“I don’t know what to think. I can’t see why they’d lie, and Rachel is obviously my sister. It’s just so strange. More like a novel than real life.”
“I know what you mean.” Jake glanced over at the table next to them, where Tirin and Avlo weren’t even pretending not to be watching Melanie. “What do you want to do?”
Melanie leaned back in her chair, thinking. “Well, I’d like to get to know Rachel. As for moving into the palace… maybe someday, but certainly not now. I want to take things slow.”
Tirin was frowning at the tabletop and his lips were pressed so tightly together that they were starting to go white. “Are you sure that’s safe?” Jake asked hesitantly. “I also think they’re telling the truth. It might be best to do as they suggest, just in case.”
Melanie was already shaking her head. She’d never been one to let others dictate her life. It was one of the things Jake admired about her. She’d spent her childhood being shunted from one awful foster home to the next, but she never let that hold her back.
They finished their meal, talking over the finer points of the meeting. Eventually, Melanie called for the check. “I’d better get going, I have a long shift tomorrow. See you, Jake.”
“Goodnight, Mel.”
Jake watched as Tirin and Avlo followed Melanie. As much as she seemed irked by their presence, he was glad. He wasn’t entirely sure he believed an army of vampires would be coming after his friend, but if they did, at least Melanie would be protected.
Jake made his way home, deep in thought.
The next week was… interesting. Harry still wasn’t happy about Tirin’s and Avlo’s constant presence, even though they’d followed through on their word to compensate him. He didn’t want his bar becoming known as a vampire bar, and Jake could see his point. Many people would avoid the place if they knew vampires frequented it. Good point or not, Melanie’s protection was more important, and Jake encouraged her to ignore Harry’s demands that she go to the police about the vampires stalking her.
She and Rachel talked on the phone, and Melanie was cautiously optimistic about having a relationship with her sister. They scheduled another date to meet, this time at a restaurant for lunch, and Melanie asked Jake if he’d come to that too.
She was still refusing to let Tirin and Avlo drive her around, so they continued to follow her. Melanie picked Jake up after his morning shift to take him to lunch, a week and a half after the original meeting.
“You look excited,” he commented, smiling.
“I am. I can’t believe I actually found her. Or she found me, more like. I feel a bit bad about that. I never searched for Rachel or Elise. I inquired at social services, of course, but when they couldn’t tell me anything – something about having no record of them – I just gave up.”
“It’s not your fault. Besides, it wasn’t even Rachel who found you. Remember, she told us that Jexin had an entire taskforce devoted to finding the three of you. There’s no way you could compete with the resources of a royal vampire bloodline.”
“I suppose so.” Melanie glanced up into the mirror. “Tirin and Avlo are stuck at the traffic light we just passed. Do you think we should wait for them?”
“They’ll catch up.” Jake was confident of that much. “Remember when they almost got arrested for speeding because you were too far ahead for Tirin’s comfort?”
“Don’t remind me,” Melanie muttered. “I still can’t believe they didn’t; they were driving like maniacs. Vampires must have friends inside the police force.”
“Agreed. I guess that’s at least one rumor we know is true, though it’s not like they abuse it, from what Rachel told us. I wonder –”
His words were cut off violently as a car rammed into them. Melanie screamed and tried to get control, but it was too late; their car was already tumbling through the air, landing on its back like a beetle.
Jake blinked blearily, waiting for the world to stop spinning. Everything hurt and there was a ringing in his ears. “Melanie?” He coughed and tried again. “Mel?”
He managed to turn his head with difficulty to see Melanie next to him, her eyes closed. Jake’s heart nearly stopped at the sight. He struggled to extract his hand from where it was being crushed between the two seats. He pressed a hand to Melanie’s neck, and suddenly felt faint with relief. There was a pulse.
Jake knew that he had only to wait. Someone would have seen the accident and called an ambulance. Extracting him and Melanie was probably a job best left to the professionals. He couldn’t tell if he was injured or not; his entire body was throbbing like he’d taken a beating, but that gave no indication of whether or not there were severe wounds. A quick scan of Melanie’s body showed no blood, at least.
A slight crunching alerted him to the fact that someone was approaching. Jake turned his head painfully and saw two sets of red eyes. Vampires. For a moment, he was relieved, thinking it was Tirin and Avlo, but then he took in their faces. He’d never met these vampires before. Worse, they didn’t appear to be here to help.
A hand reached for the crumpled door and tore it off. The other vampire grabbed Jake and pulled him out, causing him to yell in pain as he was dragged across pieces of broken glass.
“What are you doing!”
He didn’t manage to get anything else out, because the vampire was biting him. The teeth sank into his neck, and as much as he tried to struggle, the vampire was too strong for him. Jake was sure that this was it, that he was going to die. He waited to pass out from blood loss, his eyes finding Melanie. She was going to be the last thing he ever saw.
It didn’t happen as he expected. Pain flared anew in his neck as the vampire’s teeth were ripped away. A hand suddenly pressed down hard on the wound. “Hold tightly,” Tirin’s voice instructed. Jake tried to do as he was told. The world flickered strangely before him as he watched Tirin and Avlo fighting five other vampires. The numbers were against them, but it was clear that the two Cherki guards were the better fighters.
Mere minutes later, the other vampires lay motionless on the ground, and Tirin ran to the other side of the car to retrieve Melanie. Avlo knelt by Jake’s side, checking on his wound. To Jake’s surprise, it was already closing, but it wasn’t hurting less. If anything, it was hurting more with every passing moment.
The screeching of tires had him jerking around, but Avlo put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright. That’ll be Jexin and some backup. We need to get you and Essa to the palace.”
Jake nodded dumbly. He was still struggling to catch up to what was happening. “Is Mel going to be ok?”
“She’ll be fine,” Tirin called from the other side of the car. “She hit her head and passed out, but it’s nothing our healers can’t fix.”
Jake sighed in relief, finally removing his hand from his neck. “I was… I was bitten.” The consequences of this statement started to sink in as Avlo gave him a sympathetic look.
“Yes. The change has already started. Soon, you will be a vampire, like us.”
It was too much to take in. Jake was only vaguely aware of Avlo saying something as he passed out.
He was woken by a burning in his throat. He was parched. Jake groaned, pulling his eyes open. Unlike before, when the world had been fuzzy, now everything was clear.
“Jake?” He turned to find Melanie sitting on a chair next to the bed he was in, her hands clutching one of his. “How are you feeling?” she asked quietly.
“Thirsty. Very thirsty.”
Melanie nodded, looking pale and scared, but determined. “I know. We have someone here for you. Mike? He’s awake.”
A man he’d never seen before came up to the edge of the bed. He had gold eyes; the eyes of a donor. Melanie moved aside for him, and Jake found himself zeroing in on his neck.
“Hi, Jake, I’m Mike. I often help newbies. Do you remember what happened?”
Flashes of memory danced before his eyes, but Jake couldn’t seem to get them to connect. His thirst was too di
stracting. “I… um…”
“You were bitten by a vampire,” Mike said gently. “You’ve completed the transformation, and now you need to feed. I’m sure you have questions, but those will be better answered once your thirst is sated. You need to bite into my neck. Here, hold onto my shoulders, like this.”
Mike perched himself on the edge of the bed. Jake shot a desperate look at Melanie, who gave him an encouraging smile. He wasn’t ready for this – he wasn’t ready to be a vampire. The burning in his throat didn’t seem to care, though, and Mike was too close to resist.
Jake lunged, feeling his front teeth elongate into fangs. Mike stiffened for a moment before sighing in apparent pleasure. “That’s right,” he murmured, tilting his head to give Jake better access to the vein in his neck. “Don’t go too fast, now, or you’ll choke.”
For several minutes, Jake desperately drew in the blood. It was the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted. He never wanted to stop.
“That’s enough.” Mike’s voice was distant compared to the sweet taste of his blood. “Tirin, help me here.”
The next thing he knew, Jake was being held down as Mike pulled away. He snarled and tried to lunge for the source of blood, but Tirin restrained him easily.
“Relax, Jake, you can have more in a little while. It’s overwhelming at first, but you’ll learn how to stop.”
After a few moments of struggle, reason returned to his mind. Jake’s eyes sought Melanie’s. She smiled at him, but it looked forced. She stepped back up to the edge of the bed. “Better?”
“Much,” he admitted, which was only partially true. He wasn’t as thirsty anymore, but horror was rapidly rising inside him. He was a vampire. He’d just drank blood. “Mel… what happened to me? Am I – am I a monster now?”
“No. No, you’re not a monster. This will take some getting used to, but we can deal with it. I’m so sorry, Jake. It should have been me. I’m the one they were after. I never should have let you get caught up in this.”
“I chose to become caught up in it. It’s not your fault.” Jake looked around for the first time. They were in what looked like an infirmary. “We’re at the palace, aren’t we?”
“Yes. Rachel was right all along. The Bokir found us; it was them who attacked us. If Tirin and Avlo hadn’t been there, we’d both be dead by now. I don’t think we’ll be able to leave; it’s not safe.”
Recent events had already proved that much. Jake closed his eyes. His entire world had changed completely in the space of a couple of hours.
The question was, what was he going to do now?
Chapter 3
Melanie
Melanie was reluctant to leave Jake’s side, so the head healer, Gali, let her take a bed next to his. The adrenaline from the accident was wearing off and she was exhausted. It didn’t take her long to fall into a troubled sleep.
When she woke, Rachel was sitting at her bedside. “Hey.” Rachel reached for Melanie’s hand and squeezed it. “How are you feeling? How’s your head?”
“It’s fine. I don’t know what Gali did to it, but it feels like I was never injured. I just wish Jake could be fixed so easily.”
“He doesn’t need to be fixed. He’s a vampire. He’s been given strength, speed and eternal life. What else could a person ask for?”
They could ask for their human lives back, but Melanie decided to keep her mouth shut. No point in insulting the vampires who were currently the only thing standing between her and a bunch of bloodthirsty killers.
“Speaking of which, if you’re feeling well enough, I have to talk to you about something.”
Melanie wasn’t exactly feeling well, but her curiosity was piqued. “Sure. What is it?”
“Now that you’ve agreed to stay at the palace, we need to discuss your turning. I suggest you do it as soon as possible. You’ll be a lot less vulnerable as a vampire. As for who does it, that’s your choice. I can do it, if you’d like, or one of the guards. I bet Dasek would if you asked him to. He’s our uncle, remember I mentioned him before.”
“Wait, slow down. You want me to… become a vampire?”
Rachel looked surprised. “Well, yes. That was always what was meant for us. We were born to two vampire parents. We should have been changed when we first came of age, but due to the circumstances, that never happened. We can rectify that now, though.”
“Have you considered the idea that perhaps I don’t want to be a vampire?” Melanie tried to keep her voice civil, but she couldn’t help feeling angry at Rachel’s words. They barely knew each other. Rachel had no right to assume she knew what Melanie wanted to do with her life, much less something as permanent as becoming a vampire.
Rachel’s fierce expression softened. “I guess I should have. I’ve been so happy in this life, I forgot how hard it was for me at first. I didn’t have a choice when I was turned. At first, I was horrified, sure that death would be better than life as a vampire.”
“But you saw the error of your ways? That life is much better as a vampire than a human?” Melanie wasn’t in the mood to be lectured, not now after what she’d just been through.
Fortunately, Rachel didn’t seem to take offense at her sarcasm. “Not exactly. I’m not saying that life is better or worse as a vampire, but that which species you belong to doesn’t affect things as much as some people think. You’ll still have the same dreams and desires. You’ll still be you. You just have longer to figure out exactly who that is.”
“It should still be my choice. You’re talking about it like it’s a foregone conclusion. It’s not.”
Rachel sighed. “You’re right, of course. No one would dare try to force you should you decide not to make the change. It’s just… I’ve never even heard of a vampire royal rejecting their heritage. I mean, it must have happened at some point in history, but it’s far from common. I don’t know how everyone will react… Perhaps we should keep this quiet, at least until you make a decision.”
Melanie glanced around the infirmary, suddenly worried. “You’re sure no one will try to force me?”
At this, Rachel laughed. “That is one thing you don’t need to worry about, at least not here. You’ll see in a few days. You’re Essa. Your word is to be obeyed above all except mine. Trust me, you’ll have people following you around begging to follow your orders. Outside the palace, though, things are different. There, being changed against your will would be the least of your worries.”
One of the vampires from before – Refeu, she thought his name was – came up behind Rachel, putting his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him with a look of such love that Melanie averted her eyes, feeling like she’d intruded on a private moment.
“I have sent the invitations.” Refeu started massaging Rachel’s shoulders, and she moaned softly in pleasure as she tilted her head to the side to give him better access.
“Who did you invite?”
“Issa Aris, of the Vexin line, Issa Salin of the Beche line and Issa Apeo of the Eldan line. I didn’t think Aris would want to come – you know he’s never been interested in courting another royal before – but he contacted me, practically demanding to be allowed to meet Essa. They should be here in a few days.”
“Excellent! We’d be well served by an alliance with any one of their bloodlines.” Rachel turned excitedly to Melanie. “Refeu has sent out word to some of the other royal vampire bloodlines, and they’re sending their princes as possible suitors for you.”
Melanie’s anger roared back into life. “Again, you assume that I will want to live my life the way you do? Who says I want suitors? What right do you have to call suitors for me without even asking first?”
Refeu stiffened. “She is Assa. She has every right. You may be her sister, but you are also her subject, and you will act like it.”
“Refeu, won’t you go get me a glass of water, please,” Rachel interrupted before Melanie could throw out an angry retort. Refeu gave her a swift kiss before walking off.
“
Melanie, no one is forcing you to do anything,” Rachel said patiently. “You don’t have to choose mates now, or even if you don’t want, but please consider at least spending some time with the princes. We’re in more need of alliances now than ever. Remember, Elise is still out there somewhere. Any help we can get finding her might mean the difference between life and death for her.”
That brought her up short. Melanie hadn’t even considered that Elise was still in danger with Bokir hunting for her. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I’m a terrible sister.”
“No, don’t think like that. This is all a lot to take in. If you don’t like the princes, we can send them away, but I suggest you at least let yourself be seen around the palace with them. If you’re not going through with the change, people will get antsy when they find out. Seeing you with suitors will help to pacify them, at least.”
It was a small price to pay. Spend some time with a couple of vampires she didn’t know, and Elise got entire new armies looking for her. “I’ll meet with them.”
“Thanks, Mel. I’d best see to the arrangements for the arriving princes. Do you want Jake to move into your quarters, or to have his own rooms?”
Melanie hesitated. Jake might feel more comfortable with his own rooms, but she’d feel a lot safer with him nearby. She still didn’t fully trust this place. “The same rooms, please.” She could always request something different if Jake wanted.
“Will do. If you need anything, you can call for a servant. They all know who you are.”
The next two days were a whirl of activity. Jake made no protest to sharing a room with her, and indeed, the bed was big enough to fit six people. Strangely, Melanie found herself edging closer to him each night.
She and Jake had always just been friends, but the events that had brought them to the palace had also brought them closer together. She started to see him differently and wondered if he’d be open to being more than just friends.
Melanie wondered if she should wait and see if he made a move, but quickly decided that was just sexist nonsense. Figuring out if Jake was open to being together was easy, really. They were settling down for bed on their third night in the palace. The princes – or Issas – were set to arrive tomorrow, and she was nervous.
Secret Blood Ties Page 2
