They could easily pass for humans in their early twenties when their wings were magically hidden away. Except for Aiden. He was the oldest, and the oldest looking, with a more mature-defined face that would have led someone to think he was more along in his early thirties. Aiden had quickly become an acquaintance of sorts when they’d found they shared a love of old literature and began swapping books over the last few weeks to pass the hours between rounds. He was Seth’s cousin, too, sharing a similar strawberry-blonde hair color but trimmed in a more old-fashioned, short style and constantly kept neat.
The Guardians she knew well from her time in and out as a fighter. After the Compound was raided and destroyed by Rogues, not many survived. Markus, Jerry, James, Nicolas and Brayden remained with them. She thought of them as brothers now after growing closer to them through the days. Funny enough, they used to fear her, hate her. But things had changed. Namely the world and all of them along with it. They were certainly excited to have Thomas back, too.
As they gathered in a large circle at the center of the gym, she glanced around the room at everyone.
“I think we should address an issue first before we get started.”
Their attention held onto her and she cleared her throat nervously. Making sure to put things as delicately as possible, she tried the best approach to the subject by being blunt and to the point.
“Quit rationing your drinks. If we run out of our stock, we’ll just have to risk it and start hunting again like the Vampires we are.”
The Guardians gasped and the Fallen frowned in disapproval. Sure they would, those boys didn’t need blood to survive. That was another thing to the list about them she hadn’t figured out also. How did they get sustenance? She didn’t even see them eat food, and only have the occasional drink—alcoholic type drinks.
“You can’t be serious,” Draven whispered harshly beside her, getting her attention again. She suddenly realized that every pair of eyes in the room were on her, unblinking.
“I’m very serious. We have to be at our full capabilities, not weak and hungry. Also, how do we know how far we can push our power if we’re constantly starved?” she argued.
“She’s right. We can’t do anything if we’re weak.”
Zarah looked over at her brother and smiled in relief at his support. Within minutes of him stepping forward in agreement, the others began nodding along as well. Although the Fallen didn’t seem thrilled with the discussion, it wasn’t theirs to discuss.
“Alright, let’s get to work,” she said as they began pairing up, getting into teams, or going off on their own for their work-outs. Some of the Fallen took a couple of the Guardians to work with their new elemental power since their recent changes.
Zarah set off alone again. She crossed the gym and sat down to begin stretching. A few minutes later, Guardians across the gym started playing around with their elemental powers, and it became loud with the buzz of laughter and shouts of surprise. She didn’t move. It had been Jerry’s idea after the battle at the military base for them all to be Changed after learning about the power she possessed. At that point, she had already changed Draven when saving his life from another attack. Her blood was special. Any who drank from her would change and gain an Elemental power. The cycle continued from there—if one drank from a Changed One, they would change as well. Slowly, they were becoming a new race.
Watching them in the gym as they were still trying to learn their power by building it up at will and throw it out where needed held her attention for a while. Zarah wasn’t up to practicing that night though. Instead she kept to basic physical training and continued stretching her tired muscles.
Someone turned on a stereo and started blasting heavy metal. Probably Cam. Not that Zarah minded the music at all, some of her favorite tunes echoed out through the loud speakers. It was just disheartening when you could still hear the gunshots and military vehicles rumbling by outside even over the music.
“Are you not practicing tonight?” Thomas had approached quietly and interrupted her thoughts. She looked up at him and grimaced, shaking her head.
“No, I’m not really in the mood. I think I’ll just go in the other room and pound on the bags for a while.” She started to stand and head to the adjacent room where they kept some more equipment, such as punching bags, extra weights, and boards for knife throwing.
“Are you alright?”
She sighed in frustration as she put on her padded, fingerless gloves for her work-out and slipped out of her boots. She hadn’t dressed for boxing but didn’t care.
“I’m fine,” she mumbled and started to walk away. Thomas pulled her back, protesting.
“You know, it’s kind of a given that as my sister, I automatically know when you’re lying. Come on, now. Be honest.”
Zarah turned back to him with a frown.
“You know I’m getting really sick of being asked if I’m alright. No, things aren’t okay, but I’ll be fine. So, let’s drop it.”
She glanced around the room, noting that Draven stood close by and probably could hear part of their conversation if he tried. Annoyed, she gave her attention back to Thomas. He must have noticed her brief gaze because he was looking in the same direction she had been before meeting her eyes again.
“Is this about you and him? I thought you two were—” he started in confusion.
“No. We’re not and it’s not,” she quickly cut him off. The pain in her chest though reminded her that part of her problem was Draven, but she wasn’t about to confess that to her brother. He’d just implied that he thought they were a couple, which shocked her momentarily. She wondered how many others thought the same thing.
Thomas suddenly nodded as if an idea occurred to him. “It’s about last night then, isn’t it? That raid on the Hiders?”
She narrowed her eyes.
“You weren’t in that house, Thomas. You didn’t see that awful scene. It’s not just about last night, but everything that’s been going on. We’re at war now. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”
Her brother slowly nodded in agreement. She faced the wall, pretending to be stretching her legs again so she wouldn’t have to look at him directly, trying to speak as softly as she could in hopes that others wouldn’t overhear their discussion.
“All of my life, I’ve always been taught to protect humans. Now, in order to survive, it looks like I’m going to have to fight them. Tell me something, do you believe what they say on television is true? That if Vampires win, we’ll rule over them and treat them like slaves?”
“I’m not sure,” he stuttered in a shocked whisper.
“Well, I think you are. We all know it will happen. Why? Because thousands of our kind out there are supporters and always have been. They’ve been waiting for this kind of opportunity,” she said matter-of-factly, straightening up. “Either way, bro, this world is in for some serious dark times ahead. Whether we win or lose.”
With that, she strolled away and into the adjacent workroom, leaving her brother in a stunned silence.
Five
Hitting the punching bag always relieved stress for Zarah. That night was no exception. As her fists exploded into the soft foam hanging down in front of her, she reveled in each strike. She was so lost in her thoughts she hadn’t heard the door open and someone enter the room behind her.
“Everyone is leaving the gym now.”
Jumping at the sound of Draven’s voice, she spun and faced him before regaining her composure.
“So?”
She went back to the punching bag, trying to ignore his presence as he stepped further into the room and approached.
“So…take a break. No sense in wasting what energy you do have.”
“I’m fine,” she repeated what seemed to be becoming a track that sounded like it was skipping. He shrugged, rolling his eyes, and began to walk away. She thought he was done and leaving, until he suddenly grabbed her, causing a shriek to escape. With a single yank and toss, he flippe
d her easily over his head and onto her back as she landed roughly on the blue mat on the floor.
Zarah groaned, rubbing her back momentarily, before staring up in angered shock as he stood above her impatiently. He crossed his arms over his chest and raised his eyebrows.
“Any other time, I wouldn’t have been able to do that, and you know it.”
“That’s not fair! I thought you were leaving so I wasn’t even paying attention!” she yelled, starting to stand. Her cheeks burned, flushing pink with fury. He stood in front of her in silence.
She threw her hand back and prepared to slap him but he caught it quickly. Raging further, she tried to reach with the other, only for him to grab that one as well. Beyond irritation, she was simply blinded by only wanting to get at least one hit in and tried to kick. He threw out his leg and tripped her, causing her to flip back on the mat again with a loud growl.
“Like I said, take a break.”
He left, stepping over her as she continued to lie in the floor, smirking on his way out.
“Punk,” she mumbled when she slowly rose to her feet, noting that her muscles were sore. He laughed, hearing her remark, before the door closed to leave her alone again.
Unfortunately, he was right. She needed a break and rest. Yanking her gloves off, she threw them across the room in a fit and stormed out of the room. She shook her head in disbelief at the tears stinging her eyes. God, she was acting so human it was disgusting. Driven by her emotions. What was wrong with her? Was she developing some sort of late teenage hormone thing, despite the fact that she wasn’t technically a human teenager anymore? She was stuck at the age of nineteen forever, and had been a Vampire for almost forty years now. So, what was the deal?
“You look deep in thought, Sunshine.”
Zarah had been deep in thought as always. She hadn’t heard Seth come walking up beside her until he spoke, using the nickname for her that he had seemed to pick up over the last couple of weeks. Where he got it from, she had no idea. Of course, Vampires couldn’t go out in the daylight. The Fallen could during certain times, mostly if the sun wasn’t at its highest point, like at dawn or dusk, and in a way she was jealous of that. She remembered trying to see the sun briefly a while ago at sunrise when her and Draven were trying to make it back to the old Compound in time. The light had practically chased them along the way but she still turned back for a curious glance. Even through the window and shade, just staring at the light had mildly burned her eyes.
She continued walking but laughed softly. “Yeah, you know me. Deep philosophical thoughts as always.”
He grinned, looking a little goofy, and walked with her. “I always figured you silently pondered things like that. The whole universe thing, I mean, we are just a speck in the vast system, right?”
That time Zarah let out a loud giggle and playfully shoved his shoulder. She didn’t know what it was, but Seth always seemed to know how to bring her back up from a down mood even if it was just temporary.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she joked, still smiling. They walked into the Lounge together and she instinctively looked around for Draven, relieved to find he wasn’t there. Annoyingly though, Seth continued to follow her around trying to talk. She ignored him half the time, not hearing most of the things he was saying.
When she sat down on a couch by one of the large bay windows, he was still talking. She started to lean her head back and close her eyes.
“…Masters are getting curious, and their curiosity is dangerous.”
Snapping her eyes open again, she looked at him in confusion. He was seated across from her in a plush chair, drinking a glass of wine, and had lost his joking manner.
“What did you just say?” she asked harshly.
He frowned his disapproval, realizing that she obviously hadn’t been listening.
“I said, the word is getting around. Fallen Masters are getting curious about you and trust me, their curiosity is dangerous. Not to be taken lightly. If you think this situation with the humans is bad, you haven’t seen much yet.”
“You know what I’m curious about, Seth?” Her eyebrows were raised, not seemingly the slightest bit worried about his warning. He glanced at her with a scowl.
“Your species. Here I thought Vampires were a mysterious bunch, but boy was I wrong when I met you guys. I know absolutely nothing about the Fallen other than the power you possess.”
“Are you trying to imply something?”
“No,” she emphasized sarcastically. “I’m simply saying that maybe it’s time you and your group open up a bit. Tell us more about your kind. I’d particularly like to know more about my mother at least.”
He sighed and leaned back in his seat.
“Were you taught nothing in your training, Sunshine? We learned everything about Vampires during ours.”
“Like what?”
“The three branches—Guardians, Hiders, and Rogues. How the war began between our species over three centuries ago, the turning processes, skills you possessed, and your weaknesses.” He listed nonchalantly, beginning to look bored. She frowned and stood.
“Obviously we are on different paths. So you owe us the favor of giving the information we should have about you. I can’t fight these so-called Masters and their Warriors you speak of blindly.”
Seth jumped to his feet and grabbed her hand, startling her beyond more words. His eyes were bright and fierce, but full of a tenderness she had yet seen from him until that moment.
“You will never fight them, Zarah, because you would lose. No matter how much I prepared you.”
Six
Zarah walked toward her small apartment in a slight daze. After the meeting with Seth, things became awkward. She had departed from the Lounge in a rush after his statement without saying anything else. He’d tried to call out to her but she just waved him off and continued on her way. She hadn’t wanted to hear anything else from him.
The night in the Compound was growing quiet as the hours grew later and others started to prepare for bed. Hallways were empty. She welcomed the silence during her walk around the building, the only sound being her boots echoing off the tiles. The vision of her mother kept nagging at her—it had been months since she dreamed of her—and as she turned down the hall that led to her brother’s living area, she knew what she had to do.
It may take her awhile to get many answers from Seth about their race and more information about her mother’s life and death, but the least she could do is tell Thomas about the dream at last. Maybe he could even help if he knew anything also.
After softly knocking on the door, it swung open and she was met with her brother’s smiling face. A television was on somewhere in the room, sounding like it was tuned to some high-action movie with a lot of gun shots and police sirens in the background.
“Hey, Sis. Come on in and watch the movie with me. I feel like since we’ve been back, we hardly speak.”
Thomas reached out and tugged her into the room as she forced a smile. It was true; they hardly spent much time together outside of work or practice in the gym. In truth, she was still trying build her relationship back with him, but first felt that she needed closure on her own volatile emotions that she harbored for so long after he had turned her Rogue two years prior. Growing up with him had been different. They were always close, more like best friends rather than siblings. Like most children born to a vampire parent, they’d had extreme sensitivity to sunlight and had to be privately tutored rather than attend school. Most people would have assumed this would cause a lot of trouble between the siblings, but that situation only made them closer.
“What movie?”
“I don’t even know to be honest, but it’s entertaining,” he replied with a laugh as they stepped into the apartment, Zarah shutting the door behind her.
She slipped her boots off and left them in the narrow hall that led from the door and opened up into the living room before following him. Before taking a seat, she look
ed around to see that like always, everything was neat and organized. Thomas was constantly about being tidy and she picked on him often about the obsession.
The bedroom, across from them, was left open showing a large spacious area with a king-size bed—again neatly made—with luxurious burgundy blankets and thick white carpet. In the living area, the same plush carpet was soft beneath her feet as she sat on a brown leather wrap-around couch. A beautiful amber-colored Tiffany lamp sat on a nearby table, dimly lighting the room. Her brother fell in beside her and they stared silently at the television across from them for several long, awkward silent minutes.
Through These Wicked Nights (Guardians of the Night Book 2) Page 3
