The Arrival (Children of the Morning Star Book 1)

by Kastie Pavlik

  “The instinct to feed came naturally. I finally knew what that man had been. What had saved me. If not for the signs and symptoms, I might not have believed it, but how could I—holding that damn bloody chicken—deny that I had become like him? As incredible pressure pushed my teeth into my mouth, the memory of his fangs flashed across my mind and I saw myself in his place—a beast to be feared, not a heroic soldier returned home.

  “Lucinda was in her second trimester and our baby was due in November. The long hours spent caring for me and worrying about my condition had made her sick, so I decided to tell her, because in the grand picture, it meant I was okay and she didn’t need to worry. I was very careful, though, that she only ever saw her husband, the man she loved, not the beast I had become.

  “As the days passed, I grew stronger and more attuned to my new senses, and felt guilty for staying home while the war raged. My abilities would have been great advantages on the battlefield, but since I had been listed as missing at Poison Spring, the Colonel forbid it.

  “He hadn’t been home in years, but Lucinda had written to him frequently, and he was well aware of the peculiarities of my return. He never told my regiment about my survival. Per his orders, I stayed with Lucinda to care for her and his grandchild-to-be.

  “Despite my secretive existence and our bizarre circumstances, we tried to live a normal life and prepare for our baby’s arrival. But then November fourth came.

  “That night, Lucinda went into a complicated labor. Our son—Darien, after my mother’s father—did not live long enough to take his first breath. The umbilical cord had strangled him during birth. Lucinda took his body in her arms and held him to her chest, sobbing from the deepest part of her soul. I wept, too, but neither of us had long to grieve. She was hemorrhaging and the midwife couldn’t stop the bleeding.

  “The last thing she said to me was, ‘I love you always. Protect Father.’

  “Maybe I wasn’t human, but I was still a twenty-three-year-old man who had just lost everyone he loved. I didn’t understand how my life was supposedly better than before. Fate’s cold hands had spared me only to rip away my wife and child. I channeled my grief into the war and met up with the Colonel to protect him, as she had desired. No one knew my name—I was merely his shadow in black.

  “It was on a battlefield under the cover of night that I first tasted human blood. It sustained me much better than any animal had, giving me more strength and heightening my abilities to soaring levels. It felt... good. Natural. I had found an element in which my new body thrived. But then, the war ended.

  “We came home in the summer of 1865, and I had to deal with carnal cravings amidst the return of civilized life. The transition did not go smoothly. I had difficulty adjusting my mindset away from violence and struggled with my urges.

  “Early on, the Colonel used his influence to arrange for human donors to supply me. No one questioned his cover that he had contracted a blood disorder during the war. In later years, the blood bank made my life much easier, but until then, this ‘blood disorder’ conveniently passed to each successive Hawthorne descendant.

  “We both knew the surviving members of my company would recognize me if they saw me, so for many years he kept me hidden away from public view. Those who knew of a man living with him knew only that. He kept my identity a secret and no one outside of the staff ever saw my face. I’m not proud of that dark period in my life or that I needed the Colonel’s protection more than he needed mine.

  “In the public eye, he had lost his daughter, grandchild, and son-in-law within months of each other, so he held a memorial service at the mansion. Understandably, I didn’t attend, but I heard every word and can’t liken the experience to anything else. It was quite odd to hear my life summarized as though over, perhaps even more so considering my newfound immortality.

  “In that same year, the Colonel took one of the household maids, Emily, as his wife in a marriage of convenience. She was young and gave him a son to carry on the family lineage, and he had the wealth to take care of her and her ailing mother.

  “One night after the birth of Lucas, the Colonel called me into his study and told me that he appreciated Lucinda’s request, but he no longer needed my protection. I had done more than enough by fighting beside him in the war and he didn’t want me to feel indebted to him for his generosity over the years. He offered me the choice to live my own life without feeling obligated to stay, but asked me to consider using my abilities to protect Lucinda’s half-brother and the future Hawthorne generations. Regardless, he promised me property and a chunk of his assets—those that would have become mine as Lucinda’s husband.

  “I had no place to go and no one waiting for me. They were my family and staying with them gave my life purpose. Consequently, wherever Lucas went, I followed. In return, the Colonel dictated the family tradition of setting aside a portion of the estate for me in the will or trust of each subsequent generation.

  “Although we didn’t create a binding contract per se, that is how I came to be the Hawthorne guardian. I am the watcher in the shadows, passed down from father to son—the family’s ultimate legacy.

  “Lucas married Rebecca, producing Nathaniel in 1887. He married Elizabeth and produced Joshua in 1905. Joshua married Lily, who mothered your grandfather, Senator Daniel Hawthorne, in 1935. From there you know the Senator married Sandy, who produced your father and your uncle in 1956 and 1957. Now, I have you, the first female born to the family in four generations.” He paused, mentally weighing whether to tell her about Andrew and David. It would be too much. She needed to digest his truth first.

  The silence between them was like a thick blanket. With nervous eyes locked on her face, he held his breath, wondering what would happen now that she knew he needed human blood to survive. He expected her to jump up again, but instead she peered straight ahead through the blackness. Then, subtle movement by her lips caught his eye. She was counting to herself. That was a new response.

  “One hundred and forty-two?” she said at last. “No, wait, you said 1841, so you’re older than that. I don’t know what to say.” She slid closer and rested her head on his shoulder.

  He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against his chest. “You don’t have to say anything. Just know that you can always trust me and I’ll never leave your side.” He brushed a lock of hair off her cheek. “Are you tired?”

  “A little bit, but it’s nice sitting here with you.”

  “I am truly sorry that I lied to you.”

  “I understand why. It’s not every day that a mythical being pops into existence. The news would have been hard to take this morning... especially with everything else.” She smoothed her hand over his chest and stopped when she felt the cross beneath his shirt. Tracing the outline of the holy trinket, she asked, “Did the man who changed you ever come back?”

  “On the night I realized what I had become. He’s an arrogant bloke who refers to me as his brother even though—” he broke off. She didn’t need to know about Jonathan’s obsession. “He tried to force me to return with him, but the cross Lucinda had put around my neck protected me. I was far too weak to fend him off then, but over the years my strength has grown to rival his, and the cross still repels him if he sees or touches it. The promise I made to return with him is the only vow I have ever broken.”

  “Does he come after you now?” Still tracing the outline of the cross, she caressed his skin with a maddeningly light touch.

  His pulse quickening, he flattened his hand against her fingers. Even discussing Jonathan wasn’t enough to counteract her essence and he needed to keep his mind from wandering. In all of his history with the family, he had revealed the danger of his brother only to Andrew, the sole Hawthorne Jonathan had agreed to spare.

  Eric sighed.

  “He is near relentless in his pursuit. I don’t know that he’ll ever stop. Unfortunately, my insistence on staying here has also necessitated my service. Senseless death trails him. B
ut, it is your family’s own odd luck that only one male heir carried on the name until the birth of your father and uncle. My brother believes that destroying your lineage will free me from my ties to this world, allowing me to join him...” he let his voice trail, not wishing to elaborate about the Vampiric Nation or High Council of Elders.

  Thankfully, his unfinished statement went unnoticed. A troubled expression had bridged her brow.

  “Did this man kill my parents?”

  Despite wondering that himself, Eric stuck to the facts.

  “With the exception of your disappearance, there wasn’t any indication of a crime. It was a tragic accident at an unmarked country intersection. By the time your dad hit the brakes it was already too late. The other driver died, too.”

  “That’s what happened? I never knew that. Dad saw it coming. How awful.” She snuggled closer, shifting her dress so she could pull her knees to her chest.

  “All that time you looked after my family, watching them die while you lived on. Has that been hard?”

  “I view things differently than you might think. I began this eternal life with a new mindset—a different comprehension of time. Vampirism brought arrogance and my attitude toward people changed. So many of the things that humans worried over or fought about seemed petty. Honestly, I felt like I was above them.

  “The bond with my wife transcended that, to a point. She was pregnant with my child and I loved her, though I never felt any further physical attraction to her. Even so, when she and Darien died, I grieved for a long time, probably as deeply as a human would.

  “The Colonel’s fatherly role also kept us close, but I haven’t shared favorable relationships with all your grandfathers. For several generations, honor and duty bound me to them, not love. Near the 1900s, wealth inflated their egos, and I became more of a servant and less a member of the family.

  “Nathaniel and his son, Joshua, kept me busy as the head of their security force, especially during Prohibition. They threw themselves into dangerous situations with little regard for my life. I hardly cared about them as people, but protecting them gave me purpose. My time with them created an indifference to humanity as my vampire blood took over, and I almost walked away from the whole mess.

  “But then a fire killed Joshua and Lily when Daniel was an infant, which left him in my care. This fatherly role created a new bond, and I used the opportunity to realign the family’s priorities and values. I began to care again, and my feelings strengthened when Andrew—your father—was born. We forged an immediate bond. He was not just another human in my eyes.

  “It took me years to determine why I shared such a unique relationship with Daniel and Andrew. Their souls embodied the same spiritual footprint as the Colonel and Lucinda.

  “That similarity rescued me. Over the years I’ve constantly struggled to reconcile my human heart and vampiric blood, and for a long time the vampiric side had taken over. Because of your father, the humanity in me has been able to regain control.

  “The Senator never chose which son I was to watch over. I naturally gravitated to Andrew. That may have caused the constant sparring between him and his brother, but as I stood between them, I renewed my purpose and rediscovered life. With him, I was more than family—we had a tight, platonic bond.

  “Then you were born and, following tradition, Andrew asked me to watch over you—and your mother, since you were always together. My duty to Lucinda and the Colonel no longer drives me. I am here because I made a vow to your father from my heart.

  “For humans, death is part of life. With the few exceptions that tugged on my human heart, the vampire in me has viewed much of it as a performed job that passes the time. It hasn’t always been easy, but I found true happiness when I met your father.”

  Paresh sniffed. “You’ve spent your life saving my family and it was my father who ended up saving you. You must have been so lonely. Did you ever fall in love again?”

  “No. Attraction between vampires and humans is extremely rare. In fact, my brother likens it to that of a human falling for an ape. However—” He wasn’t sure how to approach the issue of her. “I haven’t been attracted to anyone like this, ever. I feel like I’ve been missing you my whole life.”

  “Eric—” she whispered.

  “I have a question for you, now,” he interrupted in a soft voice. Now that he had revealed his truth, he was determined to uncover hers. “Do you experience regular pain in your upper jaw or was tonight the first time?”

  Chapter Seven: Communion

  I

  June 22, 1988 23:30 hours

  Silence hung over the parish. Only the wind, moaning a path through Sunset Grove, disturbed the peace. Dozens of parishioners waited in the pews, bowing their heads in search of a miracle.

  The anguished groans of a woman filled the sanctuary, but no heads lifted in alarm. Their prayers continued, quiet and steady.

  Only a sudden clattering against the windows broke the reverie. Woodland creatures flocked from all sides, filling the circular clearing with a sea of feathers and fur. Birds of every shade and size flew at the windows, hovering and vying for space on the sills, and animals pawed at the siding and doors, prompting two men to bolt the entrance.

  As soon as it had started, the turmoil outside hushed and the power flickered. The wind intensified, howling through the night and lashing the forest. The lights sputtered out, submerging the congregation into darkness, and the woman’s screams became hysterical cries of woe.

  The parishioners embraced one another in consolation. Another child had been lost.

  Inside the small room, candle flames jumped against the blackness. Dr. Jacobs, Pastor Caine, and Andrew tried desperately to sooth the distraught woman in the bed. Andrew’s eyes threatened to spill tears of their own, though he dared not let them for Felicia’s sake.

  He feared this might be it—that she might lose all hope of motherhood. Having a baby was her only desire. If she lost that, she would give up, most certainly allowing her grief to destroy her. The doctors had strongly advised against their fourth attempt. There wasn’t much hope left for either of them to hold onto now.

  Her wailing rose as she stared at the stillborn infant in the nurse’s arms. She feebly sat forward, stretching her arms in a vain effort to touch her child.

  “Paresh!” she cried, falling back against the pillow in despair. Her breath caught in her throat. With a grimace, she paled and went limp. The nurse thrust the lifeless bundle into a pair of arms hidden in the shadowed corner and joined the doctor in a frantic effort to resuscitate Felicia.

  Pastor Caine pulled Andrew away from the bed, giving them space to work. Tears streamed down Andrew’s face as he cried for her to come back to him. The pastor placed his arm around Andrew’s shoulders and began to pray. Pressing one hand against his forehead, Andrew bowed his head and wept, unable to watch his wife die.

  Nothing stirred in the room except for the two people methodically performing compressions and respirations. When Dr. Jacobs exclaimed that he felt a pulse, Andrew broke down sobbing into his hands. Nurse Avondale helped stabilize Felicia and called for an ambulance.

  Andrew knelt next to the bed and leaned his tear-stained face against Felicia’s arm as she stared into nothingness without acknowledging him. All eyes were on her. No one paid any attention to the person veiled in the corner.

  At the stroke of midnight, an eerie cry pierced the room. Every head jerked toward the source of the noise. Another scream rang out, followed by another, and another. Stunned faces followed the hidden person’s movements as he crossed into the quivering light and approached the bed with a squirming, blanketed mass in his hands. As though nothing remarkable had transpired at all, Eric offered Felicia a tender smile and placed the crying baby into her mother’s waiting arms.

  II

  E ric spent the night absorbed in thoughts that defied sleep. Darkness was his salvation and he often found it difficult to rest when his body knew it should be active. H
is internal clock dictated that he needed to sleep during the day, and while ignoring it took its toll on him, overall he found that he did not require much recuperative time. He had not slept in four days and had yet to lose any stamina.

  The hall light came on, trickling into his windowless room from beneath the door and pulling him from the past. Molly was there. He gazed at the girl sleeping next him, nestled comfortably beneath his sheets, and wondered what his assistant would say about that.

  He ran his finger down Paresh’s cheek and sighed. Her essence was calling to him, even now. Resisting much longer would be impossible.

  He had intended to spend the night in his conservatory, but she had begged him to stay with her. After tucking her in, he had lain on top of the covers and watched her sleep, somehow managing to smother the consuming desire that burned within him. All he wanted was to make love to her, but he feared losing control again. That could not happen—he was supposed to be her protector, not her greatest threat.

  He rolled off the bed, careful not to disturb her, and stole from the room, closing the door behind him. Molly was watering plants in the conservatory. He slid on his sunglasses and poked his head into the brilliantly lit room. “Step out here, please.”

  She set the watering can outside the door and spied that he still wore the trousers she had laid out for him the night before. “Good morning, Eric. How was your evening with Paresh?”

  “Interesting,” he replied nonchalantly, ignoring her inquisitive tone. “Go over to the diner or bakery and pick up a breakfast—something without meat, please.”

  Her eyes darted over to the antique comb and hairpins on the ottoman. She eyed him warily. “And where shall I deliver the items?”

  “Bring them back here,” he said as he headed toward his study to check in with Chief Hodges. Feeling her eyes on his back, he said, without turning, “We talked all night. Nothing more.”