Now it was her turn to furrow her brows. “What do you mean by your world?”
He beamed at her, obviously happy. “You have been awakened into the vampire world.”
She burst out laughing. This guy was as loonier than that stupid coyote who is always running around trying to kill his nemesis, the roadrunner. Was he seriously going to sit there and tell her that they were now vampires? That he is a vampire? That’s just ludicrous.
He could apparently see the skepticism on her face because he opened his mouth. Long, pointed fangs slid out from the gums, in front of his canines.
Seeing this animalistic side of him caused Tanya to gasp. She tried to slide off the bed but found that her body was too weak to move.
“Please, don’t touch me,” she shrieked. Her breathing came in hard, fast pants, and spots swam in her vision. Shutting her eyes, she focused on slowing her breathing — forcing herself to calm down. “Why would you do this to me?” She still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that fictional creatures existed, yet his fangs didn’t lie. “I don’t want to be a vampire. How could you just take away my soul? Why would you leave me to rot away in eternal damnation?”
His laugh echoed throughout the room. “Oh child, you are not damned. Your soul remains with you. I only awakened you spiritually.”
Tanya loved horror movies. She knew how the vampire business worked. These vile creatures were nothing more than living corpses that fed off living blood. They had no soul, and they did not move on to the other side. “I can’t have a soul. We are dead, excuse me, undead creatures.”
His chest vibrated with his laughter. “You are mixing fiction with reality. We are not dead, it is possible for us to die, but we are not dead or undead. Our souls do not leave our bodies. We are just transformed into immortals of sorts. Meaning, that we don’t age and once our transformation is complete, we acquire powers.”
Lazarith spent the next several minutes explaining to Tanya about vampires and becoming immortal. She was shocked to learn immortals could still die by being beheaded, burned, or wounded with silver.
Silver itself wouldn’t kill them, but a silver blade through the heart would stop the beating of the organ, causing death. Wounds from silver weapons healed slowly and could be fatal. In essence, vampires can die much like a mortal when injured from a silver weapon.
Standing, he said, “I must check on the others. I shall return with them and help you all begin your journey into this new life.”
Once the door shut behind him, Tanya tried to push herself up into a sitting position. As she had already discovered, she was too weak to move. Sighing, she relaxed into her pillow and thought about Mark. How were they going to explain this to him?
The door opened, and she let her head fall to the side. He carried Regina into the room, laying her on the bed beside Tanya. “I shall return.” Once again, he headed for the door, walking with the grace of a god.
When the door closed, Tanya looked at Regina. “Hey, how are you feeling?”
Regina smiled weakly. “Oh girl, I feel like I was hit by a dump truck.”
Tanya giggled, and the small amount of movement hurt her entire body.
When the door opened, they both turned and watched him carry Makinzee to the bed, soon followed by Dannika and then Serienna.
Glancing down at them, sympathy shone in his eyes. Walking across the room, he picked an item up from the nightstand. Turning his back to them, he lifted his arm to his mouth and held it over the item. Moments later he walked back to the bed with a cup in hand.
“This cup contains my blood. Once you drink of it you will regain your strength.” He held the cup out toward Makinzee.
Without hesitation, Makinzee drank from the cup and passed it to Serienna.
Serienna inhaled before putting her mouth to the rim of the cup. After she’d taken her drink, she passed it to Dannika. Dannika drank and passed it to Regina. After Regina drank she passed it to Tanya.
Tanya looked inside the cup and immediately felt queasy. How could the others just drink this god-awful concoction? The contents were a dark crimson. She tilted the cup. The blood moved like syrup. Nasty. There was no way she could stomach it. Just looking at it made her want to vomit.
“You’ll feel better if you drink it,” Lazarith urged.
She wanted to feel better, but what if she threw up? I guess if I want to feel like myself again then I better just suck it up and drink. Closing her eyes and holding her breath, she tipped the cup to her lips and sipped the syrupy liquid. To her surprise, it wasn’t bitter or nasty.
The instant his blood hit her tongue it was like fireworks exploding in her mouth. The blood was amazingly sweet, much like his hypnotic breath had been. As it traveled down her throat, a powerful spark lit up the inside of her being.
No words could describe the feeling. Energy flowed through her veins, breathing life into her tissues. When she opened her eyes, she saw the world differently. Now even the dust particles floating in the air sparkled like the sun on the top of the ocean’s waters.
She felt alive.
She felt reborn.
Chapter Ten
Tanya woke up Tuesday evening. Vampires thrive on a schedule opposite humans. Plus, the sun drains their energy which requires their bodies to consume more blood to replenish their strength.
She leaned over the edge of the bed and opened the door to the mini fridge. Grabbing a bag of blood, she tore it open with her teeth. The chilled blood calmed the hunger, and she leaned against the headboard to reflect on her dream.
In her dream, Lazarith sat on the edge of her bed, holding her hand.
“You and your friends, your sisters, are very special. You five will be very powerful, more so than any other vampire in the world.”
Tanya had smiled at him.
“On this new journey, you will face many dangers. There are many that want you dead.”
Tanya pulled her hand away, confusion marring her face.
“You five young women were anointed by the goddess before you were ever created. These evil vampires seek to destroy you because of the power that you were bestowed. Please understand that I have cherished every moment with you. You five are my children. I am proud of you all. You have learned so much and are powerful, even at this early stage in your development.”
Then he stood from her bed, hesitantly dropping her hand. The pained look in his eyes worried Tanya. Something was off about his demeanor. Deep down, she knew he was about to deliver terrible news.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, reaching for his hand and sandwiching it between both of hers.
“My darling child, I must leave you and your sisters. It is very important that you take your new journey without me. You must learn to handle this new life without being dependent upon me.”
Tanya dropped his hand and bolted up from the bed. “I don’t understand.” She couldn’t believe the words coming from his mouth. He was leaving them? She should have seen this coming when he’d said he had cherished every moment with them. “What do you mean? We have only been with you for a month, and you promised that you wouldn’t leave us to endure this nightlife without you.”
“Shhh, everything will be fine. You girls are going to thrive without me.” He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Tanya was both furious and sad. She didn’t want to see him leave. He pulled her into the safety of his arms, the movement father-like. A single tear escaped from her eye and dampened his collar.
Tanya tossed the empty bag in the garbage. That dream was one of the weirdest yet. Why would her mind even imagine such a tale? Thank goodness it was just a dream because she couldn’t fathom him abandoning them after his promise to stay with them.
A gasp left her mouth as a thought occurred to her. Could this dream hold true? No, t
hat’s ridiculous. If she dreamed of events that were to come true, then the dream about Dannika’s attack would have come to pass already. Unless her cousin was keeping secrets, it had not.
Suddenly anxious to find Lazarith and calm the fear building inside of her, Tanya threw the covers to the side and hopped out of bed. There was just one thing she needed to do before talking with her sire, brush her teeth.
As she crossed the room, a piece of paper caught her eye. It was neatly folded and tucked between the mirror and its frame. She stopped and gazed at it, wondering when it had been placed there. Gently pulling it free, she unfolded the note and began reading.
My Dearest Child,
I have made the decision to leave you now. Please know that this decision pains me greatly, but it is necessary to help you evolve. I will miss you all very much. You have become strong enough now to survive on your own. The rate at which you have grown is astounding. I have placed an envelope in your top drawer. In it you will find enough money to get you started in your new life. As you set out to discover the world, you will find others that you will feel connected to. Let me briefly explain. When I choose a child, I give them my blood which gives us a special bond, like that of a mother’s bond with her birth child. There are many of my children out in this world, you are all family and can turn to one another for help in your time of need. This will not be the last that you see of me. My children, I do love you and long for the day that we meet again.
Always and forever,
Lazarith
Tanya couldn’t stop staring at the words contained in the note. How could he claim to love them so and then run away? She just didn’t understand. Even if it were so imperative that he leave, was he in such a rush that he couldn’t be bothered to say a proper goodbye with the ones he calls his children?
Chapter Eleven
An ache formed in Tanya’s heart as she read the note again. There were so many questions his words brought. The one thing she had to know was whether he spoke to her friends before he left. Her heart would shatter if he’d said a personal goodbye to them and left her nothing more than a note.
Folding the note, Tanya left her room in search of her friends. Stepping into the dimly lit hallway, she felt a pang in her stomach. The last thing she wanted to do was say goodbye to this beautiful house. Please, for crying out loud, just let this be some weird dream. I just want to wake up and have my sire here with me.
She’d walked this hallway countless times during her weeks here, but today was the first time she noticed the paintings on the walls. The one closest to her bedroom called to her like a siren, and she stepped close to examine it.
The woman in the painting had long blonde hair that curled naturally around her pale face. Her emerald eyes glistened with amusement, reminding her of Lazarith. One side of her mouth was pulled up into a smile. Tanya admired the woman’s perfectly straight teeth.
Tanya could tell by her appearance this woman was a part of the night world. Vampires have tough, thick skin to protect them from the sun’s rays and other dangers. The woman was young, in her early twenties. Small writing in the bottom right corner drew Tanya’s attention. She leaned closer, it had been painted on October 16th, 1809.
The next painting was of a man, painted in the same year. He had the same features as the woman in the previous picture. The shoulder-length, blond hair feathered his face and rose tinted his high cheekbones. Unlike the woman, he smiled from ear-to-ear, exposing his curved tiger-like fangs.
Tanya continued to walk down the hallway, counting the paintings. There were twenty. Ten hung on either side of the hallway. Each person held similar facial features, and all of them were painted in October of 1809.
Standing at the far end of the hall, gazing at the paintings, Tanya realized these people must be Lazarith’s family. There was no doubt they were all vampires because they held the traditional traits of pale skin, high cheekbones, and the telltale emerald eyes.
Standing at the end of the hall, Tanya admired the last painting. Lazarith’s smile was warm and inviting. Just looking at those eyes sent another pang to her already broken heart. Her fingers caressed the note in her hand unconsciously. He was just as handsome then as he was now. An unnatural pull to this canvas held her captive and the longer she stared into his eyes the more she tuned out reality. It was as if his spirit called to her from this painting.
A chill coursed throughout her body. One word repeated in her mind. Journey. Was he communicating with her through this painting? That word was just confirmation of what she held in her hand. Lazarith wanted them to leave and start their journey. The question was, where did he expect them to go?
Today was turning into her day from hell, and now she was freaking out over this unnatural link to this picture of her sire. This had the makings of a fantastic horror movie, or in her case, a really bad horror movie.
Tanya was unaware of the hands that gripped her shoulders until her body began rocking back and forth. The trancelike state she’d been in faded, and her surroundings came into focus.
She wasn’t sure how long Dannika had been standing there. “Hello. Tanya…hey…” More shaking racked her body. “Tanya, what are you doing?”
Shaking her head to clear what remained of the fog, Tanya looked over at her friend. “Huh? Sorry, I didn’t hear you.”
Dannika tugged on Tanya’s arm until their bodies were toe-to-toe. “Tanya, what is wrong with you? What in the world are you doing?”
Biting her lip, Tanya mulled over the question. How could she answer that without sounding like a lunatic? “Um…I don’t know.”
Dannika cocked her head to the side in question. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”
Tanya glanced down at her bare feet. “This is going to sound crazy.”
“Just spit it out, cousin.”
Taking a deep breath, Tanya said, “I was coming down to find you guys, but for some reason I felt compelled to stop and admire these paintings. All of them. I mean, I hadn’t even noticed them until today, and we’ve been here for weeks.”
Dannika motioned for her to continue.
“Anyway, when I made it to the end of the hallway and my eyes landed on Lazarith’s painting, I…” She took another deep breath. “This is the crazy part. I think that his painting might have hypnotized me.” Since becoming a vampire, her world had been totally flipped upside down. Crazy things were starting to happen to her, and she had no idea what to make of them half of the time.
Dannika raised a brow, looked at Lazarith’s painting then back at her, shaking her head. “You’re right, this is the craziest thing I’ve heard.” She tugged on Tanya’s arm. “But right now, you need to come with me. The others are in the parlor. We’ve been waiting for like three hours for you to wake up.”
It was at that moment Tanya knew this nightmare was real. They were going to have to leave this big, fancy house and start their journey to only God knew where. “Okay, but before we head down I need to finish explaining.”
Dannika pursed her lips but nodded. “Okay.”
The air thickened, and Tanya glanced around at all the paintings. Dannika seemed unaware, but Tanya could feel their eyes on her — watching her. Shuddering, she looked back at her cousin. “It’s like my soul has somehow connected with them.” She pointed at the paintings on the walls. “It’s like they are trying to communicate with me.”
All color drained from Dannika’s face. “Say what?” She quickly looked around, a shocked expression on her face.
“I told you this sounded crazy.” Tanya rubbed her foot back and forth on the carpet, not meeting her cousin’s gaze. “I don’t know what it is but after locking eyes with Lazarith, it’s like the others came to life or something.” She didn’t know how else to explain it; she didn’t even understand it herself.
It was as if her special bo
nd to him had allowed her to connect with his personal painting, and in turn, connect with the others. She never knew why, but her bond with their sire was different than the one the others had with him.
Chapter Twelve
The parlor door was shut and the closer they walked toward it, the more Tanya wanted to hightail it out of there. If she didn’t have this discussion with her friends, then Lazarith’s absence wouldn’t become a reality.
If only.
“You ready?” Dannika asked as she gripped the doorknob.
No. “Yep.” Can I just go back to bed and restart this day?
As Dannika opened the door, Tanya squeezed her eyes shut, hoping for Lazarith to be on the other side.
He wasn’t.
Huddled in the corner was Regina, Serienna, and Makinzee. They turned at the sound of the door brushing against the carpet. Before joining their friends, Tanya whispered, “Girl, you can’t tell the others about the paintings. Promise me. I don’t want them to think I’m a nut job. Please.”
Dannika smiled. “Sure thing.” She made a locking motion at the corner of her mouth. Tanya visibly relaxed. This secret was safe. Once Dannika promises to keep your secret, she’s like a locked vault.
Halfway across the room, Tanya glanced over at Regina and recognized one word being whispered from her lips — Lazarith. Her heart sunk a little further. This was it. The fact that their sire was no longer here was about to become her reality.
“Tanya, you’re up. It’s about time. We’ve been waiting for over an hour.” Serienna ran up to her and threw her arms around Tanya’s neck. “Lazarith is gone.”
And there it was, those three dreaded words. He was gone and they were on their own.
“We’ve looked all over this place, but he’s not here, and neither are his things.” Serienna took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Did he say anything to you? I mean…I know he’s closer to you than the rest of us.” Her voice broke as she spoke, like she was on the verge of crying.
Princesses of the Night (Royal Blood Book 1) Page 4
