House of Blood: (A Paranormal Urban Fantasy) (The Vampire Project Book 2)

by Jonathan Yanez

  “Yeah”—Elizabeth bit her lip—“and one more thing. I can’t read Leah’s mind.”

  “Well, you probably shouldn’t be going through people’s minds anyway.” Abigail crossed her arms and gave her younger sister a disapproving look. “I thought we talked about that?”

  “I know, I know.” Elizabeth sighed, finally giving up her drawing and looking into her sister’s eyes. “But I had to. She seems … she seems off somehow. She’s the only one whose mind I can’t look into. Every time I do, all I see is blackness, nothing. Maybe she’s the one who farted.”

  “Well”—Abigail placed the rogue red strands of Elizabeth’s hair behind her sister’s small ears—“maybe this is the beginning of your abilities leaving. Maybe this was temporary. Leah’s only trying to help us understand all of this.”

  Elizabeth directed her eyes to Jack for support. As much as he wanted to, it wasn’t his place to get between the Ahab sisters.

  “I think you’re both right.” Jack did his best to stay neutral. “Let’s give Leah a chance to figure all of this out, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be watchful of our surroundings.”

  Both sisters nodded.

  “Well, if you’re ready, Elizabeth,”—Leah approached the group—“we can begin.”

  Elizabeth rose, following Leah. Abigail followed next, and finally Jack. Chance, more than anything, brought his vision down to catch the open coloring book Elizabeth had been working on. She had done a horrible job coloring side by side pictures of what looked like horses.

  A closer glance brought Jack to realize that what he was looking at wasn’t a failed attempt at coloring at all. Instead, a detailed map of the Outland ran across both pages, showing the city of New Hope and each smaller city depicted by name. In the picture, a red wave was running outward from New Hope in all directions, consuming the rest of the Outland.

  On instinct, Jack reached down and collected the book, folding it into the inner pocket of his vest. He wasn’t sure why he did it, but something deep inside, something like his father’s voice, told him it would be important.

  A humming vibration that shook the very floor he was standing on awoke Jack from his trance-like state. The feeling was coming from the machine Leah had started. Bright green and blue lights blinked off and on at sporadic pulses from the machine’s control panel.

  Elizabeth sat in the raised chair. Its back was reclined, giving Elizabeth the illusion of being comfortable. Jack had a feeling that the young girl was anything but.

  “This won’t hurt at all,” Leah reassured her as she lifted a steel-domed cap connected to an array of wires. “All this machine will do is distinguish how powerful the electric waves coming from your brain are.”

  “It’s okay.” Abigail moved to stand beside her sister. “I’m here.”

  Elizabeth nodded, trying to hide the fear that had crept across her eyes.

  A sense of urgency gripped Jack. Again the voice inside him whispered there was something wrong. The thought of stopping the process altogether darted across his mind. Before he could decide whether or not to act on the feeling, Leah Noble flipped a large switch on the machine.

  The humming that had been reverberating through the room, intensified. Jack’s eyes darted to Elizabeth. The girl, although clearly frightened, didn’t seem to be in any kind of pain.

  “You’re doing wonderful,” Leah said, almost to herself. “This is exactly what we had hoped for.”

  “Are you all right?” Abigail looked on with concern. She still held onto Elizabeth’s hand. “Do you need it to stop?”

  “No, no, I’m okay.” Elizabeth shook her head. “It doesn’t hurt.”

  Just as soon as the machine had begun its savage humming, it stopped. Leah Noble wore a wild grin as she removed the apparatus from Elizabeth’s head. “You did an outstanding job, young lady. You’re going to be such a special girl in the days to come.”

  “What did you find?” Jack ignored Leah’s cryptic words. “Is Elizabeth going to be all right?”

  “She’s better than all right.” Leah assisted Elizabeth from the chair. “Her power has the potential to be something this world has never seen. She’s too important now to be let out of our sight.”

  Jack should have realized it was a trap all along. If he had been a second faster he might have been able to save them.

  The nod from Leah to the two unnaturally pale guards at the door was almost too soft to notice. Jack reached for his wand at the same time one of the guards slammed the door shut and the other rammed into him so hard there was no question that these were a pair of the new vampire soldiers.

  Jack’s body slammed into the far stone hall. His skull cracked against wall sending a shower of bright red into his vision. Pain lanced through his entire body. A concussion made it nearly impossible for him to stumble to his feet.

  “Jack!” Abigail screamed. She fought the other assailant like a woman possessed but against someone with super strength and speed she was doomed from the start.

  One of the guards grabbed Elizabeth, the other Abigail.

  Jack finally regained his feet. The mage power inside him flickered as he forced himself to concentrate. Dark green magic swirled at his fist. He looked up to send a bolt of the magical energy against one of the guards.

  Leah Noble appeared out of the shadows. She grabbed Jake’s fist in her own hand. Immediately, the flickering flame of green magic disappeared. Before Jack could comprehend the witches power she forced him to his knees.

  Pain like the weight of a thousands pounds pressed on his shoulders drove Jack to his knees. Purple magic swirled around Leah noble’s hand and her eyes.

  “I’m sorry it has to be this way, Jack,” Although Leah’s words were soft there was nothing but evil dripping from her tone. “But Elizabeth is much too important to us to leave any loose ends. Don’t worry I’m not going to kill you. You and Abigail will be the perfect motivators to spur Elizabeth on with her work.”

  The weight from Jack’s shoulders traveled to his chest now. Every breath came slower and more labored. Within seconds the blackness of unconsciousness came for Jack.

  Aareth

  Sloan left without him. What did he really expect? Sloan had a job to do. He could respect that. But that didn’t mean it was going to stop him. He would search for his wife on his own. Even now, the thought of her haunted him. Although he still hadn’t actually seen her face, he had seen the tattoo again. It was here, without a doubt in his mind.

  Along with the images of her face came pain for whatever they had done to her. Something very deep, very dark had touched her to erase all memory of him from her mind.

  The pain Aareth endured from the night before was non-existent. No bruising showed on his face or his ribs, from the many strikes of The Order. If anything, Aareth felt better than before. Mentally, he was struggling to hold on to his sanity; physically, he was in peak condition.

  Aareth took the queen’s advice, allowing himself a few hours of sleep and whatever food he could shove into his mouth before he left the palace once again.

  A soldier had tried to follow him under the pretense of being his designated “escort.” Aareth had lost the man somewhere in the city streets. He had no time to be bothered, and even less patience.

  When Elwood approached him out of the teaming mass of New Hope citizens, Aareth almost walked right over him.

  The gnome was wearing a blue shirt and red pants, and he pulled on Aareth’s pant leg urgently. High-pitched gibberish followed this motion.

  “I don’t know what you’re saying.” Aareth shook his pant leg in hopes to free himself from the gnome. “Let me go, little man. You’re causing a scene.”

  Elwood gripped tighter, his knuckles turning white under the pressure.

  People were, in fact, beginning to take notice. Gnomes weren’t that out of the ordinary in New Hope, though they were, however, a minority and usually stayed in their own section of the city.

  “I’m busy.” Aar
eth glared at the gnome. “If you don’t let go of my leg, you’re going to make me commit a hate crime.”

  Elwood chattered again. This time, he reached behind his back with his free hand. When it came forward, it held a letter.

  Aareth accepted the folded piece of paper. It was thick, white parchment with a red wax seal. Stamped into the wax was a symbol of a bird: a phoenix.

  Without delay, Aareth ripped open the letter.

  My friend Aareth,

  If you’re reading this letter, it means Elwood has found you. Furthermore, it means that you have no idea what he is trying to tell you and hopefully you didn’t commit any kind of hate crime toward him.

  Aside from that, I have news for you concerning your condition. We need to meet, post-haste, away from the palace. If the queen knows what I know about you now, you may not be permitted to leave.

  Meet me at the Dogwood corner café. I’ll be sipping an espresso outside on the patio. Elwood can show you the way if you haven’t squished him yet. Come quickly, Aareth, the news I have for you is terrifying.

  Your best friend in the world,

  Edison Reeves the Younger

  It wasn’t finding his wife, but if Edison finally had answers to what had happened to him in Burrow Den, Aareth couldn’t pass the opportunity by.

  “Okay, lead the way, little man.” Aareth squatted down to look the gnome in the face. “Sorry about being so aggressive with you. It’s been a hard few days for me.”

  Elwood reached up and gently patted Aareth’s stubbly face. More gibberish escaped his lips, but his tone was comforting.

  Elwood turned his back, motioning Aareth to follow. The gnome and inspector traveled toward the cafe, staying on the sidewalk to avoid the bulk of the day’s traffic.

  Horses pulled carriages, vendors shouted their wares that ranged anywhere from fruit to shoes, and still Aareth’s thoughts wandered back to Brenda. Even in the face of finding answers as to what he was becoming, the image of his wife couldn’t be shaken.

  Luckily for Aareth, The Dogwood Café was only a few blocks from their current location. Elwood directed him to a brightly painted outside patio. A handful of tables and chairs made up the outside section of the café.

  Aareth searched the faces of the patrons seated at the tables, without finding the familiar face of his friend.

  Before he could ask Elwood, the gnome directed him to a table at the far end. It was in the corner, closest to café. Shade from the building’s roof draped the area in shadow.

  Aareth found himself sitting across from a woman in a light pink dress and a huge bonnet that covered her face. Two empty espresso cups sat on the table in front of her.

  “Don’t make a scene.” Edison’s voice came from somewhere deep within the bonnet. “We’re just two girls out for a morning espresso, or three.”

  “Edison, is that you?” Aareth leaned in to try to get a glimpse inside the bonnet. What he saw was horrifying.

  Edison Reeves had shaved his face and applied thick layers of makeup. Powder accented his cheekbones, bright red lipstick framed his mouth, blue eye shadow rounded out his new look. A scarf was wrapped around his Adam’s apple.

  “Yeah, great disguise, right?” Edison leaned down to Elwood. “Good job, Elwood. Mirror, if you please.”

  A moment later, Elwood conjured a mirror from behind his back.

  Edison accepted it, checking his image from all sides.

  “We’re being watched. Two meatheads by the ally across the street.” Edison handed the mirror back to Elwood. “Don’t look now. We’ll deal with them when we leave.”

  “Answers, Edison.” Aareth felt frustration build inside like a dam about to break. “You said you have answers.”

  “I do. How to say this gently…” Edison winced. “You’re screwed. Your biology is changing. The bite from the wolf has transformed you into something inhuman. The changes are already in effect; hence, your accelerated healing and the anger you feel. For some reason, the full change is still being held at bay, like it’s waiting for some trigger or signal to fully consume you.”

  Aareth sat, stunned. In all honesty, he had expected to be told something along these exact lines. It was just different now that he knew.

  Elwood shook his head in Edison’s direction.

  “What? I thought that was pretty gentle.” Edison shrugged. “He needs to know the truth.”

  “What about a cure?” Aareth asked.

  “Not that I can see, but this is all new to me. It’s not entirely out of the question.”

  “You said it was waiting inside me for something like a signal to be released?”

  “That’s right.” Edison breathed a heavy sigh. “I know that’s not helpful at all, since I can’t tell you what the trigger will be. I do know that whatever this bite changed you into is more animal than man. Until we figure this out, I think you should avoid the palace. The queen has ears everywhere. I trust her, but if she knew what you were, she’d want to hold you for observation.”

  “Thank you, Edison.” Aareth pulled himself back from being lost in his own thoughts. “I owe you one.”

  “That’s what friends are for.” Edison glanced at the two men watching them from the ally. “Elwood and I will distract our friends. I know things are rough, but on the bright side, the weather’s great, and it’s even supposed to be a full moon tonight.”

  Sloan

  Everything Sloan held dear: her morals, her mentors, her life—it was all lies. What do you do when your entire world crashes down around you?

  A numb emptiness filled Sloan from the soles of her feet to the crown of her head. Anger was definitely present, as well, but by far, she felt hollow inside. She walked from Livingston Industries with no particular path in mind.

  The midday sun shone down on her as it had thousands of times before, but this day was unlike any other. Everything was different.

  Sloan knew she should have taken both Doctor Livingston and Commander Brookhaven into custody. She hadn’t, because honestly, she didn’t even know what side she was on anymore.

  Within minutes of wandering, Sloan found herself outside of a restaurant sporting signs of grease-infused foods and salty calories. She walked into the establishment like a zombie.

  “Hello,” called an overly friendly hostess from behind her reception booth. She wore a bright red apron and tall, black heels. “Party of one?”

  Sloan nodded. She couldn’t even get a handle on her own feelings, much less summon the energy to deal with the wide-eyed hostess.

  “Follow me.”

  Sloan trailed in the wake of the worker, to a booth in the corner. She removed her sword before she sat down.

  “In the queen’s army, huh?” The girl passed her a menu. “Thank you for your service. The things the queen has done for New Hope have been amazing.”

  “Yep.” Sloan had finally found her voice. She accepted the menu, looking and wanting every single item on the list. “That’s one way to put it.”

  “Well, your server will be right with you. Can I start you off with something to drink?”

  Sloan flipped through the pages, scanning the brightly designed menu interior until her eyes landed on what she was searching for.

  “I need this.” Sloan pointed to a picture of a massive chocolate shake, complete with whipped cream and a cherry.

  “Oh … oh, okay.” The waitress nodded. “Been one of those days, huh?”

  “I need two of them, actually.” Sloan handed the waitress back the menu. “And the biggest basket of fries you have.”

  “Well, I usually just get the drinks. Your server will…”

  The girl’s words withered into oblivion under Sloan’s stare.

  “I’ll see what I can do,” she said as she turned to go.

  “Thank you.” Sloan drummed her fingers on the clean, granite tabletop.

  Her calories ordered, Sloan was already forming a plan. She wouldn’t be missed from the palace; her rank assured she answered
to no one but the queen. Still, she had a day at most before the queen would request an audience to find out what she had discovered at Livingston Industries. What had she discovered? A zombie woman with an incredible story?

  Was Sloan going to throw everything away, just like that? Maybe she should talk to the queen, give her a chance to explain. Maybe she shouldn’t do anything until she had collected more information.

  “Here you go.” A young man with a name tag reading “Michael” stopped by her table with two massive chocolate shakes and a basket full of fries. He placed them down, looking sideways at Sloan. “Do you need utensils, or—”

  Sloan answered his question by grabbing a handful of the salt-laden fries, dipping them into her chocolate shake, then shoving them into her mouth.

  The flavor of salt-and-sweet exploded in her mouth like fireworks. For the briefest moment, Sloan was happy. She closed her eyes, enjoying the flavors, totally forgetting the young man was still at her table.

  “Okay, well, you enjoy. Let me know if you need anything else.” Michael began to back away slowly as if any sudden movement would disturb Sloan.

  “I need a burger,” Sloan said, shoving another handful of chocolate-laden goodness into her mouth. “Make it to-go.”

  Sloan

  Sloan’s stomach felt like it was going to burst as she turned the last corner that would lead to her final destination. The top button to her pants had been loosened, the burger she’d ordered to-go still uneaten in a bag she held in her left hand.

  She had spent so long in the restaurant, and even longer now, strolling to a place she hadn’t visited in years, that the sun was setting and the full moon was slowly drifting upward.

  A pair of soldiers Sloan didn’t recognize passed on the opposite side of the street from her. They exchanged confused looks, but still offered her crisp salutes.

  In turn, Sloan only stared at them until they looked away. The smells from her childhood overwhelmed the smell of the cold burger in her bag. A bakery stood on the corner, its owner closing up for the night. A dry cleaners on the opposite end did the same.