by Lynn Landes
“You are a gift to this world, daughter. Don’t you ever think anything else,” Keane snaps.
“If only I could believe it, Da.” Anya drops to Christian’s side once more and takes his hand in hers. She presses his palm to her wet cheek and whispers the prayer of protection she remembers from her childhood.
“May the light of God surround you, May the love of God enfold you, May the power of God protect you, may God place his healing hands upon you quickly, May the presence of God watch over you,” Christians hand begins to warm up against her cheek. Anya’s eyes fly open wide and this time, when the power flows through her, she finds her entire being aflame with the glory of heaven. Her voice grows stronger as she repeats the prayer again.
“May the light of God surround you,” Christians body begins to glow “May the love of God enfold you,” a holy beam of brilliant light, shoots down from the night sky and surrounds him, lifting him from the earth, “may the presence of God watch over you, May God place his healing hands upon you and heal you quickly,” Anya falls away from him as his entire being turns to stardust in front of their eyes. Keane and Katie fall to the ground in awe, as Anya finishes, “Wherever you are, God is.” Tears stream down her cheeks and the light fades, taking him with it.
“Amen,” Katie whispers.
In a quiet trembling voice Anya looks at the only father she knows, “Da, I think I’m ready to listen now.”
Chapter 12
“There’s a newborn causing havoc, Sebastian. Her actions are chaotic, juvenile, and somewhat illegal,” Magdalene reports. She is an archive keeper. For generations, the Fourie family has kept records on all vampires, natural born and those created by other means.
Sebastian does not bother to glance up from the computer, but she knows her brother well enough to sense his frustration. “Who is the master?” He demands with his fingers flying over the keyboard.
“Caius,” she replies softly.
The clicking stops and he looks up and she sees the rage flickering in the depths of his hazel eyes. A red flame dances, threatening to take over even as his fangs lengthen and the strength of his blood lust forces him to his feet.
“Go Mags,” he growls out. Fear has her spinning at full speed, and she doesn’t hesitate to leave, locking him inside of his vault. When the crashing starts, Magdalene sighs and runs a hand through her long dark hair. She moves to the phone in her office and dials.
“I need you to go to the Lasair Mill club, clean up the mess and interview the witnesses. Make sure to send a cleanup crew before the Hunter’s Guild shows up.” Her hazel eyes are worried as she glances back to his office. It isn’t unusual for him to lose his temper like this. In fact, since Lailah left him, he is constantly on the edge of a blood lust. Born sixty years apart, they are similar in build, tall, elegant, and beautiful with the same complexion and coloring, but that is where the similarities end.
Sebastian is content to work under the council as an archive keeper. Magdalene has to work hard at not showing her contempt for the work they do. As a newborn, she was wild and uncontrollable, but under Sebastian’s loving guidance she was able to contain her blood lust and focus on her job. What she does, and who she does it with in her private time, is hers, and hers alone.
When the knock comes twenty minutes later, Magdalene hurries to unlock the vault. She’s not shocked at his appearance, nor the mess he left behind. “Sebastian, this has to stop. You can’t keep trashing the vault every time his name is mentioned.”
“I’ve spent centuries trying to prevent a war between the immortals and the Twelve. A war he seems hell bent on causing.” Sebastian walks to his office down the hall from the vault. He removes a picture from his wall, revealing a biometric safe. It is only accessible through a handprint match. Attempting to quiet the touch of madness raging through his body, he presses his trembling left hand to the safe panel. A hiss and release of pressure and the door pops open.
“Are you still drinking that? Fresh blood is much better for you brother,” Mags asks from the doorway.
“Yes, well, this works for me.” He pours a small amount into a goblet and drinks it with a sigh. Relief rushes through his system as the ancient blood fuels his starving body. At eight hundred years old, he does not require blood daily, the way most newborns do. He can survive weeks without drinking.
“These laws are getting out of hand. Telling us how to feed, when to feed, what to drink, who to mate with. Even when to go outside! How long since you have felt the sunshine? I miss the beach, Bastian.” She plops into a chair and pretends to pout.
Shock has him turning to look at his sister. “Truly? Aren’t you a little old to sulk? The rules were created to protect all immortals. If an imbalance occurs…”
“Then what? What if it’s just the next step in our evolution, Sebastian?” Leaping to her feet excitedly she moves to him and lifts her identical hazel eyes to his.
“Enough.” He hisses and replaces the bottle in his safe. “What has gotten into you? Or rather, who? You know as well as I what happens when the rules are not obeyed. They were created to slow the population growth down. All immortals follow the same rules, Mags.”
“I know that Sebastian, but why? Because a story was written ages ago says that a herald will be born with power enough to equalize the races.” Spinning away, she paces and tosses her hair over her shoulder. “Your love for Lailah was not wrong!”
Sebastian flinches and turns away from her to walk to the window. The sun is moving over head and soon it will be lunch time. He can hear her laughter and smell the fresh lavender scent of her skin. If he closes his eyes, he can taste her still. “It was perfection, but it was a dream.” His voice lowers and he leans his forehead against the glass window pane. “Her death was my fault. I could not go to war and condemn our entire species for her.”
“Couldn’t you? Don’t you dare to think, not even for a moment that I would not have fought at your side?” she demands.
“I know you would have.” He turns to look at her, “and that is exactly why I couldn’t… I would have unleashed a monster so dark and evil that no amount of angel blood, would have satisfied me.” A red flame roars to life behind his eyes, causing her to back away from him.
“The blood lust would have overtaken me, and I would have let it,” he hisses with a smile. “I would not have stopped at just one immortal, Magdalene. I would hunt down and execute every immortal who walks this planet, so that never again would someone carry the pain that I carry.” His mouth fills with saliva at the thought of retribution.
“Lailah knew the risks too, brother. You do not carry the blame alone,” she whispers.
“Lailah,” he murmurs and the flame dims. “Yes, she did, and that’s why she made the choice to leave me. Her letter was clear. She chose her people and protected us all from a war.” Sebastian turns away and finishes his drink. “You are feeling what all of us feel at one time or another. It will pass.”
“Of course, Sebastian,” Magdalene mumbles and sits down to watch him.
“Caius must be dealt with. Call a meeting of the council. I will trace him and take him out for good this time.” Sebastian steps away but stops at her swift intake of breath.
“Is that a problem for you, Mags?” He turns to look at her clenching her fists at her side.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Bastian.” She stands up and moves down the hall to the vault to begin cleaning up. “Do you ever wonder why? Why must we constantly clean up after other’s catastrophes? I grow weary of it.” Bending over she picks up some of the books he’d thrown against a wall. She faces him holding them tightly against her chest.
Looking at his sister and seeing the mess he created around her, Sebastian feels ashamed. He drops his head and walks slowly back to her. “I’m sorry. I too wonder if the laws that so many died for, need to change, but until...” An image of her red hair and love filled, lilac eyes, flashes in his mind before he can stop it.
Magdalene feels hi
s agony rip through her and sees the image that she has come to hate. “How long will you be haunted by those images and feelings?” she hisses.
Sebastian stops as fresh pain flows between them. “As long as I walk on this earth I imagine. The lore speaks of many things about our people, but never tells of the fated mates, nor what happens to the ones left behind. I pray you never have to feel this.”
His words deflate her rage. “I feel it through you. Forgive me, brother, I only wish to end your suffering.” She rushes into his arms and hugs him tight.
“You are right to be angry, sister.” He presses a gentle kiss to her forehead. “No more talk of the past. First, we need to capture this newborn and bring her in before she causes more damage. I will go to the bar and find out what I can. Notify me when the council is ready.”
“I have sent a cleanup crew to the club. They should have something by the time you arrive.” Magdalene watches him go and red flames flicker behind her eyes. She picks up the phone to call the council as ordered.
Chapter 13
The Lasair Mill Club is not Sebastian’s favorite place to visit. As an ancient, his need for blood has grown less over the centuries. These establishments have their place. They have helped contain the needless death of humans. Those who wish to become pets to the immortals can do so freely. Most know what they are walking in to and the ones who do not learn quickly. As long as the rules are followed, it seems to help curb the violent tendencies among the different species.
Magdalene was as good as her word. The cleanup crew was hard at work and he heads inside to help with questioning the witnesses. It is lunchtime and thankfully the club is not open until the evening. Sebastian steps inside and removes his dark sunglasses. He glances around giving his eyes a second to adjust, before heading to the main bar with the now quiet waterfall.
“Daniel, what have we got?” Sebastian asks the leader of the team.
Daniel looks at Sebastian with a grim smile. “We have over thirty-eight witnesses who claim that a human female began dancing before she attacked several vampires, with her teeth.”
“What else?” Sebastian asks, sensing more.
“Two human females inside a bathroom who swear that she killed an ancient by sucking the life right out of her and leaving only a pile of ashes.” He places a laptop on the bar and inserts a flash drive with the security footage from the club cameras. “The footage shows her entering here, and later rushing into the restroom.” They watch in shock as Anya approaches the vampire inside the bathroom and attacks her. Turning to look at the humans they seem to freeze before she finishes her meal.
“Watch this,” Daniel presses pause and proceeds to move the images, frame, by frame.
“What is she doing?” Sebastian asked, leaning closer and lowering his voice.
“Sniffing them.” Shocked eyes meet and the video stops.
“You have to see the next one.” Daniel plays the video of the dance floor and soon all the crew has gathered around, watching Anya and her dance of death. A ripple of shock flows through the gathered watchers when she leaps on the large vampire, draining him dry and destroying him. No one moves as they watch her face the Drow warrior.
“I guess he wasn’t lying,” someone murmurs.
“Who wasn’t lying?” Sebastian asks quietly.
“A man named Foster. He swears he was a vampire until she bit him. Claims that she sucked his immortality from him.” An uneasy chuckle ripples through the group. “He was in a section with no security cameras. There are some areas that are used for pleasure, and privacy is a must.”
“Who gave them permission to have that area unsupervised?” Sebastian growls. “Bring him to me and find that Drow. I want to talk to him.” Sebastian orders. Moving around to the group he snaps, “Check this club from top to bottom. I want every square inch searched and all video confiscated. The protocols must be observed.”
The men move to do as asked and Sebastian has Daniel replay the scene on the dance floor. He pauses the picture of the young woman with her arms overhead. “What happened to the two who bit her, here?” He asks, pointing at the men attached to her wrists.
“We had to move them. Sebastian, I’ve never seen anything like it before. They were dissolved in some places and melted in others. Some sections of the corpses still had fresh human skin attached, untouched, while others were a molten mess. It looked as if her blood burned its way through their bodies.”
“Interesting.”
“I’d say more than interesting. That creature acted as if she had never smelled our kind before,” a deep voice says from behind. Sebastian knows without turning that he is dealing with the Drow from the video.
“Vorn Baen, at your service.” The light haired Drow bows at the waist and raises his emerald eyes to the powerful vampire before him.
“Sebastian…” he starts to say only to be interrupted.
“I know who you are. You are the legendary, Sebastian Fourie. Creator and keeper of the rules, cleaner of the eternal mess.” Vorn grins and pours a shot of whiskey, tossing it back he gives him his full attention once more. The Drow is shorter than Sebastian’s six-foot three height, but he is not intimidated by the ancient.
“Excellent. Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, tell me what you know,” Sebastian snarls. Drow are difficult to deal with. They can be unpredictable, selfish, and sadistic. With only one agenda in mind, their own.
“I know she took out two ancient vampires without even breaking a sweat. Yet, when she faced me, she hesitated. I believe her comment was, ‘A new flavor, I will try your kind later.’ I am Drow; Vampire! Your species has no control over me, yet this one did.” He frowns when he looks at the video of her.
“How?” Sebastian presses play and they watch the video again.
“Your species can freeze with a thought, she didn’t exactly freeze me, watch.” He points at the screen, “it felt more like I was pushing through quick sand. She slowed me down and grinned before leaving. That creature was playing.”
“Like a newborn in the throes of the blood lust. What are you?” Sebastian murmurs when he turns back to the Drow.
“Whatever she is, I want to see her again,” Vorn demands.
Sebastian turns to look at him once more and nods in understanding. “Daniel bring the human, Foster, to me.”
Vorn watches the vampire go and speaks rapidly. “I traced her to a hospital not far from here. She changed clothes in the bathroom of a patient, I have his address.”
“Why? This is vampire business, not Drow. What are you after Vorn?”
“News is spreading quickly, Sebastian. You will need my help to protect her,” Vorn states.
“What makes you think I want to protect her? She could be a threat to us all.”
Vorn is stunned silent for a moment, then grins. “If nothing else, simply for the curiosity. You want to know what she is as much as I do. My people have a stake in this world too, Sebastian.”
“Your people are dark…”
“Not everything is as it appears, Vampire. I urge you to consider joining me. This is a one-time offer. Look around us. There are more than just two races here. Already they’ve gathered trying to decide which of us will get their hands on this creature. A human with that power, yet not human, nor vampire. Some will seek to destroy her, while others will try to turn her into a weapon. Either way, that can’t be allowed.” Vorn glares at him and waits.
Sebastian glances around and is surprised to see that the Drow is right. Werewolves, are sniffing around, asking questions. Fairies, witches and even warlocks from the Hunter’s Guild. He slips the flash drive from the computer and sticks it in his pocket. The memory on the laptop is quickly wiped clean.
Vorn grunts in satisfaction, only to groan when the loud screeching from the human Foster, carries across the club. “You need to shut him up, quickly, Sebastian.”
“I demand to see someone in charge! How many times must I tell you? She bit me and draine
d my immortal gifts away!” Sebastian is before him in an instant. Foster inhales swiftly and bows to the ancient immortal.
“My Lord, thank you for coming. You must help me. No one will listen.” Sebastian waves a hand and Foster is entranced. He lifts his wrist with a sigh and his fangs emerge.
“No,” Vorn argues and grabs Sebastian’s arm. He turns on him instantly and slams the Drow across the chest, causing him to flip through the air. Vorn growls as he lands easily on his feet.
“Think, fool! Her poison could still be in his system.” Sebastian glares at him but acknowledges him with a nod.
“Damn testy, vamps. Let me see. You hold him still. I can read his memories without touching his blood.” Vorn closes his eyes and sinks into his mind. He watches the stunning female enter the bar and realizes that Foster had targeted her from the start. Mistaking her for a human he stalked her until she caught his scent.
A grin of appreciation spreads across his lips as he watches her work. She goes from prey to predator in an instant. The fool stood no chance. His grin fades when he realizes the human speaks the truth. When she bit him, she syphoned his gifts, leaving him impotent once more. He releases the male and nods at Sebastian.
Sebastian snaps out orders, “Daniel take him back to my sister. She can present him to the council. They can decide how to handle this. I’m going to follow up on a lead.” Vorn follows him outside the club.
Slipping on a pair of well-worn sunglasses, Vorn pushes his long white blonde hair from his face and grins, “My car or yours?”
Chapter 14
Vorn laughs as he climbs into the front passenger seat. “Could you not have picked a more obvious car? A blacked-out SUV, really?”
“You won’t mock me if we need the bullet proof exterior,” Sebastian replies slamming the driver side door with a sound like a bank vault closing.
“True enough.” Vorn is quiet for a moment as he scans the parking lot and takes in the multiple species gathering here to collect information. Members of the Hunter’s Guild are moving in and around the club talking to witnesses. “So, is it UV protected too?” Glancing at Sebastian’s pinched lips, Vorn chuckles.
