by Kailin Gow
Angels and Hunters
The Stoker Sisters: Book 2
kailin gow
Forward
Almost 20 years ago, I visited Dracula’s Castle in Transylvania. I was nineteen and a young journalist. I was familiar with the story of Dracula, made famous by Bram Stoker, but I was also curious about the Dracula who ruled this land. The people of Transylvania took me in for a short stay and showed me a side of Dracula, quite unlike the one portrayed by Stoker. He was a Dracula who loved deeply, especially of humanity. He loved his wife and family deeply, but most importantly, he loved his country above all else.
They specifically mentioned he was not a “Strigoi”, which in Romanian folklore was an evil undead. The people saw him not as a monster, but as a ruler, a brilliant military strategist, and a man with great passion. They told me he was not the monster Bram Stoker depicted in the novel Dracula, but a great man, whose military feats were legendary.
The Stoker Sisters, in the vein of Bram Stoker’s Victorian world, is a fictionalized series incorporating the world of Jane Austen, the true view of Dracula by the Romanians, and popular contemporary vampire mythology.
The world of The Stoker Sisters is not black and white, but one where vampires, like humans, are faced with choices and allegiances. They have a choice to be good or bad, saintly or evil. Last of all, vampires may be monsters, but they may also be the most humane of all creatures.
Enjoy,
Kailin Gow
Angels and Hunters
The Stoker Sisters: Book 2
kailin gow
Angels and Hunters: Book 2 of The Stoker Sisters Series
Published by THE EDGE
THE EDGE is an imprint of Sparklesoup LLC
Copyright © 2011 Kailin Gow
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the publisher except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
For information, please contact:
THE EDGE at Sparklesoup
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First Edition.
Printed in the United States of America.
ISBN: 1597489557
ISBN: 978-1597489553
Prologue
The air smelled stagnant with the stench of death and decay. Not even the salty ocean air can wash away the pungent odor of copper and ash. Blood hung in the air like a crimson curtain heavily fragrant with the scent of life flowing away. Human blood. The scent was everywhere. Sadie could taste it in the air, and although she felt the hunger gnaw her at the pit of her stomach, she held back. She was tempted to feed on these humans, but she held herself to a higher standard. These were not the kind of humans she would allow herself to gorge on, to act like an uncontrollable beast with. These were Keegan’s men. She at least owed him that small bit of decency. She would fight them to fend them off, but she would not indulge the dark side of her nature with them. As the battle between mortal hunters, good vampires and Strigois came to an end and the chaos of it all ceased, Sadie gazed into the darkness as she sought Alexis. She knew her sister to be strong and capable, but the sheer number of hunters they’d had to fight off had been more challenging than anything they’d ever faced before.
The hunters had been aggressive and the Strigois’ presence had added to the fury. But for all their determination, most of the hunters had fallen.
With heavy chagrin and a deep sense of loss, Sadie took in the many men lying about, a few moaning and groaning from wounds that would no doubt take their lives shortly; most not moving at all. Despite Keegan’s forceful leadership, his hunters had not been able to withstand the powerful enemies they’d faced.
Sadie wanted to retch at the sight of so many mangled and mutilated bodies. Blood stained the grass and soaked the soil beneath each man, leaving the air with the stagnate scent of drying blood.
Only hours earlier this had been a pleasant and lovely park; a place to come picnic with children, laugh and play in the joyful rays of the sun and breath in the fresh, fragrant air. Trees rose high and majestic, offering shade to those who scorned the sun, while flowering shrubs exploded with an array of colorful blooms that sliced through the green fields of grass. It was the perfect place to bring a Frisbee, ball and mitt or even a football.
It was the perfect place to come to life. This was where people came to feel alive and commune with nature, taking in the sun on lazy Sundays or taking a reprieve from a hard day of work.
In a matter of hours it had been transformed into a dismal and pathetically bloody scene, one filled with death and the woeful cries of the dying.
Sadie thought of Alexis’ pleasure in it all. She’d always known Alexis to have a hard and dark side. Never one to play the nice girl, Alexis was forever prepared to prove herself and the questionable powers within her.
As she’d attacked and killed one hunter after another, the satisfaction in her eyes and the hunger in her smirk had made it painfully clear to Sadie that her sister was already well on her way to becoming a Strigoi, vampires who had succumbed to the evilness of their nature, vampires who had no regard for humans nor the vampires who cared for humans.
She could very well be with the worst Strigoi of all, Skars, at this very moment. The thought was too much to bear. It pained her to see Alexis slip so willingly to the other side. Her aversion to remain a good vampire grew with each passing day, and there was little Sadie could do to help her.
Killing mortals was something she’d always avoided at all cost, never draining one’s blood to the point of death. She’d prided herself as being among the good vampires, and she’d strived to keep Alexis good as well. Born of the same blood, she often wondered how two sisters could be so vastly different.
If Strigois were so shunned and undesirable, how could her sister gravitate so willingly towards them. Having witnessed Alexis kill for the pleasure of it, enjoying each spurt of blood, each cry of pain, made Sadie realize just how hopelessly gone she was. How could she ever save her now?
And Keegan. Had he survived the bloody battle? Her heart ached at the thought that he could be hurt. Despite what he was, despite what she was, they had fallen in love. He had even denied it at first, but when he had the advantage of staking her, he could not bring himself to do it. That was how Sadie could tell Keegan still had feelings for her. That was before the battle, before all of Keegan’s men stretched out wounded or dead in the park before her.
Tears blurred her vision as she walked past the dead, fearful of finding Keegan among them. Everything had happened so fast. So many bodies had thrown themselves at each other, clashing with fists, knives and swords. It had been difficult discerning good from bad as everyone came together in a blood soaked dance.
She’d quickly lost track of him and now dared hope to find him alive.
Peering through the dark night, she clung to the hope of spotting his tall, powerful frame as well as the strong, but feminine form of her sister.
Chapter 1
She turned to the voice of her sister, hiding the immense relief she felt.
“The wimps have all scampered away,” Alexis said as she casually shoved her hands into her pockets, her gaze still scanning her surroundings. “I think I even saw Skars disappear into the night on the wings of a bat.”
Sadie frowned at her sister’s light take of the evenings events. “Very funny.”
“And I bet you thought I’d flown off with him,” Alexis challe
nged.
“I haven’t really gotten the chance to see where you’ve gone off to or how,” she lied. “As you can see, the carnage here is reprehensible. How could it all come to this?”
Alexis glanced around and shrugged. Sadie wanted to comment on her complete lack of empathy, but Alexis suddenly stiffened and threw back her shoulders as she craned her neck, her nostrils attentive to the shift of the wind. “Got that?”
“Yeah,” Sadie said, immediately tensing as she prepared for another battle. Fatigue clung to her and she dreaded the thought of starting the battle up again. But the scent of an approaching vampire was strong and undeniable.
“There’s something…” Alexis paused as she concentrated on the scent. She, too, had taken on a stance intended on another battle.
“Different,” Sadie finished.
In the bat of an eye, a black figure, indescribable in form, moved from one fallen mortal to the other. Despite her enhanced vampire vision, Sadie could make out little more than a vague figure. While it took her a moment to decide what her next move should be, Alexis had already fallen to the four paws of a wolf and was avidly chasing the shifting shadow.
Sadie, choosing to remain on two legs, took up chase as well. For a while it seemed the illusive figure would forever outrun them, but when it turned back to see a befallen mortal, Sadie rushed it, taking it by surprise by pushing it to the ground.
With a firm hold, she turned the vampire to face her.
Her lips parted in disbelief as she took in the identity of this new vampire. Her brain was slow in processing the confusing information that simply didn’t make sense. Memories from the past flashed before her, but she was reluctant to believe her past had caught up with her.
“Delilah?” Sadie whispered. The name remained on her lips for a moment as the reality set in. Each syllable had felt odd and strange on her tongue. She released her hold on her childhood tutor and simply stared. “What are you…?”
Still rushing about on all fours, Alexis hurried to push Delilah up against a tree. Drooling from the heat of the chase, Alexis snarled and bared her teeth. Her huge paws pressed into Delilah’s shoulders, keeping her securely pinned to the tree.
Chic and modern in a black cat suit and thigh high boots, Delilah seemed nonplussed by the attack. “Very cute, Alexis.” She reached up to dutifully pat Alexis on the head. “I know it’s you. You can let me go now.”
Alexis paused a moment before reverting to her natural form. “Of all the people… you’re the last person I would have ever expect to see here… in the midst of all this.”
“I thought it was about time I reconnected with you two.” She looked at one girl then the other. “You know I’ve missed you girls.”
Sadie continued to stare, dumbfounded by the quick series of events. “We thought you’d died,” she whispered, still barely believing it was really her.
Alexis shrugged and waved Sadie’s heavy sentiments away. “Don’t pay attention to her. She gets sentimental at the slightest. I knew you’d made it. I always sensed you weren’t too far away from me.”
“After losing Mama and Papa, we were devastated to learn you’d also perished in the fire.” Sadie took a tentative step towards the woman who’d been so important to her childhood. With tears in her eyes, she fell into Delilah’s arms, feeling like a young girl again as her governess hugged her and kissed the top of her head.
A dark chuckle accompanied Alexis’s grin. “See what I mean,” she said to Delilah.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to make my safety known to you earlier. But all of this…” She spread her arms out around her, gesturing at the bodies that surrounded them. “Has made it imperative I speak to you now.”
Sadie pulled away just enough to look at her. Growing suspicion kept her on her guard, but the warm and secure hug kept her close. Eager to hear what Delilah had to say, she gazed into her eyes, silently begging her to explain her presence.
Brushing her hand through Sadie’s hair, Delilah held a hard and intense gaze on her. “I’m really the one who lost you back then, aren’t I?”
Sadie’s eyes narrowed. How much did she know? But…
The full reality of Delilah’s presence in this time and place suddenly struck Sadie. “But, even if you’d survived that fire, how is it that…?” She stared at her, remembering all the time she’d spent with her as a girl. “How is it that you are here… now? How have you come to be here, in California, all these years later? You should have…”
“Died a hundred years ago,” Delilah said with a nod. “Yes, I should have.”
Sadie gaped, stunned by what her governess was implying.
“You’re…?”
“Like you.” Sadness filled Delilah’s eyes a moment before she cocked her brow and offered the girls a warm, but knowing smile. “How is it that this happened to you? How were you turned?”
Sadie was reluctant to revisit that horrible time so long ago. She dreaded drudging up the feelings, feelings of pain, of loss and of shame. “I’d been hurt,” she finally said. “Choked by the smoke and on the verge of suffocating when he swept in to save me.”
“Lord Ashwin?”
Sadie nodded. “He saved my life.”
Delilah’s inquisitive gaze turned to Alexis. “And why did you succumb?”
For a moment, Alexis appeared prepared to challenge Delilah. Defiance veiled her eyes, and Sadie was quickly brought back to a time when they’d both been so innocent. A time when trying to outsmart Delilah’s endless wit was a game, a test of their own ability to use their intellect and knowledge.
Alexis hung her head and kicked at the ground, refusing to answer.
“She wanted him to love her,” Sadie blurted out.
With a disgusted sigh, Delilah closed her eyes and leaned back against the tree. “That’s what I was afraid of.” She shook her head, her eyes glazing over as she drifted to a time long ago. “I failed you. I knew of the danger Lord Ashwin brought to Stoker Manor. I tried to warn him, to tell him to stay away from you… both of you. I knew he was up to something… the way he looked at you, the way he spoke. Far too charming. Far too worldly for two young innocents as you were.”
“Our home was completely destroyed, every wing, every room. Where did you go? How is it that no one found you?” While she wanted to empathize with Delilah’s sense of loss and guilt, Sadie needed to know what had really happened.
“I’d tried so hard to protect you. I knew Lord Ashwin was far more dangerous than his charm let on. Dracule had always been so adamant.” She looked directly at Sadie then turned to Alexis. “He never wanted a vampire to even get close to you. You were his pure descendants, he liked to say. And he certainly wanted you to remain that way.
“But that night, I was unable to come to your aid. I was overpowered, brought out to a nearby forest and chained to a tree where I was left to burn in the sun that was soon to rise. By the time I slipped out of those chains and returned to Stoker Manor, you were both gone, disappeared. No one had seen you. No one knew where you’d gone. And before I could even try to look for you, a band of hunters arrived, hungry to get to me again.”
“You seem so… so normal,” Sadie muttered, still caught up in her disbelief.
“Yeah, well.” Alexis seemed completely unfazed by the new development. “I seem pretty normal, too. I don’t hear you making a fuss over that.”
Delilah let out a light laugh and her eyes twinkled as they’d done so many times at Stoker Manor. “You girls really haven’t changed much. Sadie, still out to save the world, and Alexis…you still have a biting tongue and exceptional wit.”
“Dracule,” Sadie said, almost to herself.
“Yes,” Delilah said, gently reaching for Sadie’s hand. “You were never to know of your vampire heritage. He deemed you the Pure Ones. You were to remain pure, remain human.”
“Remain human?” Sadie said.
“It’s a long story and the night is already…”
“We we
re turned hundreds of years ago. Why now? Why have you come back to us now?”
“Because you two are the fulfillment of Dracule’s legacy. You two provide the hope for all vampires. Dracule was the beginning. You two are to be the end.”
“I have so many questions,” Sadie said as she turned away and tried to make sense of it all. It was too much to take in. “Too many questions.”
Frustrated and feeling she’d been betrayed, she turned to face Delilah again. “After we were turned, we did what we thought best to survive as vampires. We didn’t know what we were doing, but we did our best.” She looked at Alexis who seemed just as drawn into the past as she was. “We found our own ways of dealing with it.”
“That’s understandable,” Delilah said.
Sadie shook her head. “I have vague, unclear memories of the night of our turning, of the fire. I often have flashbacks, but they’re blurry, many events blending in together and making one confusing image.”
Delilah’s sudden reappearance added to her confusion. For years she and Alexis had gone through life, adjusting to the needs of their vampirism and learning to deal with life on their own. They’d been orphaned, bad enough for any child to deal with. Taking everything into consideration, Sadie thought they’d done rather well for themselves despite it all.
She looked Delilah in the eyes, her need to know about it all, her heritage, her future, taking precedence. “Who chained you to the tree? Why didn’t you find us earlier? How long have you been here in California?”
The softness in Delilah’s eyes, brought on by the unexpected reunion, quickly changed to anger. “Skars,” she spat, the name bringing a grimace to her red apple tinted lips. “He’s the one who set the fire, after he’d drained your parents of their blood.”
