by Leia Stone
Jayden broke the tension by giving me a push forward. “Hurry, or all the good food will be gone.” His tone was all casual and relaxed, despite the fact there were still thousands of eyes locked on us. Jayden was one cool gay dude.
I took a tentative step into the room. My olfactory sense was smashing me with information, like it knew somehow how to catalogue the smells. I knew one thing for sure: they were all ashes. I scanned the crowd, trying not to linger too long on any one group. There were scary faces in here. But all beautiful. It’s like any human or offspring affected by the vampire virus were smoothed out or something. All flaws just kind of sculpted away. Don’t get me wrong, each still had completely individual features, all unique, but the flaws were non-existent.
I took a tentative step after Jayden, and it was then my eyes locked onto a familiar dark head. Ryder. He was sitting on the left side of the large cafeteria-style room with a group of big, badass-looking ashes. I noted that his table seemed a little different from the others. They were sat further apart than the rest of the tables; there were six of them, silently watching me; they all wore black clothing, army style, and all had identical cold and menacing expressions. They were the sort of ashes I would never want to find myself in a dark alley with. Ryder was no exception, except … there was just something else a little more about him. Or maybe I was actually developing some sort of weird Stockholm syndrome since he had saved my ass, twice.
Deciding there was no place in this room to act like a weak ash, especially since the newest culling participants would be looking for kinks in my armor, I just jutted my chin high, showing no fear. I thought I saw a flash of something in Ryder’s eyes, but all he did was give me the slightest of nods. I tore my eyes away and continued to follow Jayden into the room. Then, just like that, everyone went back to what they were doing.
The food was set up in a low row of serving trays. Jayden hurried along first, and I followed slower, grabbing a few bits before settling on a black bean burrito. Hurrying to catch up with my roommate, I noticed his plate and I arched an eyebrow at him.
“Christ, are you feeding the entire Hive?”
His plate was piled high with hummus, chocolate cake, nachos, bacon – everything was just on top of the other and smashed together in some disgusting concoction of flavors.
Jayden laughed, his black eyes twinkling. “I like you.” He hip bumped me.
We found our way to a section in the back that was marked off behind a velvet rope.
“What’s with the special seating?” I asked, sitting down.
Jayden glanced back at the main part of the room. A serious look came over his face. “No one wants to become friends with us until they know who is going to survive.”
Right. Awesome. I suddenly wasn’t hungry. Depression settled over me like a thick blanket.
“You don’t have anything to worry about,” he said. “The shit you pulled with Ryder, you’re probably a top pick.”
Ryder … was he talking about me breaking his ankle? How was that special? All new ash were strong, weren’t they?
“Top pick?” I mused aloud.
He popped a piece of bacon in his mouth and moaned. I gave him an odd look.
“Like I said in the room, the night before the culling starts we get ranked. The top picks fight less. They get to sit out a lot, and some of them only fight once or twice before the team event. The vamps like the weak to get killed off first.”
“Well, shit, that’s depressing.” I took a bite of my burrito. A flavor explosion played over my tongue and I moaned. He burst out laughing at my expression.
“Your taste buds are enhanced. Every meal is like sex in your mouth,” he told me.
Someone slammed down their tray across the table, glaring at us. “Quit acting like best friends,” the new guy spat. “You’re all going to be at each others’ throats in two weeks.”
Jayden threw a chip at him as my stomach sank. “Calm down, meathead,” he said.
Maybe this new guy was right, I shouldn’t be making friends. I glanced at Jayden and he smiled. Shit. Too late. I kinda already went and liked my roomie. I’d just have to worry about it if and when Jayden and I fought. For now, Jayden and I were on the same team.
I ate half of my burrito. The conversations had dried up in this section of the ash hall. Mostly everyone just stuck to themselves and threw around lots of glares. After thirty minutes of this, I dropped my plate onto the return tray and said goodbye to Jayden. I needed some alone time, and if I remembered robot Jose’s tour correctly, he had said the roof had a jogging track.
My room hadn’t had any jogging clothes, just the jumpsuits, so I decided to just head up and hope for the best. Luckily, as I made my way upstairs, there was a supply room just outside the gym and running area. A female vampire, who was not very friendly at all, hooked me up with some running shoes and clothes. Probably didn’t want to get attached to an ash who was most likely going to be killed in the first round of the culling. Or she was a bitch. Either one.
Fifteen minutes later I was running on top of the world. Sixty stories in the air, it was glorious. The freezing wind slid through my hair and my feet pounded on the track. I could see the whole city from up here! The Columbia River divided Oregon from Washington. I had officially found my new favorite place. If my entire world had to fall apart, then this was something in the glass half full part of my life now. I pushed harder into the run in awe of my new speed and strength. As I angled myself for the turn, someone whipped by me on my left.
“Number forty-six…” Ryder’s voice sailed by as he blurred past. He was doing the seamless graceful thing, his movements controlled and strong.
Asshole was still calling me number forty-six. I picked up my speed, my lungs increasing as my legs blurred underneath me. What can I say? I was competitive. As I caught up to him, I was assaulted by the beautiful network of muscles that made up his back. He was wearing a tank, but I still had plenty to perv on. Pushing myself harder, I grinned as I stepped in beside him, matching pace. Yes! I was an unicorn-ash-badass.
Ryder side-glanced at me.
“Getting slow, ash,” I said.
At first his expression didn’t change, but then, as he leaned forward a little and took off at some sort of super speed, I swear the slightest of smiles lifted his lips. Dammit! I was never going to catch him now, so I decided to slow my pace so I wouldn’t fall on my face. No reason to give him any more reason to think I was a clumsy idiot.
As we did another round of the track, I noticed a newcomer was standing next to one of bench chairs, far back under the cover, out of the light. It was a gorgeous vampire with bright blond hair and fair skin. He had not been on the track when I started, but there was no missing him now in his very white trench coat. He was watching me, gaze locked on with intensity, and I found my pace slowing as my curiosity was piqued. He was tall and well-built, his distinct silver vampire eyes swirling as they continued to track my movements. He was momentarily distracted when Ryder stopped in front of him and gave a military salute. Words were exchanged; their demeanor was friendlyish. Then the vampire pointed at me. Oh shit. I stopped about twenty yards away, cautious as the blond started to wave me over. Ryder spared me a quick glance before turning his back and taking off down the track again.
This guy looked about twenty-five and was watching me with an intensity that made me swallow hard.
I couldn’t exactly ignore him. The vamps ran this world, so even though I really didn’t need any new drama in my first real day in the Hive, I found myself slowly crossing the outer lanes, stopping an arm’s distance away.
“Hi,” I said.
The vampire gave me what seemed like a genuine smile. “Hello, Charlene. May I call you Charlene?”
Hell no, you’re not my mom. “Sure.” I needed to play nice. I had no friends here.
He extended his hand. “I’m Lucas Belcroft.”
Lucas. This was the dude Jayden had said was interested in me. Looks
like I was about to find out why. He held out a hand for me shake. I hesitated briefly, but the sense of otherness which kind of freaked me out about vampires was not as strong with Lucas. I took his strong, firm hand, and instead of repulsion I was met with a light flutter in my stomach. I let go as soon as Lucas’s silver eyes began to swirl.
“I wanted to make your acquaintance for many reasons. And I am reaching out as a member of the Quorum, the vampire council. We are all very intrigued by you.”
Yeah, no shit. Female ash. Didn’t happen. Got the freakin’ memo loud and clear. “Yeah, I’m a little shocked myself.” I noticed Ryder was eyeing us while running.
Lucas’ eyes dropped to my chest for a fraction of a second, but then rested on my lips. Men, vamps or ash, were all the same. “We have been in discussions since you were … discovered. The rules and traditions stand for a reason, and there are no exceptions. You do have to participate in the culling, but I will do everything in my power to make sure you survive.”
There was a possessiveness in his voice. Homeboy wanted this ash-unicorn bad, for what I didn’t know. I was struck with an uncomfortable thought then, one which I really should have had earlier but there had been already quite a bit going on in my head.
My father was a vampire.
Not John, the soldier Mom spoke of, who had bravely saved his men from a landmine. Nope, I had been sired by a virus-infected bloodsucker. Crap! What if Lucas was my dad? That would be super weird, because he was really hot and I had been checking him out. Note to self: no more checking out vampires until I knew which one was my daddy-o.
Seemed I needed to have a chat with my mom. I wasn’t sure if that was allowed or not, but I was damn sure asking the first chance I got. I focused on Lucas again.
“And why would you want me to survive?”
He smiled again. Dude was quite cheery for the undead. “I’m your sponsor. We all want our initiates to survive.”
Okay, not exactly the detailed answer I was looking for, but it sounded like the sponsor thing was set. I wondered how it was decided. Did they just draw names out of a hat, or had this Lucas specifically requested me?
“Well … thanks.” What the hell else was I supposed to say? He wasn’t breathing or moving much and it was starting to freak me out.
“Well, I just wanted to introduce myself. Enjoy your run. Stay in shape, it will help with the training.” Then he left, white coat trailing behind him. It was sort of abrupt, his departure, but I was okay with that.
After this weirdness I didn’t feel much like running, unless it was back to my mom’s and away from the Hive. I took one last glance at the perfection that was Ryder and left to go back to my room. After showering and changing into a new jumpsuit – not a lot of options in here – I came out to find Jayden suited up and sitting on the bed lacing his sneakers.
“It’s training time. You should be paired with a trainer by now, right?” My roommate was nice. He was trying to help me through this, even knowing we might have to fight each other. The thought of having to kill him to survive made me sick.
“Right,” I lied. Lucas hadn’t mentioned a trainer.
Suddenly Jayden inhaled and his eyes did that weird little pulse thing. I froze. That freaky shit needed to stop.
Jayden swallowed. “Can I tell you something?” He was practically salivating.
Fear knotted my belly. I could only nod, my high ponytail bobbing up and down.
He paused. “There’s something about you. Your blood, your smell, it’s … irresistible.”
What the…? “That’s not normal?” I squeaked.
His eyes pulsed again and he shook his head. “No. Ashes don’t feed on other ashes, even ones like me that like boys.”
I laughed. “Well, maybe it’s because I’m the first female. The boys want my special blood.” I winked.
He swallowed hard. “No, it’s more than that. I just thought you should know. Watch your back. Anyone with less self-discipline is going to have a hard time restraining themselves.” He stood suddenly and crossed the room to the fridge, whipping out a bottle of blood and chugging it in one fast go.
Well, shit. Couldn’t a girl catch a break?
I followed Jayden through the barrage of halls and thoroughfares. The Hive was a lot like the way I pictured an anthill, tunnels zigzagging through the building and down into the ground. There were these huge industrial sized elevators at the end of each corridor which zoomed up and down the levels.
Training was on sublevel eight, which meant we were going underground.
There were five other ash in the elevator with us; they varied in size and shape. We all looked to be in our early twenties, the prime time for the ash gene to be triggered and the change to occur. No one spoke. Jayden nudged my arm in a comforting manner, but even he was quiet for once. When we were on the right level, it was a simple matter of traversing along the hall to reach the large double doors at the end.
My heart was pretty much lodged in my throat as I tried to imagine what the hell this training was going to entail. The males around me looked like they were being marched to the executioner or something.
I had so many unanswered questions. I had never much been interested in the Hive or any of its inhabitants, even before the attack. There were classes in school on the virus and the resulting vampires. It had been a long time since the very first case, and the human race was used to the bloodsuckers now; they were an integrated part of our history. But I purposely avoided those high school and college subjects. What did I care about the social structure of the Hive? Or the hierarchy of a race I was determined to avoid.
Fate, however, seemed to have a different plan for me, and now it was time to start information gathering. “Tell me about this Quorum,” I said to Jayden, startling him out of whatever eye-screw he was trying to do with a vampire who’d crossed paths with us. Flirt.
He turned those eyes with their sinfully long lashes on to me. “Girl, you are so fucked, and not in the fun way. You don’t know about the Quorum?”
I didn’t say anything, just kept my eyes locked on him and let my annoyance seep out. He held up both hands. “Got it, you’re a badass. Okay, so the Quorum is the council of vampires which lead the Hive and each Hive has their own Quorum. They are the strongest members of the ten houses.”
I did remember hearing about this. It had been a crazy time when the first strains of the virus emerged. Humans were falling ill, some dying and others becoming vampires. To save the population, the world leaders banded together, and went on a mass culling. They wiped out the infected animals and humans, but a small group of vampires managed to escape and hide away. They became the ten Originals. The founding lineage behind each clan, discretely turning humans and fathering ash.
“Are they still alive, the Originals?” I asked.
Jayden shook his head. “None of the Originals survived the first war with humans, but their lines live on. Each of the vampires, and ash, fall under one of the ten groups. A DNA test can tell which group you’re in, but they don’t waste money on that until you survive the culling. Each group has an elder vampire which leads, maintains order, and disciplines. These ten form the Quorum. Plus the token ash.”
“Token ash?” I was surprised about this.
Jayden’s shit-eating grin increased. “Are you telling me that the most delectable, scrumptious piece of ash you’ll ever lay your eyes on sat by your bedside for two days while you were all blood-crazed, and you didn’t even go so far as to find out a single thing about him?”
I let out a breath. He had to be talking about Ryder. “Ryder is the ash representative on the Quorum?”
“Technically he is. Ryder heads up the enforcers, and he is the scariest, sexiest, piece of—”
“I get the point,” I interrupted him. And I also seconded his point, but one couldn’t forget that he’d electrocuted, shoved, and dismissed me on more than one occasion. Ryder might be a badass, but he was also mainly just an ass.
“Right, well, he is as strong, fast, and lethal as a full-blooded vampire. Some say he might be a direct descendant of an Original, not a watered down mutt like us. He is feared and respected. He was an automatic vote for the ash Quorum seat. Although I heard he almost never bothers to go to meetings. Too busy keeping the streets safe from us crazy ashes.”
That’s what he’d been doing that night in the club, keeping humans safe. Kind of raised my opinion of him a little.
“Number forty-six…”
It took me a few moments to realize the high-pitched voice was calling my number. I swiveled to see a female vampire striding with our group along the hall and toward the training facility.
She had long, very dark red hair. It was dead straight and rested against the curve of her butt. Her eyes were silver of course, and she had them heavily lined in kohl, which only enhanced the elfin beauty of her fine features.
“Yes…” I said with caution. I wasn’t really keen on being separated out from Jayden right now.
“You have a visitor in the Quorum chambers. This is not normally allowed before the culling, but Lucas … he wanted an exception to be made for you today.” Her voice held a tinge of something … sort of a mix of anger and jealousy.
My eyes flicked across to Jayden, who shrugged as if to say “No idea, babe.” Was my mom here? Maybe Tessa? With a flick of her head, the vamp chick spun on her heels and started to stride the other way. She wasn’t tall, but she moved preternaturally fast, and I hurried to catch up. There was no small talk as we crossed the hall and took the elevator even deeper into the underground. Red wasn’t really clueing me in on where these Quorum chambers were, but I swear the dial read Sub20. We were deep underground, and I was going to have to work really hard to not think about the amount of rock which was above me.
Stepping off, the halls in this area were lit with fire lanterns up high in the smooth, rock walls.
“Stay close,” Red told me, before marching off again.
I was starting to get nervous. I should have stopped for a second and wondered if her words were truthful before just blindly following her down here. For all I knew, she was here to kill me and wanted to go somewhere a little less populated. Jayden hadn’t seemed nervous or worried by her, but he was new to the Hive too, and probably didn’t understand the politics that well.
