Divine Blood (Vampire Love Story #6)

by Night, H. T.

  She let out a huge breath. “I know your heart. I know you love them and are such an amazing father. I know when push comes to shove, you would do what you’re doing right now.”

  “Which is?”

  “Going insane until we find our son. I know you, Josiah—you will not rest until he is found and returned to our home.”

  “So, are you okay?”

  “I’ll be okay when you bring my little boy back to me.”

  I grabbed Lena and held her tightly in my arms. “You’re right. I won’t rest,” I whispered in her ear.

  “Go out to your friends and pick Sion’s brain until we figure out where he is. Or better yet, ask Joshua if he can feel where his brother is.”

  I kissed Lena gently on the forehead and told her I loved her. She nodded her head basically to say, “You know where I stand.” And where she stood was with me. She loved me with all her heart. She showed me that every day in all that she did for me. Together, we were one true heart.

  “I’ll bring our family back together,” I said. “I swear it on everything that I have been, that I am, and that I will be.”

  Then I left the room to see my friends. We needed to find Jason as soon as possible.

  In my head, I was inside a big hourglass. It had red sand pouring through a narrow tube of glass, and the bottom of the hourglass was filling up, faster than I could dig my way out.

  Time was running out for Jason.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  I met my friends downstairs. We had a library that was filled with children’s books and educational books, mainly from the boys growing up. We had homeschooled them until they were sixteen, then they had graduated from the California private high school. We had taken pride in educating our kids, so we had an extensive library. Books were knowledge and I valued the good ones as much as I did any life experience.

  My entire group of friends followed me into the library. This wasn’t any ordinary group of friends. They were, as far as I was concerned, the toughest group of individuals this world had to offer. And now, we had added someone new to the inner circle: my son, Joshua.

  I was not crazy about introducing my son to the world of legends, Triat folklore or perhaps Triat truth, and the good, the bad, and the ugly that came with all of that. But I had to pull out all the stops to find Jason, and Joshua was my secret weapon. And I’d never forget how Joshua had instinctively known where Jason had wandered off to so many years ago, at the pet store in the mall, when we had frantically searched for our lost child. I was counting on Joshua pulling a rabbit out of his hat, once again. But this time, the stakes were much, much higher. Jason wasn’t lost—he was kidnapped.

  This would be the most important task that I had ever asked of Joshua. This wasn’t scoring a touchdown or hitting a homerun. In real life, striking out at the plate usually meant that someone died and you could have prevented it. Now Joshua was dealing with real life, and, as he was only eighteen years old, I needed to watch him closely to make sure the tasks and responsibilities weren’t overwhelming for him.

  One by one, all my compadres made their way into the library. Those who could find chairs did, and those who could not, stood silently, waiting. I was quiet, too, purposely not saying a word. I just stared at my friends’ faces, one by one. I showed them the pain in my eyes, for I could no longer veil it. I was in agony that one of my son’s lives was in danger. I needed to wait for the right moment to give them my plea for assistance.

  Except for Atticai—who probably didn’t even get my text message, because hell, I had no idea if he even had a phone anymore, or what continent he was on—all of my friends were here: Yari, Hector, Wyatt, Sion, Tommy, and now, Joshua. There would be no Yomaida here tonight. Those were the breaks. For whatever reason, she didn’t show up for my sons’ birthday party. Tommy probably knew the reason, but I didn’t have time to inquire about the nuances of his on-again, off-again relationship with her. I needed to get started on finding Jason and bringing him home safely.

  “Like I said back in Victorville yesterday, this is a highly unusual situation,” I began. “The bottom line is, I’m certain Brock has Jason hidden somewhere on the island of Attica. And it’s going to be up to us to find him as soon as possible. Brock’s son is very ill. And he assured me that he would kill Jason if his son dies.”

  “When the hell did you talk to Brock?” Tommy yelled out.

  “I just got back from dealing with Brock. I went straight to Attica before I came to Helena.”

  Yari asked, “And Brock admits to having Jason?”

  “Yes, he did,” I said plainly.

  “The balls of that motherfucker!” Tommy yelled out.

  I glanced over at Joshua to see how he was reacting to our war-room talk. I was taken aback when I saw him. His face showed a determination that was almost savage-like. He wanted his brother returned and that was obvious. Then Joshua yelled out after he had patiently waited his turn to speak, “If anyone has hurt my brother, they will answer first to me!”

  My two sons had a pact that was greater than most bonds I had ever known, perhaps even greater than mine and Tommy’s, and that bond truly ran deep. In my eyes, it was the single great male greatest quality about my sons: their undying love for one another.

  I looked over at my son, Joshua, and thought, oh boy. I knew he needed to separate some of his emotions and get them under control, or he wouldn’t be able to focus and find Jason with his supernatural locating powers. I was really hoping for another miracle.

  I looked up at everybody and said, “Let’s split up and cover the island by day in our bird and other immortal forms. I want to split us up into two groups. The first group will be the Children of the Night: Yari, Hector and Wyatt. The second group is going to be Tommy, Joshua and myself, with Sion nearby.”

  “Nearby what?” Sion asked.

  “Nearby in a helicopter at night,” I answered. “During the day, you’ll be in close communication with both teams.” I added, “You haven’t forgotten how to operate a helicopter, have you?”

  “It’s like riding a bike,” he answered. Sion had taken helicopter lessons a while back and had gotten his license.

  “I want us to sweep the island and regroup every two hours. Tommy and Joshua will be on foot. I’ll be in my eagle form until night time. Joshua believes that he can find Jason through their special connection. I’ve seen it done before. So, that’s what I’m betting on. We have no time to waste.”

  I gazed at them and added, “If any of you need to drink and power up—vampire style—this would be the time to do it. Mani refreshments are waiting in the next room. Help yourselves.”

  Joshua raised his eyebrows. I did not explain the ingredients, nor the preparation of the refreshments. He knew, but this was the first time that I acknowledged that nutritional necessity for most Mani.

  I added, “Joshua and Tommy, there are high-protein bars and electrolyte replenisher drinks on the helicopter for you.”

  Tommy nodded. “Thanks, Josiah.”

  “Elite force, we have a long day and night ahead of us, but we will fight for Jason on the side of right, and victory will be ours when we bring him safely home. We’re heading out in fifteen minutes. Those who can fly, meet at the rooftop trap door to the north tower and we’ll turn to birds inside, before we fly, so no sunlight touches your Mani form. All others, head for the helipad.”

  Joshua digested this information quickly. He pulled aside Tommy and me and we went into one the guest bedrooms. He was eager to say something to us. I was pretty damn sure I knew what it was...

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Joshua confronted Tommy and me in the guestroom as everybody else left the library. “Dad, can we go back into the library so I can talk to you and Uncle Tommy?”

  I looked at my son and he seemed as determined to say whatever he needed to say. This was his twin brother we were talking about. The love between twins must be off the charts. “Make it quick, son. I want us to start looking fo
r Jason as soon as possible.”

  Tommy, Joshua and I all went back into the library, now that everyone had filed out of the room.

  Joshua shut the door behind and stood there staring at us silently. I noticed that he stood tall and sure of himself, not cocky, but mature, driven. The determination in his stance was a prelude to something very serious.

  “What is it, son?” I asked.

  Then he slowly rolled up his right leg. It was apparent and he had either allowed a Mani to bite him or he was attacked.

  “How did that happen?” I asked. I held back a groan of dismay.

  “It was my own decision. I allowed the Mani, who will remain nameless, to bite me in my leg for my first bite. I actually paid him to do it.”

  “How much?” Tommy asked.

  “One hundred bucks.”

  “You overpaid,” I said, appalled. “Let me get this straight, you paid some mysterious Mani man to bite you? What did you do? Put an ad in the paper that said, “One Son of Chosen needs Mani to bite him.”

  “Once, I told a couple of folks that I was interested in being bitten. It wasn’t hard to for me to find takers.”

  “Even though your dad is Josiah Reign, they dared.” I looked at Tommy and shook my head. “Mani are biting my son for cash. You would think after eighteen years that I would have earned more respect around here than for a Mani to go behind my back and bite my son.”

  “Seeing how upset you have gotten over one bite, I’m afraid to show you this,” Joshua said. Joshua rolled up his other pants leg and sure enough, he had a second bite. Dismay roiled in my belly. If my son turned into raven and flew out of here, I would absolutely puke.

  So, I asked my son the most obvious question. “Why would you do that, son? Why?”

  “Because I want to be Mani like you are. I know if you give me the third bite, I will become exactly like you and Mom. A mortal vampire. The Deity called it ‘a Son of Josiah.’ And that is exactly what I want to be.”

  “But why right now, Joshua?”

  “Because, I know in my heart I can help Jason better if I turn Mani, but not just any Mani. A Son of Josiah.”

  I looked at Tommy and he seemed as flabbergasted as I was.

  “Let me get this straight, Joshua,” Tommy asked. “You don’t have a third bite, correct? You are hoping your father would give you the third bite?” Tommy looked me in the eye and was basically asking me, What are you going to do with this, bro?

  The truth of the matter was, I’d never intended for my kids to become Mani. I wanted to spare them from that fate. It looked like fate wasn’t making it easy on me.

  I said, “So you think we can start a new strain of vampire called Sons of Josiah?”

  “If you think about it, Dad, you were Mom’s third bite. You weren’t married. You weren’t related, but she became just like you, in terms of being a mortal vampire after you bit her. Dad, it is my belief that a new band of Mani needs to rise up. One that is not afraid to die for what we believe in—fighting for the cause of goodness and harmony. Our new breed, a hybrid Mani, will be stronger than you in physiology, and wiser, because not only have we been raised in our culture, but we chose the Mani way for a purposeful existence. A higher one.”

  “Son,” I said, my eyes tearing up. I had never been prouder of Joshua than at that moment.

  “Let me finish,” Joshua said. “Our new hybrid Mani are not random victims of a vampire’s bite. We choose to serve and rise to our full potential to change things for the better. To me, being Mani is not a debilitating physiological condition that I would adapt to with a hopeless attitude and self-pitying suffering because I am different.”

  I cringed a bit at that.

  “No, Father...I would embrace turning Mani as an honor and a privilege of my birthright. It is the optimal choice for utilizing the DNA that I have been blessed with by the Triat, and by you and Mother.”

  I looked at my son, and he had made a damn convincing argument, but still, if we could get Jason back the way I thought we could, then there would be no need for Joshua to turn Mani.

  I had one thought on my mind and one thought only: “This is an irreversible decision. Tommy, please go get Lena. She needs to be in this talk.” I looked at Joshua. “You are our son. It is her right to know all that you have told me.”

  Tommy ran from the room to go find Lena.

  I looked at my son and said, “This is a hard life that you desire, Joshua. And it is a permanent transformation. If you take this step, and I not only allow it, but enable it, nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever come easy to you again.”

  Then Joshua said to me, “I don’t crave the easy life. I saw much of it at the prestigious private high school, how many of the rich boys had everything handed to them.”

  “Your mother should hear this.”

  “Not this part, Dad, because she would feel slighted. I love her, too, and I want to be like both my parents. But I especially want to be like you, my father. You are my role model. My sounding board. My teacher. You are the greatest Mani who has ever existed. Those who forget what you fought for, what you suffered for on Krull’s mechanical cross, should be ashamed.”

  “And what did I fight for? What did I suffer for?” I asked. Not that I had forgotten. I was just surprised that he knew so much.

  “You didn’t fight for the blood glory of winning a battle. No, not ego and not a power play, but you fought for the honor and freedom of who Mani are in the world, as a race, as a people, as a culture. I want to become fully Mani, so that I can begin where you left off. Your work is not done, Father, but I need to be a full Mani to continue the good that you have started.”

  I was so choked up, I didn’t know what to say. Philosophically, Joshua was more Mani than I had been in years. Obviously, he’d been thinking about this. Hard.

  Tommy and Lena came into the library and the room was silent as they waited for me to speak. I gathered my thoughts. It was silent for far too long and we had so much to do. I had one son missing and another one who was on the cusp of making the biggest decision of his life.

  Everyone’s eyes were on me, as they waited for me to speak my piece. Lena’s eyes were moist and she was already overwrought because Jason was being held hostage by Brock.

  The question at the present moment was simple.

  Would I provide the third bite and turn my 18-year-old boy into a new kind of Mani as a fully manifested Son of Josiah?

  I began, “This is about more than getting Jason back safely. Because of Brock turning his appointed governor post into a dictatorship and flooding his island with violence backed by big money to gain support for his evil agenda, the future of all Mani people is again at stake...this evil will soon spread if Brock is not stopped.” I paused. “And now, Joshua wants me to pass him the torch.”

  Lena gasped.

  To be continued in:

  SONS OF JOSIAH

  Vampire Love Story #7

  Coming soon!

  ~~~~~

  And look for:

  LOVING MAYA

  Entwined Series #4

  by H.T. Night

  Available now!

  ~~~~~

  Also coming soon:

  VAMPIRE SUPERHERO

  The epic series begins!

  by H.T. Night

  (Look for it in What the Night Brings: Three Novels)

  ~~~~~

  Also available:

  THE FOURTH SUNRISE

  An epic romance novel

  by H.T. Night

  (Look for it in What the Night Brings: Three Novels)

  ~~~~~

  Now available:

  ROMEO AND JULIET:

  A Vampire and Werewolf Love Story

  by H.T. Night

  (read on for a sample)

  Chapter One

  I looked over the Lady’s sleeve and drank in my beautiful city. The stunning fireworks had finished, and once again, I was left overwhelmed at the majestic magnitude of the city. The party bo
ats had left the harbor with their floodlights, raucous cheers, and commotion that commemorated the first anniversary of the renaming of the city. What was once named Manhattan had been replaced by the name Verona.

  I stood by the silent, virtuous Lady, just on her left shoulder. Balancing my feet on such a great statue was always tricky. I could taste her overwhelming wet, coppery scent in my nose and mouth. The aroma was reminiscent of fresh blood, not altogether unpleasant.

  I looked up into the dark cold night. It was unusual to see stars over our city, but the night was crisp with them, twinkling sparks on a black velvet nightscape, such a clear night that diamond rays from starlight illuminated the night sky like Jacob’s ladders extending from deep sky to tall buildings. It was a radiant night.

  We were fortunate to have most of our land bought out for re-gentrification by a billion-dollar Prince. Prince Escalus. His very surname as a visionary developer was a legend in his own time. Not only was he rich, he was powerful, and masterful at rejuvenating entire cities. His approach into developing cities and remaking them was that his philosophy was simple: Keep the peace.

  There was no place that needed peace more in this time than New York City. More specifically…Manhattan.

  As I looked out from my 300-foot-high perch in the night shadow of the bosom of the lady, I marveled at the beauty of my Verona. My city was like a beautiful woman to me and my city had two competing lovers and a divided heart. I was reminded of which immortal species ruled these parts. Vampires and werewolves were as legendary and infamous in these parts as celebrities. In fact, we even had our own media network.