The Vampire Gift 1: Wards of Night

by E. M. Knight

  A hand tugs on my foot. That’s all the incitation I need. I turn, push off the ledge, and plunge straight down.

  I land into the roiling mass of bodies. The fight has become an absolute melee. Convicted are fighting with Convicted. There’s blood everywhere, they’re tearing each other to pieces, to shreds.

  I battle through the bodies looking for my brother. “Raul!” I scream. “Raul! Raul!”

  A Convicted attacks me. For the first time in centuries, I release the precise hold I have over my vampire instincts… and fight back.

  He rips at me, and I parry him and hit him back. My clawed hand connects with his face. Red lines of blood erupt around his deathly-pale skin. One more swipe, and my other hand separates his head from his body.

  Exhilaration takes me. I feel… alive. I’m alive as I’ve never been before. I’m strengthened by an overwhelming sense of pride, and purpose: I have to save Raul.

  Finally it’s my turn to show my strength. It’s my turn to prove my worth, my turn to demonstrate that I’m just as worthy of being a Prince as either of my brothers.

  Another Convicted attacks me. I dance with him. From the corner of my eye I see a bloodied body lying limp on the floor.

  It’s Raul.

  A savage hatred overtakes me. I’ve always been one for peace, but the nature of these creatures, attacking without mercy, without reason, repels me. I let go of my conscious mind and let my body do what it was designed to do:

  Kill.

  One after another of The Convicted falls at my hands. But there are too many. I try to get to my brother, but I cannot. For a second, I glimpse an opening — an escape. My path to safety.

  Yet I will never abandon Raul.

  So I turn away from the temptation. Raul and I are both going to die here. I know it. I know that this is where it all ends, where the tale of the two youngest Soren brothers comes to a close. James will inherit command. He’ll marry Eleira and wrestle the throne from her hands, and all that we’ve done will have been for naught.

  So be it. I’d rather die with my brother than be called a coward.

  Suddenly, a great pillar of flame cuts a sweeping line just above my head.

  I have no idea what’s going on. I drop down. The Convicted scream and scatter once they feel the heat. They fear fire even more than regular vampires do. In their state, they are creatures with only the most primitive minds. Their instincts are amplified, so their fear is made ever greater.

  The line of fire sweeps overhead again. It’s close enough to burn some of the taller ones, or the ones unfortunate enough to have been thrown up in the brawl. The horrid reek of burning flesh mingles with their pained screeches.

  I press myself closer to the ground and crawl toward my brother. I feel the heat of the sweeping flame. I don’t have time to think of or consider its source. All I know is that I have to get to Raul.

  After a few seconds, I reach him. My hand falls upon his wrist. I search desperately for a pulse. All my concentration goes to that last bit of hope, the tiny flutter that might tell me my brother is still alive.

  There! I feel it. It’s faint, and oh, so weak, but he’s hanging on.

  Barely.

  The screams of The Convicted continue as they flee. They’re getting farther and farther away.

  I chance a look up, in the direction of the fire’s source.

  And there, at the mouth of the nearest cave, I find my Mother, wielding a long walking staff made of polished emerald. Flames gush out from its end, chasing The Convicted away.

  She looks absolutely furious.

  She spins the staff in her hands, and a fiery vortex breaks out in the shape of a cyclone. She sends it toward the last of The Convicted. She summons another one, and sends a second wave. Again and again she calls forth the destructive, fiery tornados and uses them to clear a space for the three of us.

  When the last of The Convicted is gone… Mother’s knees buckle. She catches herself on the staff.

  I jerk up in alarm, but I don’t go toward her. I’m afraid if I release Raul, it will be his end.

  “Feed him, you fool!” she screams from across the cavern floor.

  Of course! I cut an incision in my wrist with my fangs and press it to Raul’s mouth.

  “Come on, come on, come on,” I mutter.

  He’s not drinking. My blood is flowing down my hand and simply dribbling over his chin.

  “DRINK, DAMN YOU!” I scream. “DRINK!”

  Raul gives a feeble cough. His lips part just enough to let my blood in. A drop, at first, then another, and one more…

  Mother hobbles toward us. I’ve never seen her as anything less than perfectly in control and perfectly strong. Now, her weakness is on full display. I don’t know how her magic works, but the spells she cast have obviously taken their toll.

  “Come on, Raul. Come on,” I say. He is still not drinking fast enough. His heartbeat is frighteningly feeble. The pulse is no stronger than the distant ticking of a clock.

  Mother reaches us. “What are you doing?” she exclaims. She sees Raul’s mangled form. “Oh Lord, what’s been done?”

  “He won’t drink!” I say.

  “He must! Oh, Raul, Raul, Raul…”

  She throws herself at him and sobs against his chest. “Don’t leave me, no, don’t leave us, please don’t go!”

  I’ve never seen her so distraught. Her body shakes with her despairing cries.

  Determination grips me. Raul must drink. I force my wrist into his mouth and open his jaw so that every bit of my blood gets taken in.

  He coughs again. Then his body jerks, and he twists to the side to spit all that I’ve given him out.

  “What’s happening?” I gasp.

  “He’s rejecting your blood,” she says.

  “Then give him yours!”

  Mother gasps. “I would,” she says, sounding scandalized. “Oh, trust me, Phillip, I would. But it would weaken me so, and I don’t have enough, not after that exertion. We would both die.”

  I stare at her, awash in disbelief. She wouldn’t do it for her son?

  She begins to cry again.

  But then realization hits, and my mind connects the dots.

  “Get away from him!” I scream. I pick Raul up and rush him to the far wall. The look I saw in her eyes when she denied her son her blood… it was like that of a jilted lover.

  And I understand: She was using her magic to make Raul spit out my blood.

  As soon as we’re away I press my bleeding wrist back to his lips. To my immense relief, Raul begins to suckle on the flow. Morgan stares at us both with undisguised hatred. But it lasts only the moment necessary for my blood to infuse with Raul’s and bring him back to consciousness.

  He opens his eyes. And Mother surges up, and exclaims, “It’s a miracle!”

  I shield my older brother from her with my body. I keep my wrist at his mouth. “Drink,” I tell him. “As much as you need, you drink.”

  While Raul recovers, I keep a wary eye on our Mother.

  She smiles at me like a cat.

  “Enough,” Raul finally says, pushing my arm away. His voice shakes, and he hangs onto me for support, but I know his stubborn pride won’t let him take in more. “Where is Eleira?” he begins. “Where is —”

  He cuts off when his eyes land on our Mother.

  “What’s she doing here?” he hisses.

  “She,” Morgan pronounces grandly, “saved both your sorry hides. She is the reason you two are still alive.”

  She gives a little laugh. “You are lucky I had the foresight to extend the ward underground.”

  Raul jerks to me. “She knows?”

  “Of course I know,” she says. “Did you think I could really let our future Princess out of my sight without marking her? Oh, I have a heart, I gave her some semblance of privacy. But the moment her body came in contact with my ward, I knew exactly where she was.”

  She begins a slow, calculated walk toward us. “You see, my
sweet,” she addresses Raul, “I would never enter Eleira in The Hunt. Not truly. What happened at the draft was nothing more than a way for me to see where your loyalty lies.” She wipes at a non-existent tear. “How it breaks my heart that it is not with your family.”

  I step forward, ready to defend my brother. “Raul is—”

  “Oh Phillip, did you think I was talking to you? No, no. Now the two powerful vampires are speaking. Don’t forget your rank.”

  The reproach stings. I know that logically, it shouldn’t affect me. But that vampire hierarchy of deference to those stronger than you is an instinct ground deeper than all the rest.

  “Phillip has equal right to speak as I do,” Raul says.

  Mother smiles sadly. “Always the dreamer, you are.”

  “So what now?” Raul says. “You played your little trick. You’ve had your fun. But guess what? Eleira still got away.”

  Mother laughs. “You think you’ve freed her? Raul, how you disappoint me. Truly, you do. You know who she is, and you know how much of a draw she will be to the vampire who first drew her blood.”

  “James,” Raul and I say in the same breath.

  “Yes. James. And you just let the human girl out into the world, outside of my protection. Who do you think will come for her? Who do you think will be drawn back when he senses her emergence into the unprotected sphere?” She smiles sweetly. “You are a fool, Raul. A good-hearted man, perhaps, but a fool nonetheless. You are an idealist.”

  He pushes off from me. “I have to go after her.”

  “Not so fast.” Morgan waves her hand, and a silver chain bolts out from under her sleeve like a striking viper.

  It catches Raul around the neck.

  “What are you doing?” he cries out. He fights it, but silver is our weakness. It is the only material we cannot break.

  “Why, sentencing you, of course. For treason against your Queen. For endangering the whole of our coven with your rash stupidity.”

  “But Eleira—”

  “Phillip will go after her. Won’t you, weakest?”

  I flinch. She hasn’t called me that since the earliest days of The Haven.

  Raul turns to me. I can see the turmoil in his eyes. “Please,” he says. “Please get her back.”

  “So sweet,” Mother murmurs. “I’m touched. Really, I am.” She motions to the opening above me in a shooing gesture. “Well, go on then, off you go. Nobody will miss you here.”

  I steel myself. “I’ll find her,” I promise Raul. “I—”

  The word is cut off as Mother launches a second silver chain at me. It wraps around my throat like a snake. Pain erupts from the metal’s touch.

  “On the other hand…” she says. “Raul really is better suited for the outside world. I’ve changed my mind.” She jerks me to her. I fall that way with the collar. It’s sapping all my strength. I know it’s not just ordinary silver. It has to be imbued with one of her awful spells.

  “Raul,” she announces. “You will go. But if you don’t bring Eleira back before the next full moon,” the chain tightens around my throat. “Your brother will die.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  ELEIRA

  I break through into the cool night air on the other side of the tunnel. I strain my ears for any hint of pursuit.

  I hear nothing. No screams, no sounds of battle, absolutely… nothing.

  I didn’t realize it when I was running, but apparently the ward that seals The Convicted also blocks all sound.

  I collapse against a nearby tree. I try hard to catch my breath. I feel exhausted, and yet, at the same time, exhilarated and alive.

  A few minutes pass. I feel a bit more stable. Then realization sinks in.

  I’ve just escaped The Haven.

  Holy crap! The magnitude of that staggers me. Did I really, for a few moments, actually consider going back and helping the two creatures who’d captured me? I mean, yes, they helped me out, but if it wasn’t for them none of this ever would have happened. I wouldn’t have needed to escape.

  And yet that pang of guilt hits me again. Is this Stockholm Syndrome on display?

  I push the thought from my mind. I’ve gotten out of The Haven. I never thought it possible, not truly, so I never thought of what I would do next.

  I do know one thing, though. The longer I stay here, the worse my odds are of really getting away. Morgan might have already discovered my absence. She wouldn’t hesitate to put on a full-out manhunt to find me.

  I look up at the sky. I’m in luck that it’s still night on this side of the ward. The stars give me something to navigate by.

  I push off and head west. If I’m still in California—which I think I am, given the trees and temperature—west will bring me to the coast. That’s where civilization will be.

  The only question is… how long will it be until I find it?

  Yet after just half an hour of walking, doubts fill my mind. I’m not human anymore. I’m in the process of becoming something else.

  Can I really trust myself to make it on my own? I know so little about the creature I’m about to become. What if there are dangers to the transformation, things that only vampires can warn me about?

  This is like puberty again, but with a capital P. Scratch that. It’s puberty in all-caps with a trifecta of exclamation marks behind it.

  Weariness hits me. I put a hand over my eyes and lean against the trunk of a tree. This is crazy. Isn’t it? I got my heart’s desire, which was to escape. But now that I’m here, the prospect is almost meaningless.

  How can I return to my old life? It will be impossible. After everything that I’ve seen, the odds of me simply waltzing back to campus and settling into my old routine is ludicrous. I’ll never be able to forget The Haven.

  It’s not just the place. It’s the people, the humans living there, crushed by the vampires’ rule.

  What can I do from the Outside? Call the cops? I snort a laugh. I’d just as soon be put in a mental institution. Nobody I talk to will think me anything but crazy.

  Then there’s April. My reluctant friend stuck on the inside. I can’t just abandon her. I can’t just… run away from all this.

  I bite hard on the inside of my lip. I look to the west. The real world is that way. But my loyalties… my loyalties lie in the opposite direction.

  With a strangled cry, I break away from the tree. I go back the way I came. I can’t abandon all that I’ve come to know. No matter how twisted and cynical and seemingly unreal. In my heart, I know it is real.

  “Sorry, Mom. Sorry, Dad,” I whisper. If I get the chance, I’ll contact them. But not now. What would I say? Your daughter’s been selected as the heir to a vampire dynasty. Oh, and by the way, she’s also likely not to survive past the next full moon?

  No. Better to leave them in the dark for now. Only once I figure my way, with Raul’s and Phillip’s help, will I be in a position to reach out to them.

  I just hope I manage to reach that position first.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  ELEIRA

  I can’t find my way back.

  I can’t find my way back. I got twisted around when I tripped and fell over a root, and now all the trees look familiar, identical, and dark clouds cover the sky, and they block the moon and the stars, and I have no idea where I’m going, and I’m lost, and, and, and —

  I cut off my thoughts before they can descend into deeper panic. I need to reunite with Raul and Phillip. They’ll know what to do. They’ll know where to go from here.

  A branch snaps somewhere in the dark. My breath hitches as I spin toward it. My heart begins to pound.

  I feel a… presence, looming in the darkness.

  “Who’s there?” I call. I try to keep my voice strong.

  Nothing. No reply, no acknowledgment… nothing.

  The only thing I hear is the rustle of the wind through the redwoods.

  But my vision allows me to see farther than before. I strain my eyes to pierce the black
. And…

  There!

  Was that a flash of movement in the night? Was that a darkened shape darting over the forest floor?

  My whole body tenses. I’m still very much in vampire territory. For all I know, it could be one of them, drawn forth by my blood.

  Anxious seconds pass. And then…

  A wolf emerges from the trees.

  My breath catches. He’s beautiful, with a full silver coat and sharp, gleaming eyes.

  I stand entranced as he approaches. His eyes lock into mine… but I feel no fear. His steps are graceful and sleek. He’s a male in the prime of life, and he’s massive. He stands almost up to my chest. I feel power radiate from him. I feel his innate, inherent capacity for great violence. I should be terrified, but I’m not.

  He walks right at me, and then, not five feet away, stops and sits on his haunches.

  His cunning eyes pierce mine. I feel an instant familiarity with the animal. A kinship. There is no fear, only a wonderful sense of awe.

  Am I crazy? Am I imagining things that are not there?

  But if the wolf posed any danger to me, I would know it. Both of us remain very still, lost in the moment, admiring each other.

  Then some kind of rodent runs through the bush, and the wolf spins and darts off. He’s gone as fast as a silver bullet.

  The trance is broken, and anxiety replaces my calm. I’m all alone again.

  At least until I find my way back.

  I start in a direction at random. Anything’s better than standing still.

  But I don’t get more than ten feet when a hand clamps over my mouth. I give a muffled scream. Something sharp jabs into my neck.

  “Not so fast, my darling,” a dark, familiar voice whispers in my ear. I try to struggle but all my muscles are going lax.

  The tranquilizer kicks in, and I lose consciousness.

  ***

  I wake up with my arms and legs bound to a seat in a private plane.

  Panic shoots through me. There’s a gag in my mouth that prevents me from screaming. Not that I would try. The sight in front of me is more than enough to silence my tongue.