drug and switched into action. He raised his gun, chosen from the amassed pile at the haven, and began to fire, dropping the enemy faster than they could reload. The other vampires used Mikolas’ first shots to will themselves into action. Out of all the modern weapons gathered for this mission, Arden still used his knife.
The hall soon fell into silence. The vampires looked around for anyone else to kill. Mikolas bolted into action, once more, as he went over to the hall’s control panel and opened all the cell doors. Lori went to one of the fallen guards and removed the keys from his belt, then tossed them to Mikolas. One by one, they entered each cell and removed the prisoners’ restraints. At the end of the hall, with the last cell opened, Lori’s stomach knotted.
Okay, so he’s not on this floor. There are two more floors left of holding cells.
The newly released inmates followed the orders of their rescuers and ran upstairs and for the safety of the woods. The team then continued on to the next floor, and again they were met with more guards, this group flanked by men with rifles. Lori hung back as the vampires began clearing the way. Through the chaos, her eyes saw the faces of The Brotherhood guards—those stern, emotionless expressions. And then she saw him.
Owen Hartley.
Lori stepped from the doorway, eyes locked on Owen. Everything around her faded as all of her focus surrounded this man.
Owen lowered his rifle as he too spotted this ghost from his past. But this wasn’t the right place to confront her. Moving back, he ran past his men and into the stairwell. Lori ran after him, ignoring the firefight still going on.
Arden hurried before her and killed the remaining men with his knife. As Lori reached the stairwell, he grabbed her arm, pulling her back into the hall.
“Stick to the plan,” Lori ordered. “I have something I need to do on my own.”
“Not alone!”
“Yes, alone!” She stared at him, unable to hid her anger. “Stay up here with them. I’ll be alright. Go find Nick.” Lori felt his hand loosen, then release. “Thank you.”
Continuing on, she entered the stairwell and listened. The thumping of boots echoed, fading as Owen reached the bottom of the stairwell. She then heard the sound of a heavy door close. Lori retrieved the gun from her waist and readied the chamber as she hurried down the stairs.
On the lowest floor, the one set aside for executions and disposal, Lori walked cautiously along. So far each room was empty, not too surprising given the nature of the floor.
A metal rustling of a doorknob sent Lori into action, gun aimed high. A man stepped into the hall and fired. The dart struck the wall behind her. Lori fired her own gun, her bullet hitting its target. The man fell to the floor, blood pooling from the back of his head. Hurrying over to the door he exited from, Lori checked inside for any other workers. The sound of whimpering came to her sharp ears. Behind a steel table, two women cowered. They pleaded with her not to shoot. Lori lowered the gun for a moment. These two women weren’t to be pitied. How many had they killed in the name of their sciences?
Lori raised the gun, firing twice into each of their heads. It was her own order. Cleanse the place.
Back in the hall, she made her way to the end, a room she had feared to see once more. It was larger than the facility in Arizona, and the fire within the boiler seemed even hotter. But this was it—the place where The Brotherhood disposed of their “trash”.
An object on the floor drew her attention. As she went over to inspect the discarded handgun, she found its magazine missing. A trap.
From further in the boiler room, shots rang out. The bullets struck Lori in the hip and upper arm. She fell to the ground, yet managed to swing arm around, still holding her gun. Another shot rang. The bullet smashed into her hand and sent the gun across the floor and out of reach.
Owen stepped into the open and aimed his gun at her head.
“Talk about a coincidence,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s almost kismet, really. I’m transferred here three days ago, and now you show up. The Powers That Be must have answered my prayers.”
“I don’t belong to you,” hissed Lori. “I never belonged to you.”
“So vain. I never wanted you back for one last fuck. I wanted you back so I could kill you.”
Lori seethed at the smashed bones in her body as she fought to sit. “So why the change? The last time you pointed a gun at me, you wanted to shoot Jonas instead. Did Big Boss Man have a long talk with you about getting too close to your pets? And now, I bet you’re wanting to prove to him that you aren’t some mindless soldier, always thinking with that tiny morsel you call a dick.” She started to laugh.
Owen reaffirmed his grip on his gun. “We both know you enjoyed our time together. You were so eager to please me.”
“Did I have any other choice? I’d rather play nice to a total prick than face a permanent death. Come on, shoot!”
Owen relaxed his hand and lowered the gun. “I know now that won’t work.” He went for the knife sheathed on the outside of his boot. “But I know that removing the heart and head kills all.”
Lori moved fast, going for his wrists with her hands as she pulled him towards her and threw her head forward, smashing into his own head. She then brought knee up, burying it into his abdomen. The abrupt attack, though as violent as she could make it, wasn’t enough to stop him. Owen still struggled against her, fighting to aim the gun into her body. Lori gritted her teeth at the pain within her hand as she worked the gun away from him, and then with her good hand still holding onto his other wrist, she squeezed until his bones snapped. Owen let out a cry, mixed with cursing aimed at Lori.
The half-breed let him fall to the floor where she once sat. Emptying the gun, she tossed it across the room, followed by the knife. Lori grabbed him once more, holding him by the throat with her good hand. She checked him for anymore weapons. Finding him unarmed, she heard him begin to laugh.
“You win,” he said. “Kill me.”
“Now who’s vain?” she sneered. “You’re not mine to kill.”
“You’re going to let someone else have the satisfaction of killing me? After all of these years?” He began laughing again, a sound that annoyed Lori more than nails on a chalkboard.
She stared at him, waiting until his eyes returned to her. “You are going to be a gift to my husband.”
“Husband?”
Lori’s hand tightened around his throat. “Demetrius of Gysai.”
Owen’s heavy breathing subsided as his mind worked out what she was saying. As the theory, brought forth by her statement, was added with the facts, he felt his legs begin to buckle. It all made sense now—how she survived were normal dhampirs were so easily destroyed, and how her body reacted differently to the drugs, and no amount of mental conditioning seemed to work.
“You’re…” The name refused to leave him. He felt her hand relax as he fought to speak again. “Dianthia? That’s not possible. She was never real.”
“Believe what you wish.”
Owen’s jaw tightened. She wasn’t bluffing. The fate she was promising him—a gift to her husband—death would surely follow, but only after weeks or months of torture. “Go ahead,” he choked out, “kill me.”
“And where’s the fun in that? I would much rather see him deal with you. Far more entertaining for me.”
“Are you that pathetic that you can’t kill me yourself?”
“Wow. You’re trying to anger me. Why? Are you more afraid of him than me?” Lori pulled him closer. “He and I are of the same flesh, or as so marriage states. I am capable of the same painful delights as he.”
“Quit lying to yourself. You’re just a coward. You can’t kill me. You’ve grown too fond of me. Over these years, I’ve become your Holy Grail. You’ve planned for the day you would get your chance to kill me. Now that the moment has arrived, you can’t go through with it. Because when it’s over, you’ll have no other goal in life. How pathetic.” He continued laughing, again.
Lori dug her nails in deeper and sneered, her fangs answering her boiling anger as they made themselves known. “Don’t flatter yourself. In a thousand years from now, you’ll be just another footnote in my endless life.”
In a quick tug, she ripped her nails through his skin, his blood spilling fast. Stunned, Owen grabbed onto her as his strength left him. Lori followed him to the floor. She leaned in, whispering into his ear, “Consider this me showing you mercy.” Moving to his neck, she tasted the blood pulsating from him. It was untainted. Lori closed her mouth over the opened skin and drank in the clean blood.
In the top corner of the far wall, a camera picked up on the events below. The images, transmitted a thousand miles away to another office—the flagship of The Brotherhood, would be replayed before the eyes of the society’s creator.

On the floor above the boiler room, the last of the cells were being opened. Mikolas saw the guardian, Arden, head straight for a certain cell. Inside, the form of Nicholas lay, shackled and chained to the wall. Arden grabbed the heavy chains and pulled, ripping them free with one tug.
Mikolas entered the cell. “I have the keys, you know,” he said, giving them a jingle. He then went to the werewolf’s side and unlocked the collar and shackles. “Is this him? The one you all were after?”
Arden didn’t answer as he kneeled beside him, gathering the werewolf into his arms.
Nicholas’ eyes fluttered open and saw Arden’s blurry form come into focus. “It’s about time,” he said, voice raspy.
Shouting came from the hall, but this wasn’t the sounds of a fight, but rather arguing. Mikolas left Arden to investigate and found a crowd gathering by another cell. He pushed his way inside. Two vampires, both of them once prisoners, argued over another prisoner still shackled. But this prisoner was different from the others. He was human.
“What’s going on?” demanded Mikolas.
The vampire prisoner pointed at the human. “He’s with The Brotherhood!”
Someone else called out, “Then why was he locked up?”
“He was a prisoner for a reason,” Mikolas pointed out. He approached the frightened human. His ash blond hair was disheveled and his green eyes looked wildly about room. He looked sick with his pale skin and sunken in features.
The other vampire prisoner spoke out in his defense. “They used him to feed us.”
“What’s your name?” asked Mikolas.
The man’s eyes continued to moved about the room, taking in the new faces. “M-my name’s Christoff.”
“Why did they lock you up?”
“They labeled me a traitor.”
“Are you a traitor?”
Once again, he looked around, nervous. “Yes.”
“Good.” Mikolas turned to the others. “He is to live. Now hurry up! We have one more floor to clear.”
The crowd dispersed as they went for the stairwell. Mikolas finished unlocking Christoff’s restraints and guided him into the hall. Arden waited in the hallway with Nicholas’ arm over his shoulder, keeping the weak werewolf from collapsing.
Mikolas nodded at them. “Take this guy with you, and keep an eye on him.”
Slowly, Christoff shuffled off to follow the vampire and werewolf. Mikolas, however, wasn’t finished with his job. With a gun in one hand and keys in the other, he headed into the stairwell.

Lori sat beside the dead body of Owen, her eyes staring at nothing. It was finally over. She can live her life once more. No more hiding.
As she found herself lost in the absence of thought, she failed to hear the sound of the vampires entering the level and searching the rooms. A few more muffled shots rang out as other humans were discovered hiding, overlooked as Lori centered in on her prey. With the sound of ransacking growing louder, Lori’s body remained still. A hand gently rested on her shoulder, snapping her back in reality.
Lori looked up to see Mikolas.
“We’re ready,” he said.
Looking down at Owen’s wide-eyed stare, she gave the order. “Burn it.”
Mikolas opened the door to the hall and called out, “Time to light it up!”
The vampires entered the boiler room where the ransacking continued, and opened the large boiler. Lori felt the rush of heat, and with it, the rush of panic. She need to get out of there and into the coolness of the woods. As she entered the hall and walked toward the stairs, she found herself moving faster and faster until she broke into a full run. Passing through the fractured loading bay door, she stepped into the coolness of the night. She hurried a few strides more, then stopped and turned to face the facility. The fires on the top floors were already beginning, and the fires on the lower half would meet them in the middle.
With the final phase underway, the vampires started to flee, some carrying the ones who fell under the weight of H13. But the antidote was already in their possession, found on one of the top floors, though using it had to wait until they were a safe distance away.
Smoke began to pour from loading bay as well as the first flickering light of fire. Again, Lori felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Remember,” said Mikolas, “the window is a small one. The fire trucks will be here soon.” He took her hand. “The fire is a nice sight, but we need to go.”
Lori tore her eyes from the scene and followed Mikolas down the road. Other vampires ran alongside them to the waiting vehicles. Parked a mile down the road, the two tractor-trailers rumbled into life, including the waiting cars and vans. Lori climbed into the lead van with Mikolas and found Arden with Nicholas in the back. Another person sat with them, head down and arms wrapped tightly around his body.
“Who is he?” she asked as the door was closed behind her.
“A traitor to The Brotherhood,” replied Arden.
“Let me rephrase. Why is he here?”
Nicholas spoke up. “He was too weak to be left behind.”
“He might be useful,” added Mikolas.
The van lurched into motion as it sped down the road.
“For what?” Lori snapped back. “My dealings with The Brotherhood are over.”
“But for the world it isn’t,” Mikolas calmly pointed out.
Again, Nicholas spoke up, his words for Lori. “Thank you.”
Lori glanced at him. “I did this for her, too, you know. She’s really worried that something would go wrong.”
“But everything went off without a hitch,” Mikolas chimed in. “I was amazed at how accurate our info was.”
“We’re not finished, yet,” she said. “We still have the injured to tend to.” Glancing at the clock on the dash, she mentally counted their route. “We’ll need to stop somewhere before dawn, access the damage, then continue to the haven.”
“Speaking of injured…” He touched her arm. Lori flinched. “The bullet is still in there.”
“Of course it is,” she said sarcastically. “I’m like a bullet magnet.” She then held up her injured hand. “This is the lucky one, I guess.”
Mikolas took the hand into his, looking it over. “Already healing. Uh, that’s pretty fast.”
The ride back south was on an alternate route, this one heading southeast before entering the road that would take them back to Redding. A few hours before dawn, the caravan stopped along a remote area where they spent fifteen minutes to recuperate. Lori remained in the van during this time, while Mikolas removed the bullets from her body and bandaged fast healing wounds.
The whole time spent in the van, the human named Christoff remained quiet. His time to speak wasn’t now. And he really didn’t know when he should. But the information he carried, though assumed to be irrelevant to Lori, would send her back into another battle.

24

ot a foolproof plan.”
Charles’ words reverberated in Lori’s head. He continued to pick out the overlooked details, as if trying to find some way to persuade her to forget this suicide mission. The biggest and most costly detail was the fact that the facility will be armed with H13. But Lori was quick to remind him that they also carried the antidote. “And besides,” she added, “these guys are the distraction I need to get in and find him.”
Included with the vampires willing to help, a handful of humans joined in, mainly to serve as drivers for the daily trip north.
And finally, the day had arrived.
Charles stood in the underground parking lot as the small army of vampires loaded into the two tractor trailers. Other vehicles, mostly dark vans and a few cars, carried the brave humans. Lori stood by the lead van, speaking with the driver as her eyes caught sight of Charles. She told the man to wait before hurrying over to him, the excitement in her unable to be contained.
Charles rolled in his lips as he tried to hide his smile. “I guess there’s no talking you out of this now.”
“There was never any way you could talk me out of this.”
He let out a sigh. “And if this doesn’t work?”
Lori looked back at the last of the vampires to enter the packed trailers, then whispered, “Then I guess I’ll have to call in for some backup.”
Charles ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t see how you can be so calm about this.”
She shrugged. “Good breeding, I guess.”
“Once you leave, I’m gone. Don’t come looking for me. I’m finished with all of this.”
“Alright,” Lori said, reluctantly. “If that is what you want. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
“I should say ‘you’re welcome,’ but I’m not feeling it right now.”
“I understand. Thank you anyway.” Lori stepped in closer and gave him a hug. Seconds passed before Charles slowly returned the hug. The small act felt abnormal to him, especially in that moment and in their location. But in this awkward gesture he knew the tides were turning. This was the end of one era and the start of something new.
Lori pulled away and gave saddened smile. “I hope we do meet again someday.”
“I doubt you really mean that.”
“I do mean it. But I hope it’s under better circumstances.”
A nervous laugh left him. “Perhaps.”
“I’m being honest.”
Charles took her hands and held them to his chest. “Then you better survive.”
“That I can promise.” Lori gave him one last hug, then returned to the van.
Charles watched from the sidelines as the caravan rumbled into life and exited the parking area. The homestretch. Just one more thing left to do before he could leave.
Reentering the haven, Charles went down the stairs to the last level. He knocked on the door to Lori’s room and waited. A few seconds later a tiny voice came from the other side.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Charles.”
The door cracked open as Jayda made sure it was Charles, then opened it further.
“They already left,” she said.
“I know. I saw them leave.”
“So is this your goodbye?”
“Nothing else is keeping me here,” he said, extending his hand. “It’s been a pleasure to have met you, Jayda.”
She looked at his hand then face, then back to his hand. With her own hand extending, she took his. As his skin touched hers, all sight left her under the collision of a new, ominous vision. A massive form, black and towering, roared for itself to be seen. The colossal symbol was accompanied by the sour stench of death, burning her just as strong as the symbol. Jayda held on until the vision broke the steady stream of her consciousness.
Charles caught Jayda as her body collapsed and carried her to the bed. He then returned to the door, debating on whether to leave now or tend to the poor girl. But the decision was already made for him. Calmly, he closed the door and went to Jayda’s bedside. He sat beside her, taking her hand into his and using the other to rest on her forehead.
“Jayda, can you hear me?”
Jayda’s lifeless body jumped into life as she gasped for air. “Don’t… touch me. Don’t touch me!”
Charles removed his hands, bewildered by the reaction of his touch. The girl began to calm down with each shuddering breath.
“What happened, Jayda?”
Another wave of panic hit her as her eyes snapped around, focusing on nothing. “I can’t see. Everything’s black.”
Charles leaned in and saw the pupils fully dilated. “It looked like you had a massive stroke.”
“I’ll be fine,” she whispered.
Sitting back, he watched the girl rub away the tension from her face. He finally spoke, his voice hushed. “What did you see?”
Jayda removed her hands and saw her vision returning. “I didn’t see anything.”
“Don’t lie. I know you saw something when our hands met.”
“It was nothing.”
“It was important enough to be seen.”
Rubbing her face once more, she took her time in answering him. “I saw a symbol—massive and frightening.”
“What did it look like?”
“Like a utility pole with a halo going through it.”
Charles went to the table, picked up a pencil and began to draw on a small piece of paper. He then returned to the bed to show her the drawing. “Did it look like this?”
Jayda blinked at the image. “Yeah. That’s it.” She heard him sigh as he sat on the side of the bed, once more.
“That’s the ancient symbol used by The Brotherhood. It was abandoned when they aligned with the US Government. That else did you see?”
“That’s all. But I did get the scent of something decaying. It was so strong that it burned my eyes.”
Charles seemed relieved. “You saw my past.”
“And you’re not weirded out by this?”
“I’ve seen some strange things in my life. A girl with visions isn’t new.”
“And it’s the only reason they’re keeping me around.”
Looking at the symbol, Charles took in a well-needed deep breath. “No destiny is written in stone. Some things can be changed.” He reached for her hand, grabbing it before she could pull away.
Another vision poured into Jayda’s mind, this one depicting Ancient Egypt. A ship arriving from the lands up north docked along the Nile. The men aboard, dressed in Roman clothes, begin to exit. Jayda’s inner eyes center on one man: Charles.
Jayda pulled her hand away from Charles and stared at him, confused and breathless.
“Your mind,” he said, “though rare, is a very dangerous weapon in this world. And if I were to sit back and allow Gysai to add you to her Court, then the result would be less to my liking.”
His words—the coldness of his tone—sent a chill through Jayda’s veins. She began to back away from him. Charles followed her, his hand gliding from behind his back and holding onto something silver. Jayda’s eyes locked onto a knife as it was lifted into the air and driven down toward her body. The blade entered into her chest, past her ribs and missing her heart. But Charles’ aim wasn’t off. His target was her aorta.
With the knife still in place, he lowered himself to whisper into her ear, recalling the vision she explained to him. “You saw your death at the hands of something you perceived as evil, and your mind assumed it to be a vampire. Of course, there was no possible way for you to fear a necromancer when you didn’t even know they exist.” Moving up higher, he kissed her forehead. “Oh, Jayda, what fun we could have had. But this was never about you. I have a bigger trophy in my sights.” He backed away, taking the knife with him in a slow tug.
Jayda tried to breathe but the blood began to enter her damaged airway and fill her stomach and mouth. She coughed and fought for any air, even grasping at the pain in her chest with her hands.
Charles grabbed the bottom of her shirt and wiped the knife clean before placing it back. He then returned to watch her, the blood now moving from her mouth. The girl’s death was a quiet one. The blood did the silencing for him. It was a kill he mastered over a millennia ago.
Picking up the paper again, he went back to the table, adding a small line of text below the symbol. He then stood by the bed once more, carefully placing the paper on the girl’s body.
Time was against him now. The blood would attract the vampires soon. He needed to be out of this place before anyone discovered the scene. As calmly as he could, Charles left the room and made his way back to the parking lot. A few stragglers of vampires and humans waited where the tractor trailers one sat. They paid no attention to the human climbing into his car and leaving the lot.

23

very time Nicholas left his cell he was sent to a new room, questioned until his mind went numb, and ultimately waking up back in his cell. And with the start of a new day, he knew more of the same would follow.
Sitting at a new table in another new room, Nicholas saw more of the same equipment from the previous days, added with a few pieces of electronics. A man began pasting monitoring wires to certain places on Nicholas’ skin, including the sides of his head. He was getting use to this part. But it was the questioning he fear.
The woman, Sarah, sat across from him, same folder before her and relaxed demeanor woven throughout her body. To her, this was just another day at the office. Settling on a paper filled with notes she began the session.
“Just like before, I’m going to ask you a series of questions.”
Nicholas felt a pinch on his upper arm and saw the man injecting a syringe. Was this part new? Seeing the empty syringe leave him, the image seemed familiar, and this sent his skin to smolder.
“You spoke of your mother and father yesterday,” said Sarah, gently laying her hands on the table. “You said that you were happy your father was gone.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“I’m sorry you don’t remember, but you did say it, and quite eloquently, I might add. You also said that because of your mother’s death, it allowed you to completely hate your father and to do what was necessary to kill him. You went on to say that now knowing the result, you were also thankful for her death, as well.”
“I would never say that.” Nicholas’ sudden burst of anger sent the heart monitor to beeping faster. The man noted the change on his own paper.
Sarah continued. “Do you think the one responsible killed your mother fast or slow?”
Nicholas felt his vision twisting in on itself and his head swirling in the opposite direction. The man at his side switched on another machine, this one bellowing out a series of drumming and squelches.
“Tell me about her death,” Sarah asked.
With breaths coming quick and shallow, Nicholas fought to answer her. “I don’t… I’m not talking.”
“But you are talking to me. We are having a nice conversation. You were telling me about your mother, and how much you miss her. What happened that day? How did she die?”
Nicholas closed his eyes tight. “She was murdered.”
“Who murdered her?”
“A vampire.”
“What did he do to her?”
“They wouldn’t tell me everything.” He kept his eyes closed and head down as he fought against his answers and the burning within his veins.
“How did you find out?”
“Allen told me. He was the first to find them.”
“What did he say?”
Nicholas squirmed in his chair, the shackles rattling with each movement. “There was… She had been dismembered and gutted like an animal. They had no other choice. They burned her there and buried her bones in the town’s cemetery.”
Sarah paused, watching and waiting as she hoped the imagined vision played over and over in his mind. Finally, she continued. “Do you hate them for not letting you see what happened?”
“I didn’t need to see it. I can already see it.”
“I bet she deserved to die.”
Nicholas forced his shaky eyes onto the woman. “No one deserves that.”
“How very hypocritical. You kill all the time, and yet you have no remorse.”
“That is different.”
“You pass your own judgment onto others. You need to find no remorse within your kills. Your father allowed your mother to be killed. If he loved her so much, he would have suffered through any amount of pain to save her. In the end, he gave up. He allowed that monster to have his fun while he was forced to watch.”
Nicholas lowered his head, eyes closed tight once more. “Stop it.”
“I wonder how he started. Did he disembowel her first before removing her limbs, or did he start slow, torturing her first?”
Every muscle within Nicholas tensed as his mind unwillingly saw the scene she painted for him. The machine bellowing the irritating sounds flooded into his mind, as well, making the imagery more vivid. In his clenched fists, he felt his nails lengthen and dig into his palms. The muscles along his spine also tightened. The pain was like that of the first time his body bent to the weight of the full moon. That first change was the most painful for every werewolf.
“Hopeless,” Sarah whispered, but her voice screamed in Nicholas’ ears. “You were and will always be hopeless. You will never find justice for your mother or the life that was destroyed. You are nothing more than an empty shell. Empty. Everything that once defined you is now gone. You are a void. You are a void that will be filled with your rage. You need this to see that nothing is as perfect as taking hold of someone’s life and making them feel as hopeless as you. Your anger is your weapon—your power.”
Nicholas twisted against his restraints. His jaw tightened amidst the pain of his changing body. His teeth lengthened and bones popped and reformed, the process bulging his skin as it too changed with the surfacing of new hair.
Sarah sat back, pleased at how well things were progressing. There was hope for this one. As she calmly watched the writhing werewolf, she continued to whisper, “You will never allow yourself to be the weaker one. You answer to no one. You will always be the beast incarnate. You are your rage.”

22

n the conference room on the lowest level of the haven, Charles sat off to the side while more than two dozen vampires, mostly male, pooled all the guns they could find. Though he knew older vampires preferred to use their hands and fangs in a fight, these young ones were spoiled by modern weaponry. And in this case, taking on The Brotherhood needed instruments that yielded quick kills. Then again, fangs wouldn’t be needed in the upcoming battle. The newest tactic employed by The Brotherhood had each of the workers’ blood tainted. The result wasn’t toxic to vampires, but it skewed the taste enough to stop one from feeding.
Charles continued to watch the bustling scene, amazed at how fast the little operation blossomed into a force now thirty strong. Most joined in with the promise of unbridled fun, something rarely allowed in the modern age. And all through word of mouth. Seeing how much could be accomplished within a week’s worth of planning, Charles became more impressed with inner workings of haven society.
At the head of the long, conference table, Lori stood with Arden while she spoke with a few vampires she appointed as the leaders of the mission. The lap dog, Arden, seemed uninterested in the conversation as he stared through the crowd, eyes on Charles standing alone by the wall. There was no way to earn this vampire’s trust. But that was the nature of all guardians he had to remind himself. Be wary of everyone, even if you have no reason to do so.
Charles broke eye contact with Arden and looked around the room once more, taking in the eclectic group. His eyes returned to the head of the table as Lori pulled herself to stand on the chair. She didn’t call out for their attention; instead, she waited until each one slowly began to notice her. Once the room fell into complete silence, Lori spoke.
“Some of you know why you are here. Others have heard only rumors. But all have one fact; you will get your hands bloody.”
The room erupted in whispers of excitement, then died down once more.
Lori waited until the room grew quiet again before continuing. “The place we will be hitting is a facility called Crifton. It is a part of a larger network going by the title of The Brotherhood of Osiris.”
A male vampire called out from the crowd. “The fuck, it’s real?”
“Started during the World War II, The Brotherhood was, at first, a secret research group that was funded by the government. It is said that The Brotherhood began in ancient Egypt by a group of necromancers. But now, with the government fueling them, they took their practices into the world of science. You’ve heard the ghost stories of vampires disappearing and werewolves blatantly attacking crowds of humans. And these attacks never see a the news or a mention by officials.”
Another vampire spoke up. “Sounds more like SEVEN to me.”
Lori replied before thinking. “I fear this group more than SEVEN.”
“Why would a human fear them?”
Freezing for a moment, she looked upon the many eyes staring back at her. With calming breath, words she least wanted to say found themselves on her tongue. “I am not human, and it is that reason The Brotherhood captured me and imprisoned me for five years. I have others I can ask to do this job for me, but I believe that something more visually impressive would send a stronger message. And I also believe in sharing the fun, something my father would not allow. I am tired of running and hiding in the shadows. I have spent many years trying to live a life for myself. And until this threat is burned from this world, I will place my life on hold.” Lori motioned to the vampire standing beside her chair. “This here is Erikson. He has been heading up the design for this campaign. He is your leader, not me. Listen well to his orders and you will have a night to remember for centuries to come.”
Erikson, always the gentlemen, helped Lori from the chair, then turned to address the group for himself. Lori walked around the edge of the crowd, gaining a few curious glances as she passed. Arden followed her, scouring for any possible threat. As they neared the door, Charles moved in, voice hushed. “Stirring speech, though a little redundant in places. You really didn’t need to hint at what you are. Some folks don’t like those who come from both sides, if you know what I mean.”
“I know,” she whispered back. She began to walk toward the door.
“You’re not going to stay?” Charles questioned.
Lori glanced around the room, her eyes lingering on Erikson as he outlined their course of action. “My work here is done. The fires are lit. Time to sit back and wait.” Continuing for the door, she found a tattooed arm reaching for the handle. Lori looked up and saw a grinning Mikolas.
“A half-breed,” he said, amused. “Nice to finally know they exist.”
“Can you do me a favor and walk me to my room?”
“I’d love to, but I don’t want to miss the briefing.”
“You’ll be on my team when we get there. I’ll tell you all you need to know then.”
Stunned, Mikolas’ eyes shot to the guardian always at her side. “You already have an escort. I don’t want to step on any toes.”
Lori nodded at Arden who obeyed the silent command and stepped away. She then motioned for the door. Mikolas, still stunned, opened the door and allowed Lori to exit first.
In the hall and away from prying ears, Lori waited a few strides before speaking.
“Tell me about the job you did for Eden,” she asked.
He gave a small shrug and replied, “Like I said before, we just had to breach security long enough to go in and get the girl.”
“Who hired you?”
“A vampire named Gabriel.”
Lori stopped walked. “Gabriel? Tall, blond, hunts werewolves for fun?”
Mikolas stopped walking as well. “Yeah, that’s him.”
“Why would he go after Ingram’s daughter?”
He shrugged again. “I don’t know the full story, but it was Keelan’s plan in beginning. He got her out of Eden the first time, during the big attack. Then she was captured and sent back. That was when Gabriel took charge and went in there to get her out.”
“So she is Keelan’s?”
“No. She’s Gabriel’s. Gabriel became her sire.”
“What?” Lori exclaimed. The news was the last thing she expected to hear.
“Yup,” Mikolas said, once entertained by the events himself. “I can only imagine daddy-Ingram’s face when he found out.”
“Wait… where are they now?”
“Last I heard, they went into hiding. I think over in Europe… or was it Canada? Anyway, no one has heard from them in months. She was also the one responsible for the recent haven anarchy.”
Lori shook her head at the overload of information. “Haven anarchy?”
“When daddy’s lil’ girl left Eden the second time, she smuggled out a copy of the database used by SEVEN to keep track of havens, werewolf packs, and even individual vampires and werewolves. Vampires began abandoning the havens, including some of the elders. It was a real mess there for a while. But things are starting to settle down.”
“Wow. I’m out of the loop for five years and this is what I miss.”
“This all happened five months ago. Up until now, it’s been pretty boring. But something big is going to happen. I can sense it. You can’t poke a beehive like Eden without seeing some reaction.”
“Oh, Gabriel,” Lori sighed, “what have you gotten yourself into this time?”
“I wouldn’t worry too much about him.” Seeing her eyes resting on his once more, Mikolas broke under the small look of worry on her face. “Though I’ve only met Gabriel once, he seems like a resilient guy—balls of steel and takes shit from no one—you have nothing to worry about.”
“That’s why I worry,” she said, walking faster to her room.
Mikolas hurried after her. “You mentioned your father, and that had me wondering… Any hints at a name?”
Lori reached the door to her room and was stopped by Mikolas, his hand reaching the handle before hers once again.
“Just a small hint, please.”
With her patience beginning to wear thin from everything, she turned to face him, all facades and games melting away. “No hints,” she said. “My father’s name is Jharell.” She took the handle from him, adding, “Goodnight, Mikolas. Thank you for walking me to my room.”
Mikolas found himself staring at the door after it closed. He blinked a few times as his mind registered the name and the image it created once the puzzle pieces slammed into place. As truth crashed into him, a small sound left his mouth.
“Oh.”

21

he feared entity that was The Brotherhood was less like a shadowy, dirty band of vigilantes and more like a well-oiled, well-funded, research facility, as Nicholas came to describe it. His eyes looked around the new room he was ushered into. It was medium sized, open and bare, except for the metal table and two chairs in the center. The guards that led him into the room fastened his new set of shackles to one of the chair’s arms and legs, with the chain running between his ankles attaching to a metal loop and padlock on the floor. These guys left nothing to chance.
The new shackles were traded for the first set, and were surprisingly made without silver. Nicholas was also given a new pair of cheap pants in place of the ones he shredded earlier. The small changes occurred moments before being led into the hall and into uncertainty.
A woman in her fifties, the one who first peered into his cell, entered the room and sat across from him. She looked like a doctor, or someone pretending to be a doctor, complete with a white lab coat, reading glasses, and her brown hair loosely swept up in a bun. Her brown eyes looked through her glasses and at the open folder on the table. As she flipped through the pages, she retrieved a pen from her coat pocket and began writing on an empty form.
“My name is Sarah,” she said, writing in her notes. “No last name needed, so we needn’t worry about formal pleasantries.” She flipped to a new form and continued speaking. “I see here that you were quick to pass our first test.”
Nicholas’ eyes squinted at her statement.
She glanced at him then explained. “You are resourceful. Some subjects take twenty minutes before using their clothing to ease their pain, while others allow themselves to suffer. But make no mistake, if by any reason you become a naughty puppy, we will return you to your silver jewelry and leave you naked. That is your only warning. Now, let us get down to business. I will ask you some questions and you will answer with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Do you understand?”
Looking at the two stoic guards left in the room, Nicholas answered, “Yes.”
“Alright. Are your eyes hazel?”
“Yes.”
“Is your hair blond?”
“Yes.”
“Is your full name Nicholas William Conrad?”
He took in a deep breath. “Yes.”
“Are you part of a pack?”
“No.”
“Do you have a mate?”
“No.”
Sarah’s eyes peered over her glasses as she questioned further. “You were observed with a female, yet she is not your mate?”
Nicholas’ hands tightened into fists. “What do you want with me?”
She raised her head, a look of judgment settling across her face with a sigh. “You are a rogue. You also live outside of human society. Your only constant companion in life was a vampire. I don’t think you’ll be missed.”
A spiteful laugh left Nicholas. “Why didn’t I listen to her?
“To who?”
“Get back to your questionnaire so I can get back to my cell.”
Sarah’s lips tightened at the hostility that was easily tapped. “This is only the beginning of a very busy day.” She looked down at the paper. “Was your father’s name Richard Holt Conrad?”
With teeth clenched, Nicholas answered. “Yes.”

20

ord of mouth traveled at different speeds depending on social class, innovation, and the weight of the subject in tow. And in the case of Lori’s planned assault against The Brotherhood, word traveled through the havens like fire over a dry field. By the end of the second night a few vampires answered the call. They gathered in the haven’s conference room, a place set aside for other matters of business, and worked on the broader strokes outlining the assault.
Entering the underground parking lot, a 1975 GTO, painted in a shifting hue of violet and green, rumbled along in at a prowling pace. It glided into a parking spot and, with one last rev as if announcing its arrival, the engine turned off. Those few who stood by their cars chatting, stopped to watch the driver exit his car. Blending in was one of the basic skills a vampire learned early on in their new life. This vampire, however, loved the attention his appearance garnered. He looked like a long-lost drummer from a Heavy Metal band. His head was shaved clean and had a tribal tattoo that began at the back of his neck, intertwining on itself as it disappeared under his sleeveless black shirt, reappearing down the length of his muscular arms. He wore black leather pants and chains around his neck, including his combat boots sporting similar chains. He even wore black nail polish, kindly painted on by a girl he met on his last adventure.
The vampire entered the haven, ignoring the judging stares from others, and was greeted by a cheerful human.
“Good evening, sir. My name is Mark. I am the nighttime liaison. Will you be staying long?”
“Well, aren’t you an eager beaver,” the tall vampire said as he looked over Mark’s head and down the hall.
Mark picked up on the faint Australian accent. “Are you new in town?”
The vampire let out a single laugh. “To Redding, yes. I got word of some fun looking to take place really soon, and I was wanting in on some of the action. This is the place, right?”
Mark’s face dropped. “Follow me.”
The once eager liaison led the vampire down to the lowest level and into the conference room where six other vampires were casually talking. The stopped talking as Mark and the new recruit stepped inside.
“I have another one for you,” said Mark. The vampire at his side glanced at the faces of the six sitting and standing around the table. His eyes landed on the only female and smiled.
“So,” he said, “who do you want me to kill?”
Lori stood straight, arms crossed, and replied, “As many as you want.”
The vampire turned to Mark and finally answered his first question. “I think I’ll be staying for a while. Go note that in your little book.” He waved his hand at him, shooing him away.
Mark pursed his lips in disgust but said nothing as he left the room.
Lori stepped away from the table and the guardian at her side to approach the intimidating vampire. Her own short stature was exaggerated as she stood before the new vampire, just as she felt standing next to Arden. But this vampire outclassed Arden in muscle mass, but not too bulky.
“What is your name?” Lori asked.
“Mikolas.”
“Kind of young, aren’t you?”
“Everyone has to be born sometime. Not my fault when.”
She smiled. “I like you. Honesty of one’s faults is a rare thing.” Pivoting onto the balls of her feet, she raised herself up to gather a full breath of his scent. Her strength was returning, and with it came her own parlor trick. “Mehdar’s bloodline, I believe.” She lowered herself back down. “I hope you’re nothing like the stereotype.”
“I don’t align myself with any bloodline. I am who I am.”
Lori raised an eyebrow. “And who is that?”
“Right now, I’m whoever you want me to be.”
A smaller, scheming smile escaped onto her lips. “I need a hundred more like you, but right now, you are my fifth. Welcome to the team.”
“So what’s the job?”
Lori returned to her place at the table where Arden stood and glanced over the scattered papers. “We’re going to break into an ex-government facility and free its prisoners, then destroy everyone and everything in our path.”
Mikolas stared at her, eyes wide. “You just gave me biggest hard-on I’ve had in a while. This may be a bit too early to say but… I love you.”
Feeding off of his enthusiasm, Lori allowed herself to laugh. “You might want to reserve that until you hear the rest of the details.”
The three vampires sitting at the table, though older than Mikolas by a few decades, were still considered young by Lori’s standards. But by their own standards, they were as feared as the guardian at her side, and equally turned their noses up at the newest member, Mikolas.
“Here’s what we have so far,” Lori began, unfolding a map and laying it on the table. “There is a building forty miles east of Seattle here”—she placed her index finger on a previously marked spot—“not far from the interstate. The public satellite images we’ve pulled show nothing there but forest, a national forest, but we have solid proof that it’s there.”
“What proof?”
“We have someone who use to work for them.”
Mikolas crossed his arms. “Them?”
“The Brotherhood.”
“—of Osiris,” he finished for her.
Lori gave him a look of interest. “You’ve heard of them?”
“I travel a lot. I hear different stories. I just thought it was a conspiracy invented by some bored vamps with nothing else better to do than to watch humans age.”
“Well, they’re real and we’re gonna be gunnin’ hard for them.”
Mikolas stretched his arms over his head, ready to jump into the planning. “Alright! I’m all up for a nice war.”
“No war. Just one battle. Wherever it goes from there, not my concern.”
Mikolas made himself at home by taking a seat at the far end of the table, casually relaxing in the wood chair. “I love a good challenge. Let’s just hope this one has a better payoff than my last job.”
Lori glanced at him as she sorted through the papers. “You make it a habit to seek out jobs like these?”
“If the fun is worth it, yeah. My last job had me breaking into the Fortress of Eden.”
“You went after Ingram?” Lori’s mouth almost dropped. Eden was the unofficial title of the estate where Alexander Ingram lived. He was the head of the all-powerful organization of hunters called SEVEN. If the snake of SEVEN had a heart, Eden would be the prime target to cripple the organization.
“It was a small job,” Mikolas explained.
One of the other vampires at the table stared at him in disbelief. “That was you who helped pull of that attack?”
“Nah,” he said, waving away from assumption. “Not the first one.”
“Wait a minute,” Lori interrupted. “What happened?”
Another vampire answered. “Last year, a group of werewolves and vampires stormed into Eden. Their plan was to clean out that place; more of a shock-and-awe deal. They failed, of course, but Eden took a heavy loss, too.”
Mikolas spoke up. “My involvement was much later and not as grand. You don’t need a lot of muscle to get the job done. My small team were hired to get in, get the girl, and get out. Ingram didn’t know what hit him. For such a well-guarded place, we were able breach security without a hitch.”
Lori shook her head, confused. “What girl?”
“Ingram’s daughter, Evonne. She wanted out and we obliged.”
The other vampire spoke once more. “But Eden’s security is like a padlock and chain compared to this Crifton place, which is like a six inch steel safe guarded by its own army.”
“Not quite,” said Lori. “I was able to get out with the help of a cleaning lady. We just need to find a weakness.”
“Or create one,” added Mikolas.
A new smile found Lori. “Now we’re thinking. In the old days, the quickest way to sack a city was to breach its walls. If we can focus our strength on one area, we can pierce its shell in no time.” She shuffled through the papers and retrieved a drawing of a building’s layout, then pointed at the structure’s western side. “This here is the loading bay for new arrivals…”

19

he drug called CHS3 was the standard instrument of choice to bring down a werewolf in its most lethal form. Though purebloods recovered faster from the drug’s effects, the downtime was enough to secure the target for transfer. And the same was true for Nicholas. During the small battle in the overgrown field, he took several darts with enough of the drug to take down four impure werewolves. But his rage kept his body in motion, focusing all of his remaining energy on ripping through the men to save Jayda. Though his mind was fighting to keep his body awake, the drug coated his system with a dull, warm numbness. As his mind was the last to give in, he called out to Arden, “Run.”

A pair of human eyes opened, each blink shorter than the first, then finally locking onto the dark ceiling above. Nicholas’ muscles ached and skin burned as he struggled to sit. He heard the chains that accompanied the shackles around his wrists, ankles, and neck, and knew Lori’s fear had come true. The irritating metal against his skin told him it was coated in silver, and blisters began to form wherever the shackles touched him. As he stood he found himself dressed in a cheap pair of hospital pants and nothing else. And aside from the irritated skin he was otherwise unharmed.
In the hall outside of his cell he heard the muffled voices of men and the clanking of a metal door. An unmistakable deep growl overtook the voices, swiftly followed by the sound of gunshots. Nicholas jumped to his feet and wrapped the chains around his arms and pulled. The chains, attached to the metal wall with thick bolts, didn’t even bend.
The small window on the cell’s door slid open. A woman stood on the other side and spoke to her unseen assistant. “Subject 2489 is awake and in his passive form. Note the time. We will begin acclimating the subject at 9 a.m.” The window slid shut. The footsteps of two people continued down the hall to the next cell where another status report was read.
Nicholas moved to the wall and sat down and began adjusting the heavy restraint around his neck. His fingers brushed over the blistering skin and found several open sores beginning to ooze with a mixture of water and blood. He then grabbed the cheap fabric of his new pants, ripped through the left leg and placed the torn fabric between his neck and the metal. He went for the right leg and ripped away more fabric to place around his wrists and ankles. Sitting back, the absence of the silver against his skin was a minor victory.
Nicholas closed his eyes and centered his mind on Arden. The familiar connection, one that was never allowed to weaken since the night he released the vampire, was no more. His stomach dropped at the possible reasons why. It was either the use of some drug capable of severing the link, or Arden had been killed. The vampire would let nothing stand in his way to rescue his charge. And it wouldn’t be like him to go silent at a time like this.
This is your punishment, Nicholas told himself. Can you hear him?
He cringed at the phantom laughter.
Your father is waiting for you to join him. And you know it was his death that brought you here. This is your sin. Time to accept your fate.

18

n the side of a secluded dirt road sat a dark blue Dodge Stratus. Lori waited in the driver’s seat, engine off and eyes searching for any headlights. The sun had gone down hours ago, and hours before that, she was speaking on the phone to her nervous source. It took several minutes of pleading to get him to meet with her. He kept offering his assistance over the phone, but Lori was insistent that they meet in person, sweetening the deal with the line, “You don’t want miss this.” Intrigued, he finally agreed to a meeting.
Lori sighed as she mentally counted the minutes since arriving. He had to show. He heard the urgency in her voice. The only reason he wouldn’t show was if he believed he was being set up. But he knew Lori. She would never turn against him.
Through the trees along the winding road, the glow of headlights caught Lori’s attention. She continued to wait as the car drew near. No other car had been seen until now. And as the car slowed to a stop on the other side of the road, Lori sighed again, this time in relief. It was like revisiting an old friend. Everything these past few weeks left her feeling isolated. The thought of finally seeing a familiar face relaxed her even more.
Lori heard the engine turn off and the driver’s side door open, while the headlights remained on. Upon seeing the man’s short, dark blond hair and worried expression, she stepped out of the car, a friendly smile finding her before being swept away.
“Hello, Charles,” she said, crossing the road to meet him halfway.
Charles, always the paranoid one, glanced up and down the road. “And we’re alone?”
“No one knows I’m here.”
Looking at her, the worry still filled his face. “You were very persistent on the phone. Can you tell me what’s going on?”
Lori slid her hands into her pockets, unknowingly showing her forgotten emotions. “I know you told me never to contact you if they found out I was trailing them.” She took in a deep breath. “A friend of mine is in trouble. Well, he’s not really a friend of mine. He’s a friend of a friend. Two nights ago, The Brotherhood tried to take both of them. They managed to capture the werewolf, but I helped the vampire escape. I was hoping you can lead us in the right direction to find him.”
Charles’ look of worry turned into annoyance. “I’m taking a great risk meeting you here. How do you know they haven’t found another way to track you? If it appeared to be an ambush, who’s to say they aren’t watching you now?”
“You can never be one-hundred percent sure of anything. I just want to know where to find him.”
Charles shook his head and replied, “Where was he captured?”
“Near the Oregon border.”
“That falls under the northwest district, which means he’ll be at the Crifton facility, forty miles east of Seattle.”
“I’m going to need more than just a name and a general location. You know how to get in, and what to expect. I’m going to be using vampires to help me, but they don’t stand a chance against H13. I’ve already had to deal with one case of that already.”
The admission peaked Charles’ interest. “Was this the vampire you helped escape?”
“Yeah. He’s fine now.”
“How? Did you have the antidote?”
“No. I had to think outside of the box a bit, but he’s good as new now.”
Confused, Charles knew there had to be another answer. “I don’t see how he could’ve been cured without it.”
Lori crossed her arms, almost gloating at her triumph over H13. “He’s here if you don’t believe me.” Looking into the woods she ordered, “You can come out now, Arden.”
Charles followed her eyes to the edge of the road and saw a vampire approach. It was obvious from his restraint and clear mind that he wasn’t under any veil of the drug. But this still wasn’t making any sense to him. “Are you sure it was H13 and not CHS3?”
“I almost died,” she replied nonchalantly. “It was H13.”
He looked at the vampire again, then back at Lori. “Not possible. There was no other way the effects could have been reversed. I was there when it was created.”
She shrugged at his continuing disbelief. “The Ancient Blood is a mysterious thing.”
“Ancient Blood?” He had heard the term before, but outside of theories, the study of such a substance was like finding the Holy Grail.
“The blood of the Original Six,” she explained, unsure if he knew. “Pure, not converted.”
“I know what it is. And you went to one of them for help?” Her story was becoming more incredible with each sentence.
“Not exactly. I, uhm… I haven’t been completely honest with you.”
“Lori,” Arden interrupted. “You have said enough.”
Taking in a calming breath, she returned to the reason for their meeting. “Charles, I would like you to help me form a plan to rescue someone from The Brotherhood. You don’t need to be on the frontlines. You can help us before we begin the assault.”
“Assault?” Charles stared at her, dumbfounded by the offer.
“We’re going to kill everyone in that place and burn it to the ground.”
“Are you mad? Striking them like that is suicidal!”
Arden spoke. “He underestimates us. We’re wasting our time with him. We should leave.”
Charles threw his hands up as he reached his breaking point with all of this madness. “Arden, is it? I admire your devotion to your friends, but this is the quickest way to get them all killed.” His next words were aimed at Lori. “If you’re going to do this with or without my help, I would prefer if you had my help. But you have to promise that there is no way they can trace this back to me.”
Lori flashed another one of her scheming smiles. “You’re going to be safely tucked away at the haven until everyone in the facility is dead.”
“Haven?” he said, shocked.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be safe.”
“You don’t understand the situation you’ll be placing me in. I’ve experimented on hundreds of vampires. If they were to find out what I’ve done—”
“Speak only to those I’ve cleared first, and don’t make eye contact with anyone. The place is mainly filled with fledglings. Mind readers are few and far in between, even in the elder circles.”
Charles rubbed his mouth and chin as I thought over her words. With deep breath he finally answered. “I can’t believe I’m going to agree to this.”
“Thank you.” Lori threw her arms around him. Charles slowly hugged her back, appearing shell-shocked by all that had happened and will happen.
Pulling away, Lori added, “Just follow my lead and everything will be rainbows and puppy-dogs.”
“Your attempt at humor has me really concerned right now.”
She smiled again. “Let’s get you to the haven so we can being the fun.”

In the car and back on the road, Lori’s once happy-go-lucky attitude returned to the one Arden was more comfortable with; seriousness mingled with determination.
“What do you think?” she asked.
Arden, sitting in the passenger seat, replied, “His fear seems legitimate.”
“Can we, I mean, should we trust him?”
“I could find nothing ill with him.”
Lori exhaled in relief. “That’s good to hear. And how about your end?”
“The word is out. We will see what happens from there.”
“I’m giving us a week.”
“Shall I inform the elder?” Arden asked.
“I’m sure he’s already sniffing around, but go ahead. I would love to hear his response.”

The elder, Miguel, entered the room to greet his newest guest. Upon seeing the human accompanied by Lori and Arden he scoffed. “Oh, more riffraff. My night is now complete.”
“He’s my guest,” Lori informed. “Out of courtesy and respect for the haven rules I brought him here to see you first.”
“This is slowly becoming your house, I see,” he said, nodding at Rebecca to record their guest’s name. “And who is your friend?”
Charles spoke before Lori could answer for him. “My name is Charles Winthrop.”
“Charles, I have a simple question for you. What is your relationship with our dear, sweet, Laurel Jones?”
Lori cringed inwardly at the way Miguel said her “name”. She glanced at Charles to see if he looked to her for an answer. Instead, his eyes remained locked on the elder as he replied. “Laurel is a very close friend of mine. She is the only one in this world whom I can trust with my life.”
“How long have you known her?”
“That’s it,” Lori interfered. “We don’t have time for this.”
Miguel looked at her, ending the small game he was beginning. “Then tell me. What are you planning?”
“Nothing you’ll approve of,” she huffed.
“Probably not. But in fear you will call for your ‘better half,’ I believe it is in my best interest to look the other way.”
Lori forced herself to calm her rising anger. “However this ends, we’ll be out of your hair before the month is up.”
“I am looking forward to it.”

Jayda sat on the bed, remote in hand and flipped through the channels on the TV. She heard the door open and quickly turned off the TV. Lori entered first, followed by Arden and another man. At first glance she thought it was Nicholas. But the brief touch of joy dissolved away when she realized this was the one Lori spoke of.
“This is Jayda,” said Lori. She then motioned to the man at her side. “And this here is Charles, the ace up our sleeve.”
Jayda gave a meek wave and looked away, her untrusting nature resurfacing.
Charles nodded at the girl, then glanced around the room. “One room for all of us?”
“Humans usually stay upstairs,” she said, “but all rooms are equipped with humans in mind. The bathroom is over there and there’s a kitchen on the floor above us. Meals can be ordered and brought to the room at any time.”
“I’m familiar with the basics. I’ve just never been inside one before. It’s rather remarkable. But I’m not sure that I like the idea of staying underground.”
“I can request a room upstairs for you, if you want.”
He gave a nervous smile. “Thank you.”
Lori allowed Charles no time to settle in as she went over to the table and readied a small stack of blank paper and a pencil. She then tapped the paper with the pencil’s eraser. “If you can, draw up the layout of this place and anything you can remember.”
“I’ve only been there a few times before,” he admitted, “but I think I can remember most of it.” Taking the pencil offered to him, he sat down and pulled a single piece of paper from the stack.
Lori glanced over Charles’ shoulder before addressing Arden. “I think it’s time to speak with Miguel. And please, don’t kill him. That’s the last thing we need right now.”
Arden gave no reply as he left the room. Lori went to follow him but stopped at the door. “I’m going to get something for us to eat. Anything special?”
Charles answered while continuing to sketch on the paper. “Nothing heavy for me. Fruit, if they have it.”
“A grilled cheese sandwich,” said Jayda, “and glass of chocolate milk, if it’s not too much trouble.”
“No trouble at all,” Lori replied. “I’ll be right back.”
Jayda found the room filled with an awkward silence after Lori left. She wanted to watch TV, but didn’t want to harm Charles concentration. The sound of his sketching was the only noise in the room. And perhaps Charles felt the same awkwardness. As he continued to draw the building’s layout, he spoke, the suddenness of his question catching Jayda off guard.
“So, what’s your story?” he asked, pulling a new sheet from the small stack.
Jayda shrugged and replied, “Wrong place, right time.”
“Oh?” He stopped drawing to look at her.
Jayda fidgeted in the path of the obvious, oncoming questions, and kept her eyes on the bed’s comforter as she elaborated. “I don’t know how much she’s told you, but it was Nicholas and Arden who saved me.”
“Nicholas, is he the one they’re trying to rescue?”
“Yeah. They almost got Arden, too.”
Charles turned further in his seat, interested more in the conversation than the boring drawings. “She told me a little bit about that. How did she save him?”
“She used her blood.”
“Her own blood?” There was skepticism in his voice.
Jayda traced her finger along a pattern on the comforter. “I guess it has something to do with what she is.”
“Oh, the whole half-breed thing. I know about that.”
“To live as long as she has, I can’t even begin to imagine a life like that.”
“How long has she lived? I was going to ask her myself, but I didn’t want sound rude. I know how some women hate being asked their age.”
Stealing a small glance at him, Jayda answered. “She said she was born around 350 B.C. I thought she was joking. Hell, she was probably lying.”
“350 B.C.? Had to be lying. Half-breeds normally have the same life span as humans. Did she mention her parents?”
Jayda was beginning to feel more at ease around him. These were all questions she knew the answers to. “She’s mentioned her father’s name before. I think it was Harrel or Jarrel.”
“Jharell?” He let out a laugh. “That has to be a joke.”
“No, I think she was telling the truth.”
“Do you know who Jharell is?”
Jayda shrugged again. “I gather that he’s really important.”
Charles rested his elbows on his knees and lowered his voice, as though he were about to spill some great secret. “Thousands of years ago, these guys seemingly popped into existence. Six of them; three female and three male. They are believed to be the very first vampires. No one knows how they were created or why they’re just six, but shortly after their emergence, they began creating their own legacy by mixing their blood with humans. Only those worthy were shown this great honor, as some call it. It’s a known fact that half-breeds are possible, but the chances are slim to none. If Lori is who she says she is, then this means her father is one of the Original Six, theoretically making her the seventh.”
“Can she”—Jayda lowered her voice—“turn someone?”
“Half-breeds are sterile, and their blood holds no special capabilities like that of a full vampire. They are unable to create children at all.”
Jayda unknowingly let out a sigh. “I guess that’s why she attaches herself to others. She doesn’t want to be alone.”
“If what you said is true, do know who that makes her?”
She shook her head.
“Dianthia,” Charles whispered. “But she was said to have been killed not long after her rise as Queen.”
“She mentioned the whole ‘queen’ thing before and her arranged marriage.”
“But all of this was supposed to be a legend.” Charles sat back in his seat, tapping the pencil on the table. “She has to be lying. It’s the only way to protect herself. If they knew she was just a typical half-breed, then they would kill her without a second thought. But if there was the slightest possibility her story could be true, we’re looking at the possibility that the Originals can reproduce, the human way, that is. But why haven’t they? Why continue to go after humans?”
Charles began talking more to himself than to Jayda. Finally, she interrupted him. “Maybe they want children but are afraid of creating something as strong as they are.”
He looked at her, stunned by the conclusion. “I…I think you may be right. It makes sense, actually. Kings and queens prefer their power unmatched. If they had equals of the flesh, their power would be in danger.”
“I have an odd question. What can you tell me about the vampire Gysai?”
Leaning forward again, Charles relayed all he learned about this queen. “Gysai, one of the Originals, was said to be the wife of Rhune, another of the Six. She loves humans with oddities. Not physical oddities, but those with abnormal mental abilities. Her Court is filled with them, and she’s always on the lookout for more oddities. That’s the common knowledge about her. Why do you ask?”
Jayda swallowed at the lump in her throat that formed as he spoke. “The reason they saved me—let me live—was because of what I can do.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “What can you do?”
“I, uh…” She breathed in deep, eyes back on the comforter. “I see things; past and future. I can touch something and know what will happen or what has happened. I can’t control it, though. That’s the only reason Arden stopped himself from killing me. He wants to deliver me to Gysai as some kind of gift, and Lori wants the same thing.”
“But is that what you want?”
Jayda forced herself to look at him again. “I want to go back home. Nicholas offered to take me home. We were planning to leave them that night, but then this happened. Do you really think we can get him out of there?”
Glancing at the sketches he replied, “I’m not going to lie to you. The chances aren’t that good. It will take a small army to swarm that place. And even if they manage to take control, we’re not one-hundred percent sure he’s there. But we’ll try. This Nicholas seems like he’s well loved by his friends. Must be nice to have people you can trust.”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Well, this Nicholas, you trust him, right?”
She sucked in her lower lip. “I guess.”
Charles gave a half shrug. “Trust is a difficult thing to earn.”
“Don’t you trust Lori?”
“Not really. You know more about her than I do. Speaking of which, if she wants to know what we talked about, just say I told you about my feather collection.”
“Feather collection?”
“Yeah, bores people really fast.” He went back to drawing and continued with the small talk. “So, where are you from?”

16

ayda awoke to the heavy smell of the hotel room mixed with the lingering scent of pizza. Lori had grabbed herself a slice earlier but left it on the table where it continued to sit, untouched.
Rolling onto her side, Jayda saw Lori’s dark form standing beside the other bed, looking at Arden.
“What’s wrong?” Jayda whispered.
“He should have woken up by now.”
Its wasn’t concern she heard in her voice, but fear.
“It’s daytime,” Jayda pointed out. “It could be the sun.”
“That’s not it.” Lori left Arden’s side and found the pack of darts she took from The Brotherhood soldier. She learned about the different drugs used by The Brotherhood from her source. The case in her hands carried two types: CHS3 and H12. The last set sent the air from her lungs.
“H12,” she muttered. “Fuck.”
“What’s H12,” Jayda asked as she sat up.
“They prepare for everything. They use H12 as a safety net incase the vampire manages to escape.”
“You’re gonna have to explain.”
Lori plucked one of the H12 darts from the case and held it up. “H12 can be used in combination with another drug. It starts off like a normal tranquilizer. It will need another drug to neutralize it before the subject wakes up.”
“And if he wakes up?”
“The drug renders the vampire into a primal state. They have no fear. They will leave a path of bloodshed as a trail to their location. Without the second drug to neutralize it…” She looked at Arden. “I can’t help him.”
“What about the other drug?”
“CHS3 is a typical tranquilizer. Its mostly used on werewolves”
Jayda’s nervous eyes went from the vampire to half-breed. “They could have used that one. Did you see which one they used?”
She shook her head. “No. It happened too fast.” Placing the dart back in the case, she moved toward Jayda’s bed. “I think you should lock yourself in the bathroom for now.”
Jayda stood from the bed as Lori pulled off the comforter and headed into the bathroom. Grabbing a pillow, Jayda followed her and waited as Lori, acting like a caring mother, placed the comforter inside the tub, folding it to double the padding. As she finished with the makeshift bed, Jayda moved in and dropped the pillow into the tub.
Lori stood in the doorway, her shoulders slumped in an unspoken sign of defeat. “Sorry about this, but I want to keep you safe. When I know for sure that everything’s all right, I’ll—” Lori’s head snapped back in mid-sentence as something took hold of her hair, dragging her into the main room and throwing her on the bed. With no time to react, she found Arden’s powerful body pressing down on hers, hands pulling at her shirt and pushing her head to the side.
In the bathroom’s doorway, Jayda watched as Arden’s fangs ripped into Lori’s neck. Her scream, muffled by her clenched teeth, showed that even in this desperate moment, she refused to call out for help. Before Lori’s strength could be stripped away, she placed her hands between their bodies and pushed him away. The quick burst of strength sent Arden backwards and off the bed. Lori scrambled toward her only weapon in this moment—the curtains. Grabbing the thick fabric she threw them open. The bright sunlight flooded the room and blanketed Arden. The vampire let out a hiss in pain as he dove for cover, landing beside the bed and the wall.
Lori continued to hold the curtain, using this time to catch her breath and feel the damage delivered to her neck. Her eyes returned to the bed as she saw the mattress lift onto its side and move into the path of the sun.
“Jayda!” she warned. “Lock the door!”
A scream came from the bathroom. Lori released the curtain and ran toward the mattress, pulling it away to find Arden missing. She hurried into the bathroom and saw Jayda in the bathtub, under the comforter, and Arden trying to dig her free. Without thinking, Lori leapt onto his back and threw her arm around his neck, using the other to lock it in place. Arden reached behind his head to grab onto his attacker. His hand pulled her hair once more. Lori refused to let go.
Backing up, Arden threw his body into the edge of the doorframe. This violent hit was enough to weaken Lori’s hold. The vampire pulled at her hair again, and this time she released him. But as he spun around to face her, Lori threw the palm of her hand into his face, striking him on the underside of his nose. Like hitting a shark, the attack stunned the vampire long enough for Lori to retrieve the knife from underneath Arden’s coat, and without any hesitation, she rammed it into his chest. The vampire’s body grew ridged, his hands finding Lori’s throat as his strength began to leave him. The malice on his face also left him. Lori took a step back, moving out of Arden’s dying hold and allowed his body to collapse onto the bathroom floor.
Through her messy hair, Lori saw Jayda peaking out from underneath the comforter. “It’s alright,” she said, her breathing returning to normal. “I just gotta… think of something.” Glancing at the paralyzed vampire, Lori left the room.
Jayda’s eyes left the empty doorway to land on the motionless vampire. His eyes remained open and mouth agape, fangs still visible. Holding her breath she slowly slid out from under the comforter and tub, careful to watch where she stepped. As she moved along side the vampire she imagined him taking hold of her leg. The thought sent her running into the main room and toward the curtains.
“Good idea,” said Lori. “Stay there.”
Jayda wanted to do more than stay by the window. She wanted to run out into the sun and forget this mess altogether. But the window had to do for now.
Lifting the mattress back onto the bed, Lori returned to the bathroom, emerging moments later carrying Arden with one arm over her shoulders. She dropped him onto the bed and sat beside him.
Jayda gasped when she saw her going for the knife. “No! Don’t!”
“I have no other choice. I have to help him.” Her voice sounded indifferent and displaced, almost as though she blamed herself for his current state.
“Then let’s get some help.”
“Trust me. I have an idea.” Lori’s hands went for the knife once more and yanked it free. Setting it to the side she sat back and waited. The muscle’s in Arden’s arms and legs began to twitch as his body slowly recovered from the injury to his heart. Leaning forward, Lori lifted his shirt to check the wound left by the knife. The skin was already healed. As her brain registered what she saw, Arden’s hands flew up and around her, pulling her close.
By the window, Jayda grabbed the curtain but stopped before dousing the room with sunlight. She knew Lori wouldn’t want her to act unless ordered. Instead, she remained poised to act, her eyes refusing to leave the struggle taking place on the bed.
Lori tore herself from Arden’s hold as she fought to keep him from pinning her. The small battle ended with Lori pressed against the headboard and Arden returning to her neck as he latched onto his previous bite. She made no effort to push him away this time.
“Jayda,” she calmly said, “go into the bathroom and get the wastebasket. Empty it out and bring it here.”
Jayda abandoned the window and hurried into the bathroom, then reentered the main room with the empty basket.
Lori gave another order. “Set it by the bed and get the knife.” She used her eyes to point toward the blood-covered knife. Jayda quickly grabbed it, handing it to her, handle first. Lori pushed it away. “I need you to use it. Take his wrist and cut deep.” Searching blindly for his hand, she forced his arm to the side, her hand cupping the back of his to keep him from pulling away. “Then I need you to remove his blood—spit it in the wastebasket.”
Jayda’s eyes widened at the order. “What? No. I’m not going to do that!”
“You have to remove the infected blood. This might not work if you don’t. I can’t let him drink much longer. Please, hurry.”
Taking in a shuddering breath, Jayda felt her hand tighten around the knife’s handle and her jaw mimicking the same pressure. She stared at Arden’s wrist as she used her other hand to push back the sleeve of his coat. Placing the blade’s edge to his skin she closed her eyes and pressed down. In a burst of bravery she pulled the knife to the side, slicing almost to the bone. Arden’s arm tightened at the acknowledgment of pain, but Lori kept him from moving away. Dropping the knife, Jayda sat the basket closer to her and stared once more at Arden’s wrist. The blood leaving him looked thick and black in the low light. She swallowed at the lump in her throat as she imagined what the demon’s blood tasted like. Her body responded by closing off the air flow in her nose. With her timid mouth resting on the gaping wound, she saw herself switching to autopilot as she sucked away mouthful after mouthful of blood, each one she spat out in the basket. She felt like some poor sap asked to suck the poison from a snake bite victim. But this was the twisted, hellish version.
Jayda saw Lori’s hand leave Arden’s as she tried to push him away. Panic appeared to set in when she realized how weak his feeding left her.
“Get…” she struggled to say. “Get him off of me.”
Jayda jumped to her feet and pulled at Arden as Lori pushed. He released her and fell back onto the bed, his body settling into a lifeless state.
“Don’t stop,” said Lori, slouching against the headboard.
Going for Arden’s wrist, Jayda continued to remove his blood.
The forms of the Jayda and Arden blurred within Lori’s vision. She felt her eyes wanting to stay closed with each sluggish blink. This was a stupid idea. She always entertained the possibility that she had the same abilities as the Six, and that her blood was as potent as theirs. But as she felt her weakness cave in around her and the hunger threatening to deafen her rational mind, she realized the danger she placed Jayda within. Lori chose sleep over the hunger. Sleep would protect her.
Jayda looked up to see Lori slumped to the side, eyes closed and body just as lifeless as Arden’s. She wiped the blood away from her mouth and went to Lori’s side trying to shake her awake.
“Lori! Wake up! You can’t sleep now!” Jayda stopped as she went for the knife and held it against her uninjured arm. Like before, she closed her eyes and sliced the blade, this time across the underside of her lower arm. She then sat beside Lori, holding the bleeding skin near her face. The scent of her blood awoken Lori. Her eyes silted open, but instead of taking her arm, she pushed her away.
“Don’t,” she whispered. “Go away. Leave the room.”
“No!” Jayda moved her arm closer. “What if he wakes up before you do?” She saw Lori’s body give in to the pull of sleep as her eyes closed and body relaxed. Jayda shook her again.
Lori felt the irritating action from the human. Her own pleas were going unanswered. Why wouldn’t this human listen to her? A snap within her mind sent a shockwave throughout her body. If sleep was unattainable in this moment, then the only option left was to feed. The human should have listened to her. This would be her fault.
Jayda jumped back as Lori’s hand took hold of her wrist. The strength behind her hold was a mere shadow of what she was truly capable of. Her other hand grabbed the collar of Jayda’s shirt and pulled her down, throwing her off balance. A tiny cry entered Lori’s ears as her teeth broke through the human’s flesh. The blood filled her mouth and brought with it a surge of piercing light and pain. Lori had witnessed a similar ability before but within the abilities of a vampire. And even then, she knew how to deal with such defense mechanisms. Similar to shielding one’s thoughts from any prying minds, Lori closed her mind from Jayda’s. The act was built on instinct.
Within Jayda’s own mind she saw the same comforting light from when Arden first bit her that night in the den. But this time, as soon as it began, the light abandoned her, leaving her to feel the pain from Lori’s bite. The half-breed pulled her close, wrapping her arms and legs around Jayda’s body. The more Jayda fought, the tighter Lori held on, eventually rolling over and pinning her beside Arden’s motionless body.
Jayda began fighting underneath Lori, hands striking anywhere she could and legs searching for the edge of the bed for any leverage. Lori’s feverish hunger carried some sense of reality as she noticed Jayda’s struggles. Her hand left its hold of her to slid in between them, digging through the folds of her shirt to find the skin underneath. Her mind told her to place the human at ease, and the only method she knew of came from the most basic of pleasures; the act of skin against skin.
The wandering hand moved over Jayda’s bare stomach and up the side of her body. Her attempts to fight off Lori shifted as she tried to stop her hand from going further. Lori’s fingers lead the way, the movements feeling more like a those of a skilled and eager man searching for the perfect spot to rest. Her hand final reached Jayda’s breast and held her tight with fingers still moving. Jayda grabbed onto her wrist and tried to pull the invading hand away, but it remained.
Jayda’s quiet voice found Lori’s ears. “Stop,” she pleaded, the sound of tears just below the surface. The single, minuscule word broke through Lori’s survival mindset. She stopped drinking to realize where she was. Withdrawing from Jayda, she knew exactly what had happened and what almost happened.
Rolling from the bed and collapsing to the floor, Jayda saw the look of shock on Lori’s face. “I’m sorry,” she heard her whisper. Her golden eyes settled on her as she spoke again with more energy. “I’m really sorry.”
“Wha-what were you trying to do?”
“You wouldn’t understand.” Her eyes landed on Arden. She completely forgot about him. Crawling over his body she lay on top of him, her head on his chest. She could feel her blood within him through the subtle bond they shared. His mind, still dormant by the drug, continued to rest under the sway of her command.
Lori’s own primal mind cared more about the creature underneath her than the frightened human on the floor. Her ancient side wanted to finish the kill, but the part that considered itself human held a strong compassion for the young woman. Night would bring a change in this thought, and it was this fact that kept Lori from leaving the bed.