2

s the midday sun glared down, a black, 1980s hearse pulled into the driveway, parking beside a familiar Jeep Commander. The hearse puttered off as the doors opened. Melissa, label by others as a stereotypical “Goth Girl,” saw herself as someone who liked what she liked, regardless of labels. Her younger brother, Taylor, carried the same theology. He was labeled by others as a “skateboarder,” with his shoulder length, dirty blond hair and baggy clothes, though the only real skateboarding he took part in used a video game controller.
Melissa’s image was seen by others as a defensive mechanism. She kept her hair dyed black and wore what she felt comfortable in. This meant no skirts. She hated skirts and dresses. They never felt natural to her. And unlike her bed-buddy, Derek, she shied away from tattoos, leaning more towards piercings, several of which were visible to all.
Taylor, unlike his confident sister, hated to draw attention to himself. He avoided it at all costs. He easily saw their home and friends like the structure of a wolf pack. Derek was the Alpha with Melissa ruling at his side. Next came the Beta, William, and then Adrian. Taylor saw himself at the bottom of the tier. He didn’t mind the ranking as he saw it. It actually placed him at ease.
The two exited the hearse and went to the back, unpacking their loot from several flea markets and garage sales. Most of the items were for used as scrap silver for weapons, while the others were nothing more than merchandise for her online auctions.
Melissa kept glancing at the Jeep, struggling to contain her excitement. This was a pleasant surprise. Juggling the packed box in her arms, she opened the front door, announcing her return with a loud, “I’m home!” Taylor carried in two boxes. He sat them on the floor and plopped on the couch beside Adrian, his interest switching as he caught sight of the game on the TV.
“How far are you?” he asked.
“Mission 16,” replied Adrian.
Taylor nodded.
Leaving the kitchen, Derek was met by Melissa. She pushed the box against him, stopping him in his tracks. A devilish grin appeared on her lips.
“Do my eyes deceive me?” Her smile grew. “I see a black Jeep in our driveway.”
He leaned over the box and kissed her. “He brought you some new ‘sharp-shinies’.”
She squealed with joy. “He always knows how to make me happy.”
Derek took the box from her and sat it on the kitchen table.
“Where is he?” she asked.
“In the guestroom, probably awake now.”
Melissa cringed. “Sorry. Well, come and help me unload”—she raised her voice—“since Taylor is a lazy ass!” She cringed again, her eyes glancing to the ceiling and toward the guestroom. “Shit. I can never stop myself. Come on. I have some really nice finds for you.” Grabbing Derek’s arm, she led him outside, bopping Taylor on the head as she passed.
After unloading, Derek took the boxes of swag to the basement. Melissa grabbed the last of her things and headed downstairs, as well. She stopped upon seeing a strange girl asleep on the sofa in their War Room. She continued onto the Brain Room and found Derek rummaging through a box. She sat her box by the computers, her face crinkled in a look of confusion.
“Who is that?” she whispered.
“She came here with Gabriel last night.”
Melissa turned on her computer. “And Keelan?”
Derek shook his head. “He’s not here.”
She glanced at the doorway to the War Room. “Is she human?”
“No.” He stopped his sorting to look at her. “And you’re not going to believe this… Guess who she is.”
Melissa shrugged. “You know I’m no good at guessing games.”
Derek smiled. “That’s Evonne Ingram. Alexander’s daughter.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh fuck! Are you serious?”
“I’m very much serious.” He lowered the collar of his shirt, revealing the bandage like a badge of honor. “And I was her first.”
“You’re silly, you know that?” She went to the box and began removing the items.
They both heard the sound of someone coming down the stairs. William rounded the corner, entering the Brain Room.
Upon seeing him, Melissa threw her hands on her hips and announced, “Willy the Mammoth.”
“Milly on my Mammoth,” he joked back. “Did you get what I asked for?”
Melissa went over to a different box and retrieved bag of special coffee. It was the only brand William drank, which happened to be from a country store on the other side of the state.
William took the coffee, holding it as though it were a bag filled of diamonds. “Thanks, hun. Now I’m off to refuel.” He headed back upstairs.
She shook her head. “Fifteen bucks for a bag of coffee. Hell, it’s his money, not mine.”
Grabbing her arm, Derek pulled her close and kissed her. He could hold back no longer.
Melissa pushed him away, playfully. “I should leave more often.” She kissed him this time, teasing him further.
Taking her by this wrist, Derek ended the kiss and led her upstairs. They passed the kitchen and living room, making their way into their bedroom. The door closed. Moments later, the sound of loud music began pouring from the room.
Adrian commented, still playing the video game. “It’s not even been a full ten minutes since she returned.”
Taylor kept his eyes on the TV as he replied, “I told you they were animals.”

Within the guestroom, Gabriel peered through the window. The light from the setting sun shone on the large backyard. Several chain-link kennels were set up near a storage building, each of them housing German shepherds. He spotted Adrian opening one of the pins, releasing a dog. The overjoyed shepherd leaped at him. Adrian knelt down to her level, allowing her to lick her affections. The other dogs barked for attention, as well. Adrian stood, glancing in their direction. The dogs grew quiet. He then stepped from the kennels and to the storage building, gathering up their dishes. The female dog followed him, prancing at his side.
Gabriel closed the curtains and left the room. He found Taylor sitting on the sofa, taking his turn on the video game. The human didn’t even notice him. In the basement, Gabriel found Evonne still asleep. He didn’t wake her; instead, he entered the computer room. The hot electronic smell was overwhelming. William sat at one long desk, typing at a computer. He took a sip from his coffee as he noticed Gabriel. With a single nod of acknowledgement in his direction, he went back to the keyboard, typing in a response to the IRC channel.
Melissa and Derek sorted the last of items from the boxes, the floor covered with their organized mess. Melissa saw Gabriel and rushed to him, surrounding him with a big hug.
“Thank you for the shinies!” She gleamed with joy. “I love them!” She pulled away and returned to the paper work, writing down the last items from the box. “By the way, where’s Keelan? No one could tell me why he wasn’t here. I haven’t seen him in a while. I hope he’s not avoiding us.”
“He’s off on his own somewhere,” Gabriel said. “He’s one of the reasons why I’m here.”
Derek’s mind thought fast. “Was he the one who was drugged?”
Melissa took an interest.
“Now that you’re here,” Gabriel began, glancing at her, “I can explain more. They go by the name The Brotherhood of Osiris.”
“Oh boy,” sighed Melissa. She sat down at the desk, her composure turning serious. “Don’t mess with them.”
“What do you know?”
She shook her head. “Not much, but I know when something that large can’t be toppled.”
“I’m not wanting to topple them. I want to know about them.”
Melissa sighed again. “Well, internet searches aren’t going to yield anything definite.”
William turned in his chair, listening to the conversation.
She glanced at the three waiting for her to continue. “Necromancers. At least that’s how it began.” She paused, choosing her next words with care. “Okay. Back in the day, I dated this guy.” She looked at Derek sharply. “I told you about him, so I don’t show me that jealous face. Anyway, he came from this family who had a history with necromancy. His father was teaching him the art. He also told me about the people his father worked for and some of their secrets. His father even wanted me to learn the art. I politely said, ‘No.’ And that was that. I was told to leave and never contact them again. Fitting, I think. If I said yes, then they would’ve accepted me with open arms. Just goes to show how trivial they were.”
“What else do you know?” Gabriel pressed.
“Like I said, I don’t know much. From what I was told, they aren’t just some group or organization. They are an ancient order rooted in necromancy. Though they have branched off into the scientific field recently. I remember them mentioning something about World War II and government funding. But they have no ties to the government now.”
“Necromancy has no power over werewolves,” William pointed out.
“The Brotherhood,” Melissa replied, “has several facilities masquerading in the human world, similar to SEVEN. And they are rumored to capture vampires and werewolves to experiment on. They want to harness their power. Perhaps deconstruct it to find ways to enhance humans.”
Derek looked at Gabriel, worried. “And they got a hold of Keelan?”
“To get to someone else,” he replied.
“Oh,” said Derek, scratching his head. “Oh! Is that what happened?” he wondered, recalling the young vampire sleeping in the other room.
“This with Keelan happened a month ago,” Gabriel informed him.
Derek nodded. “Oh, okay. So she’s yours then? That answers a few questions for me.”
Melissa went back to Gabriel’s query. “Promise me you won’t get involved with them. Ignore them completely. You know what necromancers are capable of.”
“I have yet to meet a necromancer,” he admitted.
“And you won’t unless they tell you what they are. They are very much human. But some have been known to age twenty times slower than humans, while others are rumored to be immortal. Their power lies within their blood. Feed from a necromancer and they have a good chance at taking control over you.”
“I’ve been warned already about them.”
Melissa remained serious. “Just stay away from The Brotherhood, alright?”
Gabriel gave a half smile. “Why, Melissa, I do believe you’re worried about me.”
Derek laughed. “She’s only concerned about the presents you bring her.”
She shot him a cold glance, then added, “Listen, if SEVEN is the ‘yin’ then The Brotherhood is the ‘yang.’ Good versus evil, so to speak.”
“Keep gathering all of the information you can,” said Gabriel. “Discreetly, though.”
“Knowledge is power,” Derek chimed in.
William grabbed his large mug and stood from the desk. “Time to refuel yet again and head out for some Krispy Kreames. Same old, same old?”
Derek perked up at the mentioning of doughnuts. “Can you pick me up a box of doughnut holes? I’ll pay ya back.”
“Added to the box I bought you last time?” he reminded, raising and eyebrow.
Derek sucked in his lower lip. “Of course. You know I’m good for it.”
William left the room, muttering something about a deadbeat-doughnut leech.
Turning back to Derek, Melissa said, “Go get Taylor. There’s going to be a hungry girl waking up soon.”
He motioned to himself. “I can go a second round.”
“I mean you, too. Both of you.”
“Alright,” he agreed, abandoning the sorting and heading upstairs.
Melissa stood and began removing the many bangles from her wrist, then held her arm out to Gabriel. He took the offered wrist and bit into her slowly, taking care not to harm the tendons. He began to drink, pulling more blood from her than what he had from Derek. As he withdrew, he licked away the remaining blood. Melissa covered her wrist with a paper towel and fished around the desk for the first aid kit.
Gabriel left the room and went to Evonne, sitting on the edge of the sofa. He placed his hand to her shoulder, waking her. Evonne stirred but refused to look at him.
“You need to wake up,” he whispered.
Evonne stirred again, this time opening her eyes. She heard the sound of people coming down the stairs and entering one of the other rooms. Gabriel took her hand and urged her to her feet. She followed him into the large room with the pool table. There was another human standing by Derek, this one slender and years younger, perhaps just out of high school. He noticed Evonne, glancing at her once before looking away. He seemed shy.
“You first,” Gabriel said, looking at Derek.
Jumping into action, the human unbuttoned the top of his black shirt. But this didn’t catch Evonne’s attention. Another human entered the room and stopped upon seeing her. Evonne gave her a quick look, picking up on her scent mixed with Derek’s. With all of the extra eyes in the room, Evonne grew anxious. So many people watching her, she wanted to hide. The female human look away, visible uneasy.
“Don’t worry about her,” Derek said. “She’s harmless.”
Evonne realized he wasn’t talking to the human, but to her. She returned her eyes to Derek as he took her hand and led her to a smaller sofa.
“However you want to do this, it’s your call,” he said, sitting before her. “I’m not helping you this time.”
The embarrassment swirling within Evonne subsided as she anticipated the taste of his blood. She joined him on the sofa, unsure of what to do next. He waited. Willing herself to move, Evonne gently placed her hand to the side of his neck, over the bandage. She sensed the embarrassment leave completely as she focused solely on him. She leaned in, her mouth against his skin. Her teeth obeyed her this time. Covering his neck with her mouth, she felt the rush of heat from within him. Her tongue slid over his skin, searching for the perfect spot to rest her teeth. She pressed down.
Derek tensed underneath her then relaxed, his body lowering back against arm of the sofa. Evonne followed him, her body eagerly striping away his blood. Her quiet mind noticed more this time around. She picked up on his heartbeat as it raced underneath her. The faster it went, the quicker she drank.
“Stop,” Gabriel said.
Derek raised a sluggish hand.. “She’s all right. Just give her a moment longer.”
Melissa crossed her arms, her jaw tense. She mentally counted fifteen seconds. It was plenty enough time.
Derek still didn’t stop her. Frustrated, Melissa dropped her arms to her sides, fists clenched. “Derek, stop!”
Finally obeying, he eased himself up. Evonne left him without protest.
“Much better than last time,” he said, getting up from the sofa.
Melissa was furious. “You show-off! Always pushing yourself to the limit.”
Derek walked past her and into the other room. “There’s more to it than that,” he called back.
Following him, she replied, her anger doubling. “I know. And it’s a wonder that you can get it up at all.”
Derek let out a laugh. “There’s always enough blood for that.”
They continued arguing.
The other human, the one with the scraggly, dark blond hair, sat on the sofa beside Evonne. He held out his hand. “I’m a wrist only guy. The neck is too personal for me.”
She looked at him, uncertain of what to do.
“Wait,” Gabriel said, approaching them. He knelt down and took Taylor’s hand. “The wrist is a tricky place. Damage can be dealt to the tendons if not delivered right.” He traced his finger along the inside of the wrist and over several faint scars. “Take it from within this area. It’s best to go in from an angle and not flat with the surface. And remember to bite slow and remain aware of what you’re doing. I will show you only once, so remember it well.” He lifted Taylor’s wrist to his mouth and bit down. Taylor showed no sign of distress or pain. Gabriel withdrew and stood up.
Evonne saw the blood pool from the bite, rolling to the side and dripping to the floor. She took his wrist into her hands, her mouth moving onto the bite, studying its placement. His taste was different from Derek, yet still a perfect to her. With each swallow, she begged for more.
Melissa and Derek returned to the room as Evonne finished with Taylor. He left the sofa as his sister handed him a paper towel. He didn’t stay in the room; instead, he headed back upstairs and back to his original plan for the night—conquering the latest video game he bought.
“What about you?” Derek asked Gabriel.
“Melissa was already kind to me earlier,” he replied.
She raised her hand with a wave, revealing to bandage to Derek.
“It’s time we should be leaving,” Gabriel said. “I’ll be back in a week to check on any information you might have found.”
“If any,” Melissa added.
Standing from the sofa, Evonne’s mind was freed from the constant fog. The blood even warmed her body, awakening much more within than she knew existed.
Derek followed them to the front door. Gabriel handed Evonne the duffle bag and told her to wait in the Jeep. Outside, Derek waited on the porch until the young vampire was in the Jeep. He then spoke, his words low. “Losing track of the moon? Full moon’s next week.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” said Gabriel, heading down the steps.
Derek walked after him. “What are you planning?”
He stopped before reaching the Jeep and replied, “It is easy to take down a wolf with a gun. Evonne needs to learn how to fight without human weapons.”
“Adrian isn’t going to like this,” he said, glancing at the girl in the Jeep. “He already has a little crush on her. I don’t want to see him literally crush her.”
“I’ll return two days after the full moon.”
Derek watched as Gabriel got in the Jeep and left the driveway. Two days after the full moon… That’ll be interesting.