Blinding Light (The Bloodmarked Trilogy Book 2)

by Alicia Deters

  He didn’t look in my direction as he climbed into the driver’s seat and put his sunglasses on. I just stared at him, unable to help myself when it came down to it. He was a gorgeous specimen, but nothing compared to seeing him now.

  “What?” he finally asked, sensing my not-so-stealthy perusal. He kept his eyes on the road as we drove further away from the cemetery.

  “It’s daytime,” I explained, rather precisely.

  His brow arched, and I noticed a tiny twitch at the corner of his mouth. “So it is,” he replied plainly.

  “Well, it’s one thing to find out you can stand under the sun but another thing to actually see it.” And, boy, was it ever a sight to see in broad daylight. The image tattooed itself on my brain. Worse than a tramp stamp. This was the type of permanent brand that ruins a girl.

  I could use a hobby, or a few vampires to kill.

  His smile never fully emerged, but I could tell he struggled to keep it at bay. He allowed me to gawk awhile before he spoke again.

  “Everything’s arranged. We should arrive at Helen’s shortly.”

  And with that, the silence stretched out, along with the strange new distance between us.

  †

  The nagging feeling like something was changing followed me all the way to Helen’s place. We pulled up along the curb in front of her apartment, and I paused before exiting the car. I merely sought some kind of reassurance Gavin was still on my side. A distraction from everything that’s happened or was about to happen would also be nice. Maybe I wasn’t ready for it.

  He stopped with his hand on the door handle and gave me a questioning glance. Finally snagging his attention, I asked, “Can we just sit here another minute?”

  His gaze softened, and he relaxed back into his seat. “Sure.”

  “Will you talk to me? About anything. I don’t care. Tell me about your day. Tell me about how you saved my life again.”

  The last time he tried telling me about his heroics on the night I was born, I got a little pissed at him and couldn’t quite think clearly.

  He let out a hesitant sigh before delving into the topic. “Your heartbeat was fading so fast when I approached your mother. We both knew what was about to happen. The only thing that I could think to do was something I thought was impossible. When I suggested it to your mother, she said, ‘Do it. It’ll work.’ We didn’t have much time, so I drank from her to get more of her blood out of her system so that she could take my blood and it would get to you faster. I wasn’t sure of anything, but then I caught glimpses of her thoughts. It was like your blood was aiding this connection between us. I saw her fears of losing you, her intentions for you. I even saw some of her memories.”

  “That makes a bit more sense now. When you told me all those things she had explained to you, I wondered how she was so chatty on her deathbed. I thought they were embellished sentiments that you made up to convince me you were innocent,” I admitted.

  “Well, I didn’t. So score another one for me for telling you the truth,” he deadpanned.

  Then, the most glorious thing happened. A smiled cracked through the stony façade. It was that wide, boyish smile I haven’t seen in ages. And it was infectious. I couldn’t stop mine from growing to match his.

  “And you’re not an ugly crier.”

  “Eavesdropper!” I accused.

  He shrugged unapologetically. “I told you before. Your emotions are beautiful.”

  All fears of a growing distance between us disappeared. He was with me now, in this moment. I never realized the intensity of this pull he had on me. I knew I had feelings for the guy. I could at least admit that, but I never knew what a calming effect he had on me. It was a little terrifying to be that connected to someone, on an almost cellular level. His moods had the power to dictate mine, in more ways than just our typical arguments. I needed things to be good between us, or at least right between us. I could handle his bossy, pain in the ass side, as long as he didn’t close himself off from me.

  “Lucy,” he said after the smile faded to a dull grin. “I have to tell you something else. I knew Helen before I came across your mother.”

  Oh, hell no. I was 98 percent sure I did not want to hear this.

  Stay calm, Lucy.

  It’s not like he hasn’t been with women before. I mean, for as long as he’s been around, there’s no way he wouldn’t have been-

  “Relax,” he interrupted my inner jealous girl rant to give me the ‘I know what you’re thinking’ look I loathed so much. “I didn’t actually know her. I knew of her. It was the reason I was in the area when your mother was leaving her apartment. I was coming to meet her.”

  He looked like he had a lot to say but couldn’t decide where to start. Before he opened his mouth to continue, there was a sharp rap on my window that sent me flying out of my chair like when someone forgets to put the seat down on a toilet.

  Outside my door stood a willowy woman in a pantsuit with shoulder-length blond hair, streaked lightly with grey. She was an attractive woman and appeared to be in her early forties. I instantly recognized her from the picture I retrieved at my mother’s gravesite.

  She waited patiently for us to join her on the sidewalk. I climbed out of the car slowly and stood before Helen Lancaster, the only other connection, besides Gavin, that I had to my mother.

  “You two going to stand outside my apartment all day like a couple of prowlers. or would you like to come in and chat? I just got off work and was running a little late, but I saw the car from the window before I had a chance to change. Come in and I’ll make you something to eat while I clean up,” she said with a friendly smile.

  Gavin shared my shocked expression at her social folly.

  “It was a joke, more of an expression, really. I’m aware you don’t eat,” she added, looking straight at me. “I’m sorry, where are my manners? We never officially met, but I feel like I know you already. I’m Helen,” she said, reaching out for my hand.

  I shook her hand and wondered when my voice would return to me. You’d think she was a celebrity with the dumbstruck expression I must have been sporting. I cleared my throat before things got too awkward and released her hand.

  “I’m Lucy. I just recently found out about you, so I don’t know much about you at all,” I admitted.

  “Yes, well, you only found out about me because I wanted you to. I’m part of a pretty secretive group. But I’ll explain everything inside. Come on. I know the cold doesn’t bother you too much, but I’m freezing out here.”

  She hurried us inside and turned the dial on the thermostat, blasting the apartment with heat. One glance around and I noted every tiny detail of the small one-bedroom.

  The kitchen was about the same size as the living room and had just as many books and newspaper clippings lying around. Each one was related to strange, abnormal phenomenon. Several bookcases lined the far wall of the living room, brimming with titles relating to mythology and genealogy. There was a tiny nook by the window on the back wall of the same room. It housed a petite desk that was littered with more of the same.

  After motioning us to the living room and telling us to make ourselves comfortable, I opted for one end of the grey, micro suede couch. Gavin took the chair next to me and angled it outward to give himself more leg room. He went quiet again, which, in turn, put me on edge.

  The panic caused by the reality that was forced upon me was threatening to take hold again. I jumped when warm breath stirred the hair around my ear.

  His lips brushed against it as he whispered, “Don’t worry. She’ll explain everything. It’s going to be fine. You can trust her.”

  Trust wasn’t exactly my main concern at the moment, but I relaxed into his touch and soothing voice. My world was about to be rocked for about the billionth time in the past few days, and falling on my ass into a puddle of my own failure seemed inevitable at this point.

  Helen reentered the room wearing jeans and an oversized flannel shirt, her hair pulled back
in a small ponytail. The smile on her face brightened when she stopped to look me over, revealing fine lines on either side of it.

  “I can’t believe it. After all these years, I finally get to meet you. You look so much like her, it’s surreal,” she lamented.

  When she came around the coffee table and sat on the other end of the sofa, she angled toward us and relaxed into the cushion, one leg hitched up under her.

  A show of such open admiration made me itchy, so I decided to kick things off with business. “You mentioned you’re a part of a secretive group. What group would that be?”

  “Yes, I am. We call ourselves the Keepers. Well, we didn’t come up with the name. Our organization has been around for generations, since the beginning of vampires. We have several factions that span the globe. Our primary goal is to follow the bloodlines of any remaining descendants of the Light vampires.

  “Ever since it was prophesized that someone from the Light line, who we refer to as Daymarked, would wipe out the Dark line, or Shadowmarked, a select group of humans who had knowledge of vampires took it upon themselves to keep track of everything. It was said that they were visited by angels in their dreams who told them about the vampires, but that’s all hearsay.

  “So it’s always been our duty to protect this line. Ever since the Dark vampires learned of the prophecy, they hunted any remaining Light lines down, killing them off one by one. There wasn’t much left of them, anyhow, after the First nearly wiped them out in the beginning.”

  “Wait, wait, wait,” I stopped her, shaking my head in disbelief. It was almost information overload. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to getting so many answers,” I said meaningfully, looking back at Gavin, who was the picture of innocence until I made eye contact.

  The sexy half grin was back and working to its full effect on every last one of my hormones. And those eyes got all intense and bedroomy. Must get intensified vampire desires under control. Adding insult to injury, he winked to show he knew exactly what I was talking about and he wasn’t ashamed of himself in the least.

  “Right,” Helen continued, drawing my attention back to important stuff. I heard Gavin clear his throat behind me and almost developed a raging case of lovesick teenager all over again at the throaty, masculine sound.

  Jesus, get a grip woman. Important stuff. Very important stuff.

  “Anyway, I guess I should start from the beginning,” she said, either not noticing or choosing to ignore the swell of angst in the room. “I’ll give you the condensed version of vampire history. The story goes that following Lucifer’s fall from God’s grace, he was so jealous of God’s love for humans, he took it upon himself to create his own race of creatures to love as his children.

  “He mixed his blood with humans. Some were not strong enough to survive, but the ones who did experienced dramatic physical and mental changes, as you have experienced yourself, along with immortality. When the demon, Lilith, saw what Lucifer had done, she created her version of offspring. By mixing her blood with humans’, the effects were similar but came with more limitations.

  “Since Lucifer was a high-ranking and incredibly powerful angel, his bloodline became strong and could walk in the daylight. Lilith’s blood created beings almost as powerful, but they couldn’t tolerate any amount of sunlight. She was always a creature of the night, thus creating more of the same. Her monsters became jealous of Lucifer’s and began killing the Daymarked vampires for power. Since Lilith’s blood wasn’t as powerful, she was able to create a larger number of beings than Lucifer could. The Daymarked were stronger but far outnumbered.

  “When God saw what had happened, he cursed Lilith’s creations by taking their souls and any souls tainted by them, leaving them empty, and thus, in need of the very thing that created them. Blood.

  “It is said that when God came to Lucifer’s children, he showed mercy. He gave them an opportunity to save their souls. Their souls were not taken from them but rather, they were kept in a sort of limbo. Should they commit the most heinous of sins and kill to feed their unnatural hunger, they would become the worst kind of monster.”

  “So, what, you’re telling me I haven’t lost my soul?” I interrupted. “I can’t believe that. I don’t. You don’t know half the things I’ve done,” I gasped, trying to leash the self-loathing.

  “I’m sorry, Lucy, but I’m not trying to make assumptions about you. I’m just giving you the vampire theory of Creation. That’s pretty much the gist of how they came to be.”

  “So I really am the spawn of Satan,” I reflected. “Awesome. My week just got better.” I rested my elbows on my knees and rubbed my hands over my face in frustration.

  “You shouldn’t see it as a curse, but a gift. Lucy, your blood holds unprecedented power. I don’t think anyone has ever seen its potential. Don’t underestimate what your blood is capable of accomplishing. It can kill. Maybe it can heal. It’s limitless at this point, until you test its boundaries.”

  It was a nice story, but I wasn’t sure I believed any of it. I guess it only mattered that the others believed it and, therefore, wanted me dead. I got that I came from a different line. There were many truths that came out of the story, but the hows and whys no longer mattered. I now lived in a world that demanded my head. All the hows and whys in my head wouldn’t stop the inevitable from happening, and there were only two possible inevitable scenarios. One, I get killed by vampires, or two, I fulfil the prophecy and kill the bad guys. Devising a strategy to make inevitable outcome number two come true got bumped to the top of my to do list.

  “Helen, you said you guys watch for the Light bloodlines, or the Daymarked?” I asked for confirmation.

  “Yes, and the Dark lines, the Shadowmarked. Collectively, we call them the Bloodmarked. We like to try to keep track of them in order to prevent them from turning, or taking care of them when they do. If they experience a great deal of blood loss at the age of their optimal health, they will inherit the bloodlust of their line.”

  “What do you mean you take care of them? You hunt them?” I asked, incredulously.

  “We do. We train every day. Like I said before, our primary goal is to preserve the Light bloodline in order to see the prophecy through, so we must keep in top fighting condition to protect it at any cost,” she answered.

  “Doesn’t always work out, does it?”

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “My mother. My family. You knew about them, didn’t you? You said you followed the bloodlines. That’s why you were friends with my mother, right?”

  “Lucy, I’m so sorry. I wish I could have been there, but there was nothing I could-,”

  “I’m not blaming you. No one harbored more guilt than me over their deaths. I always knew it had something to do with me and my freakish tendencies. But the truth is, there was no stopping it. I know you must carry your own guilt, but there really was nothing you could have done. You shouldn’t have to do anything. It’s too dangerous.”

  “We humans are quite capable of handling ourselves when the time comes to do just that,” she answered with an air of authority.

  I was momentarily speechless.

  A snort of humor came from behind me. I turned to level my gaze on him. There may have been a few instances when I chastised him for seeing humans as weak, even if I was taking it a little out of context. But this was different. I knew humans weren’t weak-minded, but physically, of course they were weaker than vampires.

  Helen continued, taking advantage of my silence to make her case. “You’ll see when you come to our facility up north. We have a great team there that you’ll stay and train with yourself. You’ll see how skilled they are.”

  “Wait, what?” I whipped my head around to glare at Gavin’s guilt-ridden eyes. “What?!”

  “Lucy,” he pleaded. “I wasn’t trying to keep it from you. I thought if you heard what Helen had to say, you might be inclined to train with others who know something about fighting vampires.”

  “Yo
u were silent the whole way here. You said nothing about where we were staying or who we would be staying with. Not to mention the fact that you’re putting a freshly turned vampire,” I pointed to myself for emphasis, “into a house full of humans.”

  His expression shifted into something unreadable during my mini rant, but I was still fuming. Indicating Helen, I continued. “She knew where I was going, too. You kept something from me. Again.”

  “Lucy, it’s not like that. I need to talk to you. Will you walk with me?” he begged.

  I realized I was now standing above him, arms crossed. The clock above the desk ticked loudly and emphasized my hostility as I stared down at him with accusation clear in my eyes. Did he see me as some errant child, or did he not trust me enough to keep me in the know?

  “Luce, please,” he begged, his voice wavering with desperation.

  “Fine,” I snapped. I turned to Helen. “I’m sorry. I have to get out of here.”

  “It’s okay. We’ll talk again soon. I think you’ll like Canada. It’s for the best.”

  “Mmhmm,” was all I managed to get out before I practically sprinted out the door.

  When we were outside I whipped around so fast I almost collided with Gavin, who had been hot on my heels the whole way out. He held my upper arms gently, steadying me. I nearly lost my anger, but not all of it.

  “Canada!” I screamed.

  He stood there quietly, absently rubbing his thumbs over my biceps as he waited for me to calm down. Oh no, not this time.

  “No! This is bullshit! You want me to move to a different country like I’m in the witness protection program?” I demanded.

  He simply rested his forehead against mine and closed his eyes. Letting out a heavy sigh, he said, “Yes, Lucy, I want you to be safe. Helen travels back and forth between here and Canada to oversee the team there when she’s not looking out for you. Come on. Let’s walk.”

  The whole Canada thing didn’t bother me in the least. He knows I don’t handle having significant information dropped on me last minute. So why would he do it again? Whatever the reason for withholding it couldn’t be good. My mind raced with hypothetical worst-case scenarios, and before I knew it we were standing in a nearby park.