“What’s your name?” he demanded.
“You could improve the way you welcome people,” she retorted. “You don’t answer the front door, but ambush instead.”
“What’s your name?”
“Madison.”
“Full name?”
“Stevens,” she replied, not bothered to lie. These haven vampires were strangely efficient in their method. She watched as the vampire typed it into the laptop. A message came up and he looked up at the others.
She studied him. He looked as if he was in his mid-thirties with sharp features and hard green eyes. His light brown hair hung loose around his face, his skin lightly tanned.
He smiled. “You’re a Newborn, turned by a Council member, Liam Dalton.”
“You have access to Council files?” It was an amazing thing to comprehend, and she wondered if Liam knew about it.
“Haven’t seen this before,” he remarked. “Your file is marked Priority. Seems like you’ve been causing the Council some trouble and they want you dead.”
Now it was obvious they were rogue. She smirked. “They sure do.”
“We can trust her,” he decided, looking at each of the vampires in turn before returning to her. “I’m Dave. Sorry about our rude welcoming. That’s how we tend to greet anyone who enters. We don’t welcome new arrivals often.”
“Why didn’t you answer when I knocked?”
A mischievous, yet attractive, smile crossed his face. “We like to have our fun. Bet you thought this place was empty.”
She said nothing and glanced back at the other vampires.
“And yes,” Dave continued. “We do have complete access to the Council’s records. Took us decades to get into it, but we did and undetected, too.”
“How? I mean, couldn’t you carry out an attack or take them down if you hacked into their computers?”
“We got the records and that’s all we needed. We don’t want to attract the Council’s attention and have them clear this place out. The haven a few blocks down was cleared out a few days ago.”
“What’s the point of having the records?”
“If any newcomers are registered, we kill them. The Council always keep track of those who aren’t free of them,” Dave answered. “We take privacy and protection seriously. We’re family, and we look out for each other.”
“So you were sired by Liam himself,” one of the vampires remarked.
“You know him?”
“I know of him,” the man replied. “We all heard how he turned against the Brooklyn Council and burned it down.”
She quickly lowered her gaze. Hearing that was embarrassing, but since it gave Liam a good reputation amongst the haven, she didn’t want to correct it. She wondered if the Council had intended on that effect. They wanted Liam to seem dangerous but instead other vampires treated him like a hero. Interesting.
She shook her head. “That’s why I’m here. We’re trying to stop the Council, to break their hold over all of us.”
One vampire snorted. “Good luck with that, I’ve met those who are utterly devoted and dependent on the Council, nothing will make them turn against them.”
“You know the war’s starting, don’t you?”
“It’s been brewing for centuries,” Dave replied. “All it needed was one little incident to set it off. We figure we’ll lie low and wait it out.”
“And let thousands die?”
“We’re not fighters. And we don’t care. The Council can sit back, get wiped out by the werewolves. Besides, they’re beasts a few nights a month. The only harm they can do is during a full moon.”
Madison winced. They weren’t aware of frenzied wolves. “But…”
“Enough of this talk of war,” Dave demanded. “Do you need to stay here for the day?”
“No. I have my own place.”
It was time to show them what had been denied to them. Madison headed for the door.
“You won’t get far,” Dave said. “Broad daylight out there right now.”
“You should come with me,” she said. She purposefully walked to the front door and placed her hand over the doorknob. The vampires moved in fast behind her and one grabbed her arm.
“Are you suicidal? Come on.”
Madison looked at the other vampires and raised her voice. “The Council has hidden something from all of you for centuries. Now I’m about to reveal it to you.”
“What the hell?” a man shouted as she wrenched open the door, revealing the sunlight. None of the vampires moved close until she took a step forward. Light hit her skin and she welcomed the familiar, delicious warmth she could only experience once a month.
There was a deathly silence. The vampires were fixated on her, completely speechless. Madison looked back and only Dave attempted to follow.
“She has to be human,” a vampire snapped, grabbing his arm. Dave pulled himself free and then followed her into the sun. Slowly, one by one, the other vampires did the same. They were all staring around them as if it were nothing but a delusion, and she took in the varied emotions on their faces—amazement, confusion. Relief.
“I always used to dream of feeling the sun on my skin again,” Dave whispered, his voice barely audible.
“On the first day after the full moon, we’re immune to sunlight, but just for the one day,” she explained. “The Council knew about it and used it to hold meetings.”
Dave was dumbstruck. Madison smiled. This was an important moment for each of them, just as she remembered when she had experienced it with Liam.
“How do you know this?” one of the vampires asked.
“Liam told me,” she replied. She looked over at Dave and noticed his expression twist into a look of utter hatred.
“The Council kept something like this from us. Our freedom. Our chance to feel human,” he said, his voice shaking with barely contained anger. “They’re going to fucking pay for this!”
“I thought you weren’t fighters?”
“Oh, we’ll definitely fight now,” Dave promised. “We’ll use this day to prepare ourselves and inform all havens worldwide. Thanks, Madison.”
She smiled, knowing that she had done what she needed to. The look on their faces upon stepping into the sunlight had given her a satisfaction she hadn’t felt in a long time. Haven by haven, the vampires would be free from the Council’s deceit, and feel human once again. And she had started this thanks to Liam.
They’d achieved something greater than the Council, and changed the lives of all vampires, releasing them from such archaic methods. Of course it would have its downsides, it made it easier to feed from people. But after seeing the happiness on the faces of the vampires, she wished she’d done this sooner, and not rely on it as a method to promote a civil war.
Chapter Twenty One
Liam awaited her. “Did it go as planned?”
“The haven knows, and it looks like they’ll take action. It definitely got them interested in standing up against the Council.”
“Good, just what we need. It’ll keep them distracted while we look into the Awakening.” He gave a comforting smile but his stance was still rigid as if he didn’t want her to approach.
“Where did you go?”
“I had a chat with a friend who informed me the Council are intent on detaining us. Jonathon’s concluded us to be a risk.”
“Shit.”
He was still visibly disturbed.
“Something else?”
“Your hunter, Olivia. I can sense her nearby. She’s no longer human.”
Her eyes widened. A scream suddenly pierced the silence. She immediately ran to the door and threw it open.
“Madison, wait!” Liam shouted. She paid no attention to him. Her thoughts were on Olivia. If what Liam was implying was true, then she’d transform and kill innocent people. There was still some sliver of hope she could be reasoned with.
Madison moved down the alleyway where the scream originated. Luckily there were few people aro
und and she was able to use vampire speed. She hesitated when she heard a familiar growl. A misshapen form was twisting in agony at the end of the alleyway, and she could smell blood.
Unable to look away, she stared in horror. Olivia was transforming and it sounded utterly painful. Her cries were contorted and inhuman. When it was finally over, she faced her, completely unrecognizable. She was hunched over, the fur on her body a dark brown. Her mouth lined with teeth, glistening with saliva, was almost as big as her face. Her brown eyes were hard and glittered with a primal hunger.
“Why?” Madison murmured.
“I told you…” Olivia managed to say. Her voice was gruff and deep. Madison almost shuddered from the sound of it. “I told you I’d never forgive you.”
“You let yourself be turned.”
It saddened her to think it even though she shouldn’t be surprised. I hoped compassion would help her turn away from this. How foolish. There was no saving a hunter.
She took note of her surroundings. The alley felt dark and cold. If she fled, would Olivia follow? Would the hunter risk exposure to humans just to pursue her?
“I won’t let you get away,” Olivia threatened. “Werewolves are stronger than vampires.”
She shook her head. “Sorry it has to be this way. I tried to help you choose a better path.”
“Never wanted anything from you!”
Madison met her gaze and then ran. Olivia would follow; her incessant hate would overpower all reasoning. She forced herself to push her limits. People started screaming behind them. Olivia was close, but she didn’t look back.
Liam awaited her. “Get inside.”
She slammed the door and locked it, but it was a pathetic move. The werewolf would break through easily. Liam left the room and returned brandishing a gun in his hand. Madison stared in surprise.
“Come and get what you deserve for staking my love,” he muttered.
Madison pulled back the curtain in time to reveal Olivia standing before the house. The werewolf began running at full speed toward the window. She gasped and stepped back.
Liam moved in front of her, leveling the gun in his hand. Olivia crouched as if she were about to jump directly through the window when he fired. Glass smashed, and the bullet slammed into her chest, sending the werewolf onto the ground.
Madison heard her grunt in pain. The werewolf glanced back at them then out to the street. She didn’t know how long Olivia could hold the form for, and it seemed as if she had that similar hesitation, as she left quickly. There were more screams from outside as she made her retreat, but they’d at least prevented her from taking out her frenzy on anyone.
“She planned this,” Madison said. “I think she agreed to go with you because she wanted to be turned. Maybe she figured it was the only way to overpower me.”
Liam set the gun on the kitchen counter, but said nothing.
“Where did that come from? It was a silver bullet, wasn’t it?”
“It’s something I’ve always brought with me. A 9mm pistol,” he said fondly. “Loaded with one silver bullet.”
She forced a smile. “Knew you didn’t trust the werewolves.”
“It’s not them I didn’t trust. It was the truce, a thin veneer on the animosity building up between us. Many immersed in the Council were war hungry, wanted to demonstrate their capabilities and didn’t care for the blood cost. I had to be prepared for the worst.”
She slid her arms around him, holding him close. It never failed to be relaxing. “When was the truce made?”
“Centuries ago. Werewolves and vampires were enemies until one of them began to fall for the other. Their forbidden love could’ve led to war but one of the vampire leaders called for peace.”
Liam kissed her forehead. “Neither side wanted war. But I knew to be prepared. Just because there was peace now didn’t mean it wouldn’t end.”
She glanced at the shattered window. “Will she die?”
“It’ll gravely wound her in her werewolf form. Once she becomes human again, she’ll be ill for weeks.” Now there was a look of apprehension on his face. “But that’s been dealt with. The Council are a concern. Ava knows our location, we should start packing what we need.”
“Where will we go?”
She immediately thought of New York, but knowing Liam, he would want to be far from the New York Council as possible. He may even want to return to San Francisco.
“I don’t know. But we have Olivia’s car, we can take it.”
Suddenly the door burst open, shaking the house.
“Jonathon, head of the Council, has decreed you are to be sentenced to trial for your threats to our kind,” Ava announced. Madison reached out to Liam and he grasped her hand.
She wanted to fight, to escape, but glancing at Liam, there was a look of finality on his face.
This is it.
Ava motioned and several others came forward holding what resembled tasers. A sudden stabbing pain hit her side and she sensed Liam attempting to pull her close before she collapsed onto the floor.
Madison opened her eyes hesitantly. Every part of her felt alive and intent on killing but when she took note of her surroundings, that intense desire faded.
She was in a white padded room, her only escape a door right in front of her. It was sealed tightly with a slant of glass to look out of. Even though she had vampire strength, obviously she wouldn’t be able to break out.
Great. Tasered again, but this time, I’m stuck.
She stood and peered out, noticing another room opposite hers. It had to be Liam’s. They wouldn’t testify them separately before the Council, or so she hoped, but she had no clue what procedures they’d follow. She lowered her gaze. The door had no handle, no way of opening it physically. A flashing light caught her eye. Operated electronically.
She backed away. Even more terrifying was the thought that the Council could keep them here indefinitely.
“They design a white room to make you feel crazy,” she muttered.
Liam. She was grateful not be human at this moment, or her body would be completely stressed with fear and concern.
The Council had successfully contained them, thanks to Ava. Now she was alone, with no idea of where Liam was or when she would be released, and if she was, it would be to a death sentence. The Council wasn’t afraid to kill their kind and Jonathon wouldn’t be pleased to learn that she had broken their agreement.
Yet as time passed, she could do nothing but pace around the room, feeling like a caged animal. Why not keep busy by exercising? But her body was in peak condition due to vampire strength. She could recite math, law, or count backwards. But all that occupied her mind was Liam and if, no when, she would see him soon.
Hours passed, then days. She didn’t need to sleep, and had lost all track of time. It was eerily silent and no one had arrived with blood. Maybe they don’t intend on feeding me at all.
But it wasn’t the hunger effects that scared her. It was knowing that without blood, she would end up in a frenzy. She’d seen it happen to Quinn and Olivia, but had no idea of how it affected a vampire. And didn’t want to know.
Her drifting thoughts went to the Awakening. They’d never taken the chance to look at the files, but it could’ve been pointless after all. Without Liam, she was alone. Lost. If the prophecy was meant to happen, it never would now that they were separated. What good was any of it? What was the point if it all led to this?
“Listen up! If you’re gonna kill me, at least let me see Liam!”
She sensed movement and quickly turned toward the door. Someone had heard. The door clicked open. Before she could make a move and push past the vampire standing there, he simply threw a bag at her then the door slid shut. It all happened in less than a second.
Madison stared at the closed door. That had been her only method of escape. She glanced down at the bag at her feet. It contained blood. Donor blood. So that was how the Council kept themselves nourished and no doubt perceived themselv
es to be higher in status than those who resorted to feeding from humans.
She grabbed it hesitantly. What if it’s poisoned? But even if it was, it wouldn’t kill her. A deep hunger struck her body and her fangs emerged. She pierced the plastic and drank. The blood was cold and overly metallic. If she hadn’t been so hungry, she would’ve refused to even eat it.
When it was finally empty, she threw it aside and slumped onto the padding. Judging from the amount of time that seemed to have passed, she estimated it had been a week. She was being fed once a week, just long enough not to be driven to the brink of hunger derived insanity.
How much time had elapsed now? Another week. Another bag. She sensed movement outside the door. She’d been fed hours earlier, so it was odd that the vampire was returning. She stayed back from the door and waited. As it slid open, her senses heightened. The pulse pounding in the man’s body was like a siren and her appetite for warm blood returned. She struggled to fight off the primal instinct and regarded the man warily. He’d made no move to attack, but there was an urgent look in his eyes. Dark hair streaked with gray fell in wisps past his ears, his blue eyes pained.
“W-who are you?” she demanded.
“Gareth. Come, we don’t have much time.”
“Why are you doing this?”
He stepped back as she left the room, entering the cool air in the corridor. The change in temperature and the realization that she was free made her sway slightly.
“The Council will be destroyed very soon. Haven vampires are amassing an attack. I’ve got front row tickets to the show.”
She stared at him, wondering who the heck this person was and why he’d even care about rescuing her. As she met his gaze, she fought off the urge to feed from him.
“You know a lot.”
“Yes, well, I’ll save the explaining for someone else,” he replied and then walked over to the room opposite hers. She watched him, remembering how she believed Liam was in this room, but never saw him.
Using a keycard, he opened the door to reveal Liam. He looked disheveled and glanced up at them. When his green eyes settled on her, his face brightened.
Awakened by the Vampire Page 20
