Between Darkness & Light

by Theresa Van Spankeren

  Publication Information

  This novel is a work of fiction. The names, places, and events in this book are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  War of Destiny: Between Darkness and Light

  Copyright © 2018 by Theresa Van Spankeren

  Illustration © 2018 by Jonathan Hunt

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be used or reproduced in any form, electronic or otherwise, without prior permission of the author.

  Acknowledgements

  Many people helped make this book possible. A special thank you to my beta readers: Gail, Marilyn, and Sonya. Your assessment was invaluable. I appreciate all of your assistance.

  My gratitude goes to the Westmont Writing Factory for being there every step of the way. Their critiques and feedback has always been a great help, and this time was no exception.

  A huge thank you to my editors, Carol Baldridge and Tricia Berry. I cannot thank Tricia enough for stepping in and doing such an incredible job editing on short notice.

  Finally, I must thank Jason Mobley, who was the inspiration for the character of Lane Marlow.

  War of Destiny: 3:

  Between Darkness

  And Light

  By

  Theresa Van Spankeren

  Prologue

  My name is Julia Smith. Seventy-five years ago I was married to a man named Gregory. He had been a cruel and violent man. One night he murdered our daughter and nearly killed me altering my life forever.

  I was rescued by a vampire named Samuel, the leader of the Vampire Resistance. They desire to interact with humans more normally than just using them as a food source.

  I agreed to join his group to overthrow the King of the Vampires, Valentino. In doing so, I was reunited with my soulmate and childhood love, Adam. We learned that our group was different from others. We were ka-tet, souls bound by destiny for a purpose.

  I was happy. The eight of us were like family. Besides Adam and Samuel, there were Samuel’s older fledgling, Matthew, and his soulmate, Christy. There were also Mary Anne and Jeffrey who had become part of the ka-tet long before we did. Finally, we had been joined by Samuel’s teacher, Valerie, who wasn’t ka-tet, but was as close as anyone else could be.

  A few years ago, everything changed. Valentino came after us, determined to eliminate the threat to his power. Our only warning came to me through a dream from a ten-year-old human girl named Kali. Valentino kidnapped and tortured Matthew. When we fought, it was a disaster. We rescued Matthew, but we both lost our soulmates.

  And that wasn’t even the worst part. I had been able to see into the future before, but when I needed it the most, my power inexplicably failed. Instead, I had nightmares with voices that insisted I was the one who had bungled everything because I had really wanted my group dead. Eventually I started to believe the voices. And when Gregory appeared to me for the second time since becoming a vampire, he backed up those claims.

  It’s hard to explain why I did what I did. I betrayed my ka-tet to Valentino. I nearly destroyed everything I loved. I had killed Jarod, a member of the Resistance’s Council and a friend. I had attacked Samuel and almost killed him. I heard a female voice then that reminded me that this wasn’t who I wanted to be. Was it my conscience as I believed? I don’t know. I thought I saw my dead bastard of a husband. Does that make me insane? I honestly don’t know the answer to that either.

  Chapter 1

  Five years later, I found my situation only slightly changed. I had explained to Mary Anne and Jeffrey about seeing Gregory again, and they had accepted my account warily. I did not tell them about the voices or dreams. Having attempted to tell Samuel about it several times, I had learned to keep the information between Kali and me. All three of them believed my sanity is fragile at best, although I suspected Samuel thought I was completely insane now.

  Mary Anne and I talked regularly, while Jeffrey barely spoke to me. It was she who was teaching me Italian. I found out quickly that no one in Florence spoke English. In reality, they thought anything English was pretty much venom.

  Matthew still wasn’t living with us. About a year ago he started coming by occasionally, but it was only to see Samuel, and they left soon after he arrived. I never tried to get close, fearing what reaction I might receive from him, especially considering that we were still connected through the ka-tet.

  Yes, that’s right. Five years later, members not speaking to each other, and the ka-tet still holds. I am sure Matthew’s thrilled; considering anytime he was at the villa his thoughts were shielded. I could still pick up a stray emotion sometimes. If I truly wanted to, I probably could read some of his thoughts or track him with the ka-tet, but that hardly seemed worth the trouble. Truly, how could I damn him for not wanting to deal with me after what I had done?

  Samuel’s and my relationship had continued to deteriorate. When we had arrived five years ago, he would still carry on a halfway decent conversation with me. Now though, he rarely speaks to me at all. He would have been the logical choice to teach me and the children Italian, except Samuel had stubbornly refused. It was hard to believe he was still connected to us. Matthew shielded his thoughts quite well, Samuel shielded perfectly. Thoughts, emotions, all of it. Actually, it wasn’t only me he did not talk to; he had withdrawn from everyone but Matthew.

  Tonight, I sat in my room as I usually did nowadays; staring at a wilted white rose I had placed on the table a few days ago. It was my tribute to my soulmate Adam, the anniversary of his death having passed seemingly unnoticed by anyone but me. With a sigh, I wiped a few tears from my cheek. I missed him terribly, although I questioned if I had any right to mourn after the destruction I had caused. For the millionth time, I wondered why the ka-tet was still intact and why I was still alive.

  A soft knock startled me out of my maelstrom of dark thoughts. It echoed through the empty villa. Nobody was home tonight. They had all left shortly after sunset, separately. Other than Stephen who was going to a tavern, I had no idea where any of them went. I was not privy to that information anymore.

  “Julia? Are you awake?”

  “Yes,” I answered as I recognized Kali’s voice. She was now fifteen and had turned into a slender pretty young woman. Neither I nor the others quite knew what to think of her because, despite her age, she seemed more like our equal in both maturity and to a lesser degree, in power.

  My door opened a little and Kali slipped inside, carefully closing it behind her. She turned to me, studied the rose on my end table, and sat down on my bed. “How are you feeling?”

  I glanced at her from the chair in front of the table. “I’m alive,” I answered with a sigh.

  She smoothed the skirts of her simple black dress and said, “Thinking of Adam again, I see.”

  A couple yellowish petals came off in my hand as I shrugged. There was no point in answering her, she already knew. “What do you want, Kali?” I questioned tiredly.

  “Have you had any more dreams? Or have you heard the voices again?”

  I closed my eyes and thought, There’s the Kali I know. All business when what I really want is a friend. “No, Kali. There have been no dreams or voices. At least, not dreams like that.”

  “Have you had any strange dreams lately?”

  Turning in my chair, I glared into her gray eyes. “I have only had dreams about my own foolhardiness. I can assure you that I am perfectly sane at the moment.”

  “I never said you were not sane, Julia.”

  “You are the only one,” I mumbled as I watched her. She was still, her hands clasped in her lap. She smiled slightly, h
er posture relaxed as she regarded me in turn.

  “Have you tried to explain the dreams and voices to one of the other vampires?”

  “You know I have. Samuel thinks I am even crazier afterwards.”

  “Have you ever considered that you are trying to explain it to the wrong person?”

  “I am quite certain Mary Anne and Jeffrey would be inclined to agree with Samuel if I try,” I replied and picked up the half-dead rose again. My thoughts drifted back to the last time I remembered being happy, the last time Adam and I had danced together at the White Hart Inn. If I closed my eyes, I could almost feel his hands on mine.

  “Julia?” I looked blankly at Kali as I realized I had missed what else she had said entirely. “What if you tried?”

  “Tried what? I am sorry, my mind was somewhere else,” I replied.

  Kali frowned slightly. “What if you tried talking to Matthew about it?”

  Studying her face, I waited for the laugh, a trace of a smile to show she was jesting. The expression on her face remained solemn, the frown deepening. Good Lord, the girl was serious. And they think I am the insane one.

  I matched her frown. “How much wine did you have tonight, Kali? You are either drunk or more delusional than I am.”

  “Neither, I am afraid,” she answered.

  I tightened my right hand and felt rather than heard a soft squishing sound. When I opened it, there was whitish yellow pulp where the rose used to be. I dropped it back on my small table. “That would be the most futile attempt of them all,” I said with a scowl. “Matthew has not talked to me in five years. There is no way he will now.”

  “He does not have to talk. He only has to listen.”

  “Matthew is not going to listen. He did not want to hear anything I had to say then; he is not going to want to now. He despises me and I honestly cannot blame him,” I whispered. “Why are you insisting that I explain that to someone?”

  “If what I suspect is true, you need help learning to control your abilities, Julia.”

  “If you suspect this is a power of mine, why don’t you teach me?”

  Kali sighed, as if she was explaining something to a child who did not understand. I hate it when she sounds like that. “Julia, I realize you seem to believe I know everything, but I do not. I think I have figured out what your gifts are, but I haven’t the faintest idea how to teach you to use them safely. One of your ka-tet would have a better idea than me.”

  Sharp pain lanced across my forehead and I winced and rubbed it. “If you have it figured out, why don’t you explain it to one of them?” There was a moment of silence and I glanced up at her. Her expression told me everything I needed to know. “You already tried and failed, I presume?”

  “I have tried to discuss it with Samuel. I did not get very far,” she said.

  I snorted and replied, “Yet you somehow think I should talk to Matthew about it. Forget it. He has more right to hate me than anyone else since I nearly turned him back over to the people who had tortured him. Why would he listen to me? Why would he even care?”

  “He is different than Samuel and time may have given him a new perspective. He can help you. You and he are still connected through the ka-tet. You should try, Julia.”

  “Hmm . . . about that. Why are we still connected? Why do you think Matthew will not only listen, but help me when he has the least reason to?”

  The expression on Kali’s face changed, became unreadable. “Your destiny is still entwined with theirs. I see what I see, Julia.”

  “What is it you see, Kali?” I asked. She shook her head. “Could I see it too?” Again, she shook her head.

  I glared at her and tried to read her mind to no effect. “Just try to tell him,” she repeated.

  Frustrated, I rubbed my temples, oblivious to the mush of flower still in my one hand. “I am tired. It is time for you to leave.”

  “It is barely three hours past sunset.”

  “So? My head hurts and there is nothing better for me to do but sleep.”

  Her eyes narrowed to smoky gray slits. “When did you feed last, Julia?”

  “Get out!” I snarled and pointed to the door. Kali sighed, rose gracefully, and left my room.

  ***

  A couple nights later found me using a mirror to finish lacing up my black sottana. I enjoyed the Italian dresses better than the ones I had worn in England. The bodice was lower and higher collars weren’t as popular yet. Using the valuable item has become routine for me since I rarely had help dressing anymore. It was the only luxury I had in my room. The rest of my furniture consisted of a small bed, a clothes chest, an old chair, and my end table now bare except for a single candle.

  For a long moment, I stared at my reflection in the mirror, then shook my head. I did not know how to rectify this situation, how to repair the damage I had done. I simply prayed I would not have another nervous breakdown. That would be disastrous. With a sigh, I turned and went downstairs.

  Mary Anne was serving supper to Kali and Stephen. Stephen was now twenty years old. The scrawny boy I had met a few years ago had turned into a well-built young man, capable of duking it out with most human men. Yet, I still thought of him as the son I had never had. They welcomed me with warm smiles, familiar words of friendship. In the villa, we still spoke our own dialect of English, whereas outside of the building, it was Italian.

  After greeting the humans, I looked directly at Mary Anne. “Where’s Samuel?”

  “In the library. As usual.”

  I heard the faint hint of both disapproval as well as worry in her voice. I sighed, mostly to myself. “Thanks,” I murmured and headed down the hall. I stopped outside the closed door and steeled myself for any mood. I never knew what to expect from Samuel anymore. Usually, I received icy indifference, but occasionally he would be in some sort of rage.

  I did not bother to knock but walked right in. There were still smoldering embers in the fireplace and the faint orange glow was the only light in the room. Samuel was sitting in the darkest shadows, staring into space. “Who is it and what do you want?” he demanded.

  “Well, good evening to you too, Samuel,” I said.

  There was a heavy sigh, then he turned to look at me. His eyes were frosty. “What are you doing in here?”

  “I came in to see you,” I replied and took a couple of steps closer to him.

  “How thoughtful,” he said with maddening indifference. “What is it you need, Julia? I’m going to be leaving in about an hour to have a drink with Matthew.”

  I bit my lip in surprise. None of us had heard from Matthew in almost two weeks. Was it a coincidence that Samuel was supposed to meet him two nights after Kali’s suggestion?

  “How is he?” I asked.

  “He’s having the time of his life. Florence has never been dull, you know.”

  I hid a smile with effort. That might have been an understatement. A few years after we had arrived, the Duke Francisco and his second wife Bianca had died of fever; however, almost everyone in Florence believed that Bianca had accidently poisoned her husband and then killed herself out of grief.

  Samuel resumed speaking. “He is on good terms with the Medici family, including the Grand Duke, Ferdinando I.”

  I was silent a moment. The Medici family has ruled over Florence for over a hundred years. I was slightly surprised Samuel had mentioned Matthew and even more surprised he had answered my question. However, if he was willing to talk about Matthew, I was certainly not going to deter him. It would be the first decent conversation we had in about a month. “He’s gotten involved with Florentine politics? How did he manage that?” I asked, sinking down in a chair beside him. I moved slowly, trying not to draw too much attention and ruin what civility there was between us.

  “Oh yes. He’s up to his neck in Florentine affairs. I do not know how he became acquainted with the Medicis,” he replied staring at the fireplace. “He has obviously done well on his own.”

  “Very much so,” I sai
d hesitantly.

  Samuel swung his eyes back to me. “No thanks to you.”

  I sighed. Clearly, our brief little moment was over. “I cannot change what I did, Samuel.”

  “No, you cannot. Get out.”

  “Samuel, we’re worried about you! Please talk to me,” I pleaded.

  “We have nothing to talk about,” he informed me coolly.

  “I might not, but you do. Go ahead, tell me what you think of me. Get angry – do something!”

  “I told you to get out!” he yelled, getting to his feet. “We have nothing to discuss.”

  “Yes, we do. Of course you’d rather hide from your problems, wouldn’t you?”

  “My problems?!” Samuel laughed and shook his head.

  “At least I do not hide from mine.”

  He smiled bitterly. “No, murder and adultery are more your style, aren’t they, Juliana?”

  My mind blanked with shock. No one had called me by my full name in years. “That is low, Samuel,” I said softly.

  “It’s the truth though. And you cannot deny it.”

  “I’m not talking about what you said I was like. I’m talking about calling me by that name.”

  Samuel feigned surprise. “Oh, my. I must have been mistaken. I thought I was talking to Juliana, the murdering whore I met five years ago.”

  As soon as his insult sunk in, I jumped back to my feet. “Damn you, Samuel! Damn you to hell!”

  “I’m already there,” he whispered. He stared into the fireplace.

  I looked down at him, as I heard the faintest glimmer of agonized pain in his voice. A sharp remark was on the tip of my tongue but I bit it back and tried again to get through that wall he had put around himself. I realized the distant hostile stranger he had become was only his way of protecting himself. “Go ahead. Tell me.”

  “I thought I told you to leave.”

  “You did. Samuel . . .” I started again.

  “Why can you not leave me alone?” Samuel said. “I have no desire to talk to you any–” He broke off in midsentence when the library door unexpectedly opened.