Vampire Matriarch

by J. C. Diem

  “As you know, I met Katrina when I was sent on a mission to Romania,” he began. At least that part was true, I thought ruefully. He took a deep breath and I knew that what he was about to say would be difficult to hear. “I told you that her family was poor and that they were starving.” I nodded for him to continue. “What I didn’t tell you was that her parents used her as currency.”

  I couldn’t quite grasp what he meant for a moment. Then I figured it out and my hands clenched into fists.

  “Oh, no,” Kala murmured. She left her seat and sat next to me. Picking up my hand, she held onto it tightly as he continued.

  “Both of Viktor’s parents died when he was in his early twenties, leaving him the sole heir to a fortune. Their deaths were suspicious, but Viktor already had a reputation of being dangerous. The local authorities weren’t brave enough to attempt to charge him with their murders. His mansion was only a few miles away from Katrina’s village. He saw her one day and took a liking to her. He tracked down where she lived and gave her parents food and money in exchange for her…favors.”

  Kala’s grip tightened when my breath hitched. “They prostituted her to him,” I said. It wasn’t a question, but he inclined his head anyway.

  “She was only fifteen when her parents sent her to live with him.” From his sorrowful expression, I could guess that Viktor hadn’t been kind to her. “She was twenty-three when she ran out in front of my car and tried to kill herself.”

  I’d hated Katrina with a vengeance, yet hearing what had happened to her when she’d been human was far more painful than I could have imagined. “She was his sex slave for eight years?” I asked, fighting back tears again.

  He nodded and his expression was grave. “I swerved, but I didn’t quite miss her. I climbed out to see how badly she was hurt. I could see immediately that she’d been abused.” His eyes were in agony as he remembered. “She wore a dress that was so short it was practically just a scrap of cloth. She was covered in bruises from repeated beatings.”

  “Why did she wait so long to try to kill herself?” Kala queried. Reece was watching me with an expression that was almost as sorrowful as my father’s. He could feel everything I did and it was affecting him strongly.

  Flynn guessed the answer and voiced it. “She was pregnant.” His face was drawn and his mocha colored skin was almost pale.

  “Yes,” my father confirmed. “I put her in the car with the intention of driving her to a doctor. When she came to, she was hysterical. Her desperation was enough to convince me not to take her to the village.” His gaze went distant as he remembered back in time. “She was so beautiful, but so broken. I couldn’t let her fall back into the hands of whoever had hurt her. I made it my goal to help her escape.”

  A sucker for a romance tale, Kala was caught up in the story. “What did you do?”

  “I hid her in a safe house until I finished my mission. She told me most of her story during the few times I managed to sneak away to see her. When my mission was finished, I called in some favors and smuggled her to the US.”

  “That’s so romantic,” she said. I caught Flynn’s gaze and he rolled his eyes. Kala was a contradiction. She could be a stone cold killer one second then a starry-eyed girl the next.

  “I took Katrina to see a female doctor and she couldn’t hide her pregnancy,” my father explained. “I was deeply in love with her by then and I asked her to marry me. She said I needed to know the full truth before she would say yes.”

  “I can’t wait to hear this,” I said almost to myself then gestured for him to go on.

  “She told me that Viktor was an evil man who practiced the dark arts. She told me she’d seen him raise corpses and that he used them to kill his parents. His father was also a necromancer, but his skills paled in comparison to his son’s. Naturally, I didn’t believe her, but it was clear that she thought it was true. She told me that there were supernatural forces in this world that few people knew about.” He smiled ruefully. “I thought it was just superstitious nonsense her backwards parents taught her. Little did I know how right she was.”

  “Did you tell her you believed her?” Kala asked.

  He shook his head regretfully. “I told her the truth; that I believed she’d been in grave danger and that I loved her and that I would make sure Viktor would never find her. It was enough and she agreed to become my wife.”

  “Then you had the misfortune of being posted to New Orleans shortly after Lexi was born,” Mark said.

  “All of Katrina’s fears returned as soon as we arrived in the city,” my father said. “I now wonder if she somehow sensed that there were vampires in the area.”

  “It’s possible,” Mark replied. “She may have become attuned to death magic after spending so many years around a necromancer and his zombies.” Another idea occurred to me. Maybe she’d become attuned to death magic because she’d carried a true born necromancer inside her for nine months.

  “No wonder she tried to talk you into leaving,” Flynn said.

  “I wish I’d listened to her,” my father said. “She survived living with a necromancer only to fall into the clutches of a vampire.”

  “It’s like she was doomed right from the start,” Kala said and squeezed my hand. “She never had a chance of a normal life.”

  “Neither did I,” I murmured softly. “We had more in common that I’d realized.”

  Mark took over the story. “When I met Philip and helped him to save Lexi, he told me everything about Katrina and Viktor D’Ath. I did some research and kept track of Viktor over the years. I became concerned when I learned that he was planning to visit the US around the time Lexi was going to turn eighteen. It seemed like too much of a coincidence, so Philip decided it was time you knew the truth.”

  “I had a feeling Viktor knew Katrina ran from him because she was pregnant,” my dad told me. “I don’t know why he waited so long before he started looking for you, but I knew you needed to be protected.”

  “What do you mean?” I had a sneaking suspicion I wasn’t going to like the answer.

  “It wasn’t a coincidence that Philip was out of the country when I needed a sniper,” Mark said. “We’d decided it would be safest for you to join the TAK Squad until Viktor could be found and deported back to Romania.”

  I turned to Reece accusingly, but his surprised expression told me that he hadn’t been in on their plan. His choice to bite me had been his alone.

  “Viktor managed to evade my agents for months,” Mark said. “I don’t know how he got my number, but he called me a few days ago. He told me he knew you’d been turned into a vampire by your mother and that he would agree to help us save you with a few conditions.”

  “What conditions?” I asked suspiciously.

  “That we wouldn’t kill him,” my dad said bluntly. “I wasn’t in favor of agreeing to that one.” Kala smiled, thinking he was joking, but I knew he was being deadly serious.

  “His second condition was that he’d be allowed to see you,” Mark added. “We told him that would be up to you. He seemed to be confident that you’d agree to his terms.”

  “Oh my God,” I said when I realized something. “He was the one who left me the doll.”

  “What doll?” Flynn asked in confusion.

  “I didn’t tell you guys about it because it was so creepy,” I said then described the doll that my mother had delivered to me in Bradbury.

  “He was controlling Katrina even then,” Mark murmured.

  “I think he’s been keeping an eye on her for far longer than that,” I said. “Katrina always knew when a rival nest was approaching. She thought she had clairvoyant powers, but I think it was Viktor whispering into her mind all along. He was watching over her to make sure she didn’t die.”

  “He wanted to be the one to destroy her,” my father realized bleakly.

  Reece spoke for the first time since our meeting began. “How can Viktor control a vampire?”

  “He’s a master of
all the undead, including vampires,” I said before Mark could answer him.

  “How do you know that?” our boss asked me.

  “Because I can control vampires, too.” At that admission, the room went still. Zeus whined and rested his head on my knees. I stroked his ears while cautious looks were exchanged over my head. They’d thought they only had one dangerous corpse raiser to deal with. Now they knew I could potentially become just as much of a threat as my biological father. Was he the one who was going to destroy humanity? Had Fate created me in order to battle my own father? If so, it seemed almost too cruel of her.

  “Where is Viktor now?” Reece asked when the silence grew uncomfortable.

  “He’s locked away in a secure facility about an hour to the north of here,” Mark replied.

  “What are you going to do with him?” I queried.

  “I haven’t decided yet,” he said uneasily. “I don’t think it would be a good idea to deport him now.”

  “He’s too dangerous to be allowed to roam free,” my father said grimly. We shared a look and had the same thought. The only solution to this problem would be a bullet to the head. “I’d like to speak to Lexi alone for a minute,” he added.

  “Of course,” Mark said and stood. He headed for the stairs and the others followed in his wake. He turned on the computer table and one of the monitors came to life. He switched it to a news channel and turned up the volume so we could speak as privately as possible. We’d only been reunited for a short while and he didn’t fully trust me yet. He wasn’t willing to leave me alone with a fragile human until he knew I could control my inner demons.

  “I want to apologize for causing you so much grief,” my dad said and took my hand. “It’s true that I struggled after you told me you’d become a werewolf. Looking back, I was so afraid of losing you that I pushed you away. I’d already lost my wife and I couldn’t go through that pain again.”

  Zeus switched his adoring gaze from me to my father. Without leaving me, he stretched out his neck and licked my dad’s hand. Patting the Rottweiler on the head, he looked at me. “I loved you even before you were born, you know. I never stopped loving you even when I saw you turn into a werewolf right in front of my eyes. I might not be your biological father, but you’ll always be my little girl. Nothing will ever change that.”

  Hearing that broke the last of the wall that I’d placed in my mind and my emotions came flooding out. He pulled me onto his lap and I sobbed against his chest. Now that I was in his arms, I wondered how I’d ever doubted his love for me. It poured from him in waves, but it was mixed with fear. Not of me, but for me. He was afraid of the dangers that I’d face on a daily basis.

  I’d never seen him cry before today, but when I pulled back, there were tears on his cheeks again. The memory of what he’d said to Katrina before she’d died came back to me. “You still loved Mom even after all these years.”

  He nodded and a fresh tear spilled down his face. “I never stopped loving either of you.”

  “You have really crappy luck when it comes to your family,” I observed and we shared a shaky laugh.

  “Can you forgive me?” he asked.

  “For what?”

  “For letting you down.”

  “You’ve never let me down,” I told him. “I don’t care that you’re not my biological father. You’ll always be my Dad.” He hugged me tightly and I heard a sniffle come from upstairs. I looked up to see Mark hugging Kala as she tried to stifle her tears.

  They might not be able to hear what we were saying, but our actions spoke loudly enough. Flynn was wiping his eyes with his sleeve, but it was Reece who captivated my attention. He stared down at me with a look of such longing that it made my heart ache.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Needing to freshen up, I gave my father a final hug then slid to the floor. Zeus wasn’t about to be left behind and followed me up the spiral staircase. Mark had muted the news and the coms room was quiet. Kala had mascara all over her face and I smirked at her on my way past. “You look like a raccoon.”

  “Mark!” she complained. “I thought you said that creepy necromancer got rid of all her evil!”

  Flynn chuckled and Mark sent Kala a withering look. Reece had disappeared inside his room. I shook my head as I continued on to my bedroom. I’d only been back with the team for a short while and it already felt as if I’d never left.

  More clingy than usual, Zeus followed me into the bathroom. He flopped to the floor as I washed my face. A lot had happened to me during the past couple of weeks. I might be able to put the time I’d spent with Katrina and her nest behind me, but I’d never be able to forget it. Reece and I hadn’t killed anyone ourselves, but we’d been powerless to stop our master from killing innocent humans. Their deaths would haunt us both.

  Kala knocked on the outer door then entered the bathroom before I could invite her in. She stepped over Zeus to stand beside me and started when she saw my reflection. It was more substantial than it had been, but it was still weak compared to hers. “How much have you changed?” she asked

  I let out a sigh. “I’m not sure. I think it might be a good idea for Mark to run some more tests on us. I’d like to know exactly how different we are now.”

  She sent me a sidelong look when I handed the washcloth to her so she could wipe away her mascara. “I get the feeling that things are still tense between you and Reece.”

  “Yeah, you could say that,” I said bitterly.

  She tried to fight it, but her curiosity was too strong. “He didn’t tell Mark how he came to be with Katrina’s nest. We all want to know what happened.”

  “That’s a long story,” I hedged.

  “But you’re going to tell us, right?” she wheedled and batted her eyelashes at me. Her eyes looked naked without makeup to enhance them, but she didn’t really need mascara. She was beautiful with or without makeup.

  “You’re going to annoy me until I do, aren’t you?” I said sourly.

  Her grin was bright and sunny. “Of course!”

  “Let’s join the others. I need more coffee.”

  We trooped downstairs with Zeus bringing up the rear. Flynn had coffee and sandwiches waiting for us. I gave him a grateful smile and sat on the couch. I held my plate protectively to my chest when Zeus licked his chops.

  “I have yours here, greedy guts,” Flynn said. Zeus instantly whirled away from me and stampeded over to him. Flynn put a plate on the floor and the sandwiches were gobbled up in seconds.

  My father watched on in horrified amazement. “And you wondered why I never let you have a dog when you were growing up.”

  “It wouldn’t have been very practical,” Mark said in his defense when I glowered at my dad. “Your job meant you had to move around too often to settle down anywhere.”

  “I have a question,” Flynn said, changing the topic. “Who was that woman who appeared out of nowhere and took you and Reece away?”

  “I’ve been wondering the same thing,” Mark said.

  “You’re not going to believe it,” I told them. “I was there and I can barely believe it myself.”

  Mark’s gaze was sharp and his hand twitched towards the tablet in his jacket. “I take it she’s a teleporter?” We’d seen one of the seven psychics do this, but they’d only been able to teleport for a short distance.

  “Apparently, she could do all kinds of things,” I said dryly. “Her name is Natalie Pierce and she comes from a different version of Earth.”

  Mark and my dad exchanged glances. “What did she want with you and Reece?” my father asked.

  “This is going to sound crazy, but she said Fate sent her.”

  “I knew it!” Kala exclaimed with a look of triumph. “I knew this couldn’t all be a massive coincidence.” She circled her hands in the air, presumably encompassing everything that had happened to us since I’d joined their team.

  Flynn frowned, clearly having a hard time believing it. Reece just
listened in silence.

  “Go on,” Mark urged me after a glance at Kala.

  “Natalie said that she and I have been chosen by Fate to be her champions.” I felt embarrassed talking about it. I was the youngest person present and had the least amount of life experience by far. How could anyone expect me to be a champion?

  “What purpose does Fate have for you?” my father asked.

  “To save the world,” I said simply.

  “Wow, no pressure,” Flynn said blandly and Kala sniggered. Unlike me, she was excited rather than petrified by the prospect.

  “Is this Natalie going to be able to help us?” Mark queried.

  I shook my head. “She said she’s already saved her world and that it was up to me to save this one.”

  “Did she give you any hints about what we’ll be saving the world from?” Flynn asked.

  “Unfortunately, no.” They were instantly disheartened. “I had a dream about Fate just before I severed my bond with Reece.” At that, I had their attention again. Reece looked pained by the reminder even though he was the one who had told me to let him go. “A woman wearing a black cloak with a hood that hid her face told me I needed to evolve into a warrior, but she wouldn’t tell me why or what I had to do. She said I had choices to make and that if I chose poorly, everyone I loved would die and so would the rest of humanity.”

  Mark took this in, but he apparently had no insights to help us. “I know nothing about Fate or the tasks she has for us,” he said. “For now, we need to know just how much you two have changed since you’ve become part vampire. He turned to my father. “I think it’s time we consulted Jerry.”

  “Are you sure that’s wise?” my dad asked uneasily.

  “He already knows more than most PIA agents about supernatural forces. He’s the only one I can trust with the knowledge that Reece and Lexi have become some type of hybrid,” Mark replied. I assumed Jerry was the doctor who had treated me when I’d been a baby.