Vampire Matriarch

by J. C. Diem

  “I don’t want her dead yet,” I said.

  He studied me unhappily. “You want me to suffer beneath her rule first,” he surmised. “Do you really hate me that much?”

  “I don’t hate you, Garrett. I don’t feel anything for you.”

  “If it doesn’t give you pleasure to see me in pain then why do you want me to be in agony?”

  “Because its justice.” With that, I broke into a run, but I didn’t go far. I stopped at an abandoned property to the south of our compound. A dilapidated old barn sat near the burnt remains of a house. Remembering the place well, I crossed a meadow and followed a path through the trees.

  Reece had followed me, just as I’d expected. He glanced curiously at the skull of a deer and the shattered remains of her bones that poked out of the snow. Recognizing the teeth and claw marks as being made by a werewolf, he stopped. “Is this where…” he trailed off without finishing his question.

  “Yes,” I confirmed. “This is where I woke up after I turned into a werewolf for the first time. I was naked and alone and had no idea what had happened to me.” His expression was stricken, but I wasn’t done yet. I led him back through the woods to the meadow and stopped near the barn. “I found the car you stole sitting here. My clothes were inside it and my shredded underwear was lying on the ground.” He looked down at the snow as if he could see my discarded clothing. The scraps of material were buried, if they were still even there.

  “I remembered following Lust and figured she’d given me a command to have sex with someone,” I reminisced. Lust was one of seven psychics who had been able to control minds. Her talent had been sexual in nature, hence the nickname she’d been given. “Do you have any idea how it felt to realize I’d been intimate with a stranger and not being able to remember it?”

  “I told you the truth eventually,” he said, but his expression reflected his guilt.

  “It was too little, too late,” I replied. “From the first moment we met, I was doomed.” He hunched over at that accusation. “If I’d never met you, I’d still be a human. I’d still have a chance of a normal, happy life.” I watched him without pity as he put his hands over his face. “Thanks to you, I’m going to have to live as an emotionless monster until someone manages to end my pathetic excuse of a life.”

  I paused for a moment to watch him fall apart beneath the weight of his sorrow before I sprinted away. I felt no satisfaction or joy in his torment, but my vampire was ecstatic. Even my necromancer chuckled in delight. My wolf had locked herself away where I couldn’t glean her thoughts, but I knew she wasn’t happy with me. She still loved Reece and would have been willing to forgive him for abandoning us. Forgiveness and love were both beyond me now. Neither had any place in my uncaring heart.

  Returning to Denver, I heard the nest long before I reached our lair. Their moans and cries of pleasure were enough to wake the dead. It was a wonder no one had heard them and had called the police to chase them from the property.

  Entering through the roof, I descended to the ground floor and stood in the open doorway to Katrina’s room. All five of the remaining vampires were tangled together on her bed. I was beyond embarrassment at the acts they were performing. None of them seemed to be aware that I was watching them.

  Candice gave a shrill scream of pleasure and I decided enough was enough. Reaching out, I grabbed Orlando and Benjamin by the ankles and tossed them to the floor. Katrina snarled at me in fury at having her playthings torn away from her. Springing to her feet, she was in front of me so fast that she was a mere blur.

  “How dare you!” she hissed and drew her hand back to slap me. Moving even faster than her, Reece was there to catch her hand before it could connect with my cheek. The frantic activities that had been going on in the bedroom had hidden the sounds of his arrival.

  “We could hear you from two miles away,” he told her. “Why don’t you just paint a sign on the side of the building stating that it’s a vampire lair if you have so little concern that the humans might discover you?”

  Yanking her hand away, she glowered at him sullenly. Her petulant anger had no effect on him at all. He moved beside me, standing almost close enough for our shoulders to touch. Apparently, he’d taken it upon himself to become my guardian. I didn’t want or need him to protect me, but it would be petty to argue about it in front of the others.

  Candice and Pricilla huddled together in fright at the thought that they might have been overheard by humans. Their euphoria from killing the wino faded at the possibility of discovery. Benjamin and Orlando climbed to their feet, sending me filthy glares at being manhandled so roughly.

  “If someone had heard us, the police would have arrived by now,” Katrina said stiffly and tossed her hair over her shoulder. Reece kept his eyes on her face and gave no indication that he was interested in her nakedness at all. “Get out,” she said to us all. “I wish to be alone.”

  I was glad to comply and headed for my room on the third floor where I could be alone as well. That was a short-lived hope. Reece followed me, but stopped at the door when I rounded on him. “Find somewhere else to sleep,” I said. “This room is taken.”

  “You can try to push me away, but it won’t work,” he said so quietly that the others couldn’t hear him. “I hurt you badly and I’m going to make up for it whether you like it or not.”

  “I don’t like or dislike it,” I reminded him. “I really don’t care either way.”

  “Then you shouldn’t care whether I stay close to you or not.” His tone turned seductive and he closed the distance until we were standing mere inches apart.

  “What was it you said to me the day you demanded that I sever our bond?” I asked. “Oh yes, I remember now. You said I was ‘an inferior copy of the woman you were meant to be with’.”

  He blanched as if I’d hit him. “I didn’t say that,” he whispered.

  “You did, actually. That was when I realized you would never love me. It took me a while, but I finally learned that our relationship didn’t mean anything to you at all. Whatever we had was just sex. For you anyway.”

  “That isn’t true! It wasn’t me saying those things,” he said almost desperately. “I don’t even remember it.”

  “How convenient for you,” I mocked. “Fortunately, I do remember it. I remember every unkind word that you ever uttered to me. Even if I’d still been able to feel, I wouldn’t want you to touch me ever again.” I let him think about that before twisting the knife just a little bit more. “You broke my heart, Garrett. How can you expect me to ever forgive you for that?”

  “And now it’s your turn to break mine,” he realized.

  “If only that were possible, maybe I’d have a real chance at hurting you as badly as you hurt me. But it isn’t possible because you never loved me.” Stepping back, I closed the door in his face.

  I took two steps away from the door and froze when he spoke quietly. “Didn’t I?” He ghosted away before I could snatch the door open and confront him. All vampires were liars, I reminded myself. Obviously even half-vampires weren’t able to tell the whole truth because we both knew very well that he’d never really cared about me. He’d told me that I’d just been a convenience and nothing more. That was the real truth and it would be wise for me to remember it.

  His footsteps headed upwards and the door to the roof opened. I heard him pacing up and down as the night wore on and dawn approached. Lying down on my narrow bed, I stared up at the ceiling, waiting for the inevitable.

  When the sun burst into life, Reece let out a cry of despair when he realized he wasn’t going to be incinerated. He’d just discovered that there would be no easy way for him to end his torment. For once, I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Eighteen

  As was always the case now, I slept without dreams. Waking just after dark, I heard the others already up and preparing for our battle ahead. Apparently, they’d decided to forego their usual orgy for once.


  By the time I changed, Reece was waiting in the hall outside my room. He sat on the floor with his back to the wall. One knee was raised and the other leg was stretched out. He wore camouflage cargo pants, a black t-shirt and the lightweight black jacket. He’d chosen camouflage combat boots that laced up to above his ankles. His backpack sat on the floor beside him, no doubt loaded with ammo.

  Turning his head when I opened the door, he regarded me with an inscrutable expression. He stood fluidly and fell in behind me when I headed for the stairs. I’d chosen an outfit that was nearly identical to his except my jacket was made of leather and my boots were black.

  Katrina took us both in when we stepped into the living room. “Did I miss the memo that there was a dress code?” she said sarcastically.

  Picking up on her nervousness, I ignored her bitchy comment. She could feel the invaders approaching and knew that they’d be here any minute now. “We should get going before the nest arrives and trap us here,” I suggested.

  That galvanized them into action and we rushed to the stairs. Reece knew the area better than the rest of us. He led us to a secluded meadow far away from the city. The only buildings in the area were miles away. No civilians were close enough to witness our fight.

  Katrina’s tension mounted. Through her, I sensed the intruders. She felt the master’s power and shivered. “He has twenty servants,” she advised us. Her eyes were distant as she assessed the group. “If he is wise, he will send most of them ahead and will keep only a few behind to guard him.”

  A small band of trees at the far end of the field was the most likely place where the invading master would hide. The older a vampire became, the healthier their sense of self-preservation tended to be.

  “Ready?” Reece asked me and I nodded. He’d outlined his plan to us last night and I had no objection to it. He was experienced at leading missions and I was willing to follow his lead.

  Leaving the others to guard Katrina, we split up and sprinted in opposite directions moments before the intruders arrived. Circling around to the small stand of trees, I kept my distance so I wouldn’t be detected.

  Hearing the distant sounds of a battle being waged, I waited for Reece to launch into his plan. Right on cue, several shots rang out. The master vampire roared in rage when half a dozen bullets streaked towards him. He managed to avoid them all, but they’d only meant to be a distraction. “Kill him!” the master screamed at his minions. Fleeing with four lackeys on his heels, Reece led them away.

  I stripped down to my skin and my wolf surged forward. Filled with the urge to kill a being that she saw as her ultimate enemy, she took control of my body. In moments, I transformed into my new werewolf form.

  The master sensed me coming and whirled around. He stared at me in incredulous silence as I sprinted towards him. Stopping mere yards away, I loomed over the seemingly frail old man. His hair and beard were long, gray and tangled. His old-fashioned suit was ragged and filthy. In mortal years, he might have been somewhere in his seventies. In undead years, he was ancient. Even with his advanced age, he’d never seen anything like me before.

  “This isn’t possible,” he said in a thick European accent, taking in my midnight black fur, elongated fangs and wickedly sharp claws. “The moon is no longer full. You should not be in this form. What are you?”

  “I’m your executioner,” I said in a deep growl and he blanched at my reply. I wasn’t sure if it was the words themselves or the fact that I could speak at all that frightened him the most. My hands lashed out before he could run. Used to being able to move faster than any other being on the planet, he gaped at me in horror when my claws pierced his chest. I shredded his heart before he had a chance to pull away.

  Yanking my hands free, I swiped my claws across his neck just to be sure. His severed head dangled from a scrap of skin as his body toppled to the ground. Screams sounded from his bereaved minions as their creator died.

  No longer being chased, Reece doubled back and came to a stop beside me. Nudging the dead vampire with his boot, he drew one of his guns and fired five rapid shots into his head. His skull broke apart and sluggish black blood and brains oozed out. “You can never be too sure when it comes to killing vampires,” he said.

  My wolf didn’t want to relinquish supremacy. She stared at our former mate longingly then reached out and placed her hand on his cheek. “Why couldn’t you love me like I love you?” she asked.

  Before he could respond, my vampire wrested control back and I turned and ran away. I transformed into my human form on my way back to where I’d left my belongings. My vampire ranted at my wolf while the necromancer watched on with cold disapproval. The necromancer was the reason why my feelings were suppressed, I realized. My vampire was capable of hatred and revenge, but it was the darkest part of me who was denying me the ability to feel.

  My emotions weren’t dead after all, but were merely lying dormant. This must have been the compromise they’d come up with when I’d turned into whatever I was now. This was the only way all three of them could coexist inside my head.

  I’d barely managed to finish dressing before Reece found me. “Don’t bother to try to convince me that I still have feelings for you,” I said before he could speak. He closed his mouth and watched me with his heart in his eyes as I adjusted my clothing. “My wolf might still care about you, but the rest of me doesn’t,” I told him.

  “It’s a start,” he said solemnly. “If some part of you is still able to feel something, then there’s hope for me.”

  “Hope?” I asked tonelessly. “Exactly what do you hope will happen between us?”

  “It isn’t just our relationship that I have hope for,” he said. “I’m hopeful there will be some way to reverse what has happened to us.”

  “Vampirism can’t be reversed,” I said flatly. “The damage is done and this is the way we are now. You can’t magically change us from being half-undead monsters back to being fully alive again. There is no hope for us.”

  “You don’t know that for sure,” he said stubbornly as I jogged towards the meadow. Katrina should be in the process of slaughtering the helpless minions of the now dead master by now. “Mark might be able to find a way to cure us.”

  “Mark would shoot us on sight,” I said harshly. “We’re dead to him now. The TAK Squad aren’t our friends anymore. They’re our enemies.” I could tell by his mulish expression that he wasn’t listening to me so I gave up trying to persuade him.

  When we arrived at the meadow, we saw that Katrina had deviated from the plan. Instead of slaughtering all of the invaders, she’d converted half of them. Ten shivering vampires stood huddled together. The rest lay in pieces on the ground. Benjamin met my eyes, rolled his then looked pointedly at our master. Clearly, this had been her idea.

  “I thought you were going to wipe them all out,” Reece said in disapproval as he took in the scene.

  “I decided to increase my nest,” Katrina said with a frown at his nearly insubordinate tone. “I don’t want to be endangered by a larger group of invaders again.”

  I caught a brief glimpse inside her mind and gleaned the truth. She didn’t trust us and had wanted to add to our numbers to keep herself safe.

  “We should strip the deceased and dispose of their clothing,” Reece suggested. Their bodies would disintegrate when the sun came up, but their clothing wouldn’t. With the survivors watching on in a daze, Katrina’s original servants worked together. We quickly removed their clothing and placed it in a bundle. Reece produced a lighter and set them alight. In minutes, all that was left was a charred stain and greasy ashes.

  “Let’s head back to our lair,” Katrina said and herded us towards Denver. Still coming to terms with losing their master and being subjugated by a new one, the new arrivals remained silent as we ran towards the city. They approached the three story building in trepidation, but were too afraid to protest about living so close to their prey.

  We gathered in the living room an
d Katrina settled onto her chair. She regarded the newcomers haughtily. “Go and clean yourselves,” she commanded. “Unlike the rest of our kin, we will not be living in filth and squalor.”

  She was right about the filth, since they’d begun showering nightly. The squalor I wasn’t so sure about. The abandoned building we were using as a hideaway was hardly a palace, although she sat on her leather chair as if it was a throne.

  “Why?” one of the newbies queried blankly.

  “I intend for us to become a new breed of vampire,” she said and studied her fingernails. Ragged and torn, she clenched her hand into a fist to hide them. “We will be better than the rest of our kin.”

  “Why?” he asked again. Tall, blond and handsome beneath the layers of dirt, he was rapidly regaining his wits. I could see why she’d kept him. He could have been a clone of Royce and my father.

  “Because I am not just an ordinary master,” she replied. “I have powers that the rest of our kind do not possess.” Her gaze went distant and hinted at the madness that resided inside her. “I saw in a dream that I will become the matriarch of a powerful clan of vampires. Soon, it will no longer be a necessity to remain in pitifully small nests.” Her gaze switched to me and became even more intent. “My daughter will be my right hand and her lover will be my left.” Reece stirred, but I shot him a warning look. He wisely subsided before denying her claim that we would aid her in her unlikely plan.

  “Come on,” Orlando said to the confused new comers. “The shower is on the second floor.”

  “We’ll need to find them clothes,” I said to my mother. She waved her hand at me without speaking, staring off at nothing again.

  Unwilling to remain with her when she was being so strange, Pricilla, Candice and Benjamin followed Reece and me upstairs. I waited until we were well away from the lair before I turned to Benjamin. “How long has she been insane?”

  He looked over his shoulder as if expecting her to pop up behind us. “I was only turned a couple of years ago, but I heard that she was crazy right from the first night she became one of us.”