by Kailin Gow
His eyes remained hard and angry. For a second Sadie felt certain he’d push her away again, but he suddenly softened and his fingers laced through hers.
“These weren’t the kind of puncture wounds you see so often in the movies. This was savage and ugly.”
“A werewolf, perhaps? I mean, look at our English teacher.”
“No,” he said with conviction. “It was a Strigoi vampire and the attack was well-planned. This wasn’t random.”
Sadie just barely knew about Strigois at all. How much did Keegan know about them?
“I know you're pretty strong for someone so petite and feminine, but be careful.”
He reached into the backseat of his truck and pulled out a wooden stake. “Here.” He held it out to her.
“What’s this for?” she asked innocently.
“Remember what I told you about vampires? You need to drive this through his heart. You’ll kill him that way.”
Her heart stopped a second as she took in the sharpened end of the stake. “How can you be sure it’ll work?”
“I’ve done it before.”
His gaze went directly to her soul. He may as well have come straight out and told her he knew she was a vampire. Then in an instant, his eyes closed, his hand snaked to the nape of her neck and he pulled her close to kiss her forehead.
“I’m sorry about the other night.” Though he remained so tantalizingly close to her, she could feel how far away he truly was. “As much as I wanted to, it was a good thing you left. I’m just not ready…for anything serious. I…”
“Is it because of Alexis?”
“No. It’s not you. It’s not her. It’s not any girl. I just can’t let myself get vulnerable.” He grimaced in pain and disgust. “Look what happened with my mentor…he took care of me for so long, raised me, and I let him down.”
Though deeply disappointed, Sadie offered him a gentle smile. “I understand. I know you’ve lost people you’ve loved, Keegan. The loss of your parents was no doubt devastating, and now your mentor. When I lost my parents I felt lost and didn’t know how I’d ever be able to live without them. But I had Alexis. Granted, I could have had a better, more supportive sibling, she is still family and I desperately need to have her in my life.”
Sadness filled Keegan’s eyes, but his jaw tightened with bitterness.
“You need someone in your life.” She cupped his cheek. “You can’t live this kind of pain alone. The grief you feel and the anger; you need to have someone to share it with; someone who’ll understand you.”
He tried to turn away, but she kept him from escaping her gaze. “Let me be the one you can turn to. Let me help you.”
After a quiet sigh, he took a hold of her shoulders and held back. “I love being with you and you're no doubt the girl I most enjoy being with. You bring out something in me that I thought had died. I’ve come to care for you so much, which is just another reason why I can’t allow you to get too close.”
“But, Keegan…”
He shook his head, refusing to hear her out. “I have obligations and I can’t let anything or anyone get in the way. I know you mean well, and I appreciate your concern, but I need to be alone to get through this.” His thumb played tenderly with the skin at her neck. “I can’t risk getting you involved, getting you injured. And now with my mentor gone, the danger will be increased.”
“I understand.” It was a ball-faced lie. She didn’t understand at all and wanted desperately to argue with him. She forced a smile, clinging to his admission that he cared about her.
That was worth something.
Reluctant to release him, she stepped closer and wrapped her arm around his waist while the hand at his cheek worked its way through his hair where it took a solid grip and pulled him closer.
She peppered his neck and cheek with kisses, reveling in the almost imperceptible release of his shoulders. He wanted her; she knew he did. His hold of her – his hand, his arms, his fingers – tightened and grew hard, but not with anger. His every touch was now filled with passion; hot, irresistible and filled with his need and pain.
Chapter 17
Keegan walked out of the funeral home with his head hung low. The service had been short and to the point. Few had been in attendance adding to Keegan’s chagrin. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt such pain.
Like a flash, the pain of hundreds of years prior stabbed at his heart. Yes. His parents’ death. The pain of losing them felt like a fresh wound.
As an eight-year-old boy, his love and adoration for his father had been immeasurable. And his mother; she’d been an angel with a sweet disposition and never a harsh word.
Keegan still remembered the day they were hired to tend to Stoker Manor.
“You're going to love it out here, son,” his father said. “The ocean air, the expansive and elegant home, and I’ve even heard the owners have two young ladies who live here.”
“Perhaps you’ll become friends.”
Keegan doubted it. At eight he had little interest in playing with girls, but the thought of the nearby ocean did appeal to him. Every morning, after helping his father in the stables, he ran to the thundering waves, reveling in their power.
Within weeks he knew every inch of the beach, as well as the immense grounds that surrounded the impressive manor. He loved life at Dorset; simple, easy and joyful.
“Keegan,” his mother called as he rushed into the hall and prepared to run to his room. With a broom in one hand and a dusty rag in the other, she gestured to the strange man standing beside her. “Dr. Franz appears to have lost his way. Would you be a good boy and show him to his room in the west wing?”
The man was imposing, in an awkward way. Keegan hesitated just a moment, sizing up the funny-looking man. He had an old leather briefcase in one hand and a monocle that added asymmetry to his already lopsided face.
“I’d greatly appreciate it, young man.” His eyes were intelligent and he had a way of looking at Keegan as though he were an older and more responsible boy than he actually was. “Perhaps a sixpence would make you a little more eager.”
Keegan’s eyes fixed onto the coin in the doctor’s hand. Pulling back his shoulders and marching off like a little man with a mission, he led the strange man to the opposite end of Stoker Manor.
“As promised.” Dr. Franz dropped the coin in Keegan’s hand when they reached the door to the good doctor’s room.
With the coin heavy in riches in his nubile hand, Keegan turned to skip away, visions of the delights he would treat himself to already filling his head.
“Perhaps I’ll see you again during my stay,” Dr. Franz called out.
Keegan stopped and turned to the man. Though he politely bowed and grinned, he couldn’t imagine the circumstances in which he would see the doctor again.
**********
That night Keegan’s sleep was troubled. He could hear sounds from the distance and none of them made sense. Screaming and hollering as though it were midday. A loud roar that was neither man nor beast. The heavy fog of sleep was long in releasing him and when he finally opened his eyes, the distant screams began to make sense.
His room was clouded in smoke and when he rushed to his tiny window to get air, he saw the flames that spilled out of so many windows. Struggling to get his window open, he squinted and coughed, eager to get fresh air into his lungs.
When it refused to budge he ran to the door and threw it open. The flames in the hall were quick to push him back into the room. Reaching to the high ceiling the inferno engulfed the corridor, leaving no escape route.
Panic gripped him and he wanted to call out for his mother, but he reached for his bed sheet, wrapped it about him and slid under the bed. With his eyes shut tight to keep the charring smoke from burning and his fingers plugged soundly into his ears to keep the ungodly sounds from haunting him, he curled up and waited.
On the threshold of consciousness, Keegan said a prayer.
“Keegan.”
<
br /> For a moment Keegan remained motionless. Had God responded so soon?
A claw-like hand reached under the bed and gripped Keegan’s nightshirt. “Get out from under there.”
Barely able to see through the thick cloud of smoke, Keegan made out the unusual features of Dr. Franz.
“Let’s get you out of here.”
Keegan blacked out before they reached the threshold of the door and awoke in the cool early morning air. His face was in the grass, dew licking away the soot that clung to his lips and nostrils. His lungs still ached, but every breath left him stronger. He focused his eyes on the dark shadow sitting beside him.
“Father?”
Dr. Franz turned to him. “I’m sorry, but I was unable to save your parents.”
Tears sprang to Keegan’s eyes, rinsing away remnants of burning smoke, but also carrying so much pain. How could something like this have happened? Anger quickly replaced the pain and he wanted to retaliate. The manor was modern and meant to house the rich. It should have had the means of controlling such an inferno.
“What happened? How could this have happened?”
“Vampires stormed the manor late last night. They attacked and killed many residents, including your parents. They then set the manor ablaze.”
The news was too much of a shock. The thought of his parents dying in a fire was something he could wrap his head around. But to think they’d been attacked by vampires, left him filled with rage.
“I understand your anger, Keegan. To lose someone you love to these retched creatures is unbearable, certainly for someone so young.”
Keegan sat up and took in his surroundings. High on a cliff that overlooked the ocean, the remnants of smoke could barely be seen in the distance. How had the doctor been able to save him? Had he dragged him this far? These questions tickled his brain, but there was only one question he truly needed an answer to. “What will become of me now?”
Dr. Franz ruffled Keegan’s hair. “I was fond of you from our very first meeting. I felt an instant kinship to you. In light of what has happened, that kinship has only intensified.”
Through the weight of the pain that clung to his heart, Keegan felt a wave of relief sweep over him. The thought of an orphanage scared him beyond reason, and though the kind doctor seemed a tad odd, Keegan felt safe in his presence.
“Have you heard of Blood and Bones?” Dr. Franz asked after a long and thoughtful silence.
Keegan shook his head and looked expectantly at the doctor.
“They are a sect of vampire hunters. Their mission is to kill all vampires. With what has happened, I’m sure you can understand why.”
“I’d like to help.”
Dr. Franz cocked a brow as a crooked grin warped his lips. “I thought you might.”
**********
His years spent at Dr. Franz’s side taught Keegan a lot. If anything the student had almost surpassed the teacher, with Keegan often getting Dr. Franz out of a tight spot.
Hunting vampires had become Keegan’s way of working through the pain and the loss of his parents. With every vampire that died at his hand, he felt his parents’ death was avenged that much more.
They had drained his parents of blood and he now reveled in doing everything possible to stop them from taking another life.
Dr. Franz had taught him well and Keegan’s abilities with a stake were well-known. Few vampires escaped Keegan’s clutches once he’d tracked them down. His reputation soon had him feared by the blood sucking society and revered by the many members of Blood and Bones.
Walking through the streets of London, Keegan felt pride in his accomplishments, but also the seeming futility of killing a beast that so readily reproduced. For every vampire Keegan lay stake to, dozens were born. Dr. Franz never failed to lift his spirits and encouraged him to continue with his work, and today Keegan felt he greatly need to talk to his mentor.
Each step brought him closer to the office the doctor had set up as a front. His hands fisted with nervous energy and he tried to shake the sense of doom that had awakened with him.
London had had a sudden rash of brutal murders bringing the hunters to the large city. Rumor had it Strigoi vampires were on a rampage. While Keegan had had his share of run-ins with the most vicious of all vampires, the thought of so many running wild in London left him apprehensive.
Reaching out for the door to the doctor’s office, Keegan’s instincts took over. Before he’d even pushed the door open he knew something was wrong. He rushed in, prepared for battle, but what he came upon left him shocked and frozen in place.
Dr. Franz lay in a heap in the corner of the front hall while Skars Svengaard stood over him, relishing the pain he’d inflicted. With unhurried moves, the most vile of all Strigois turned to Keegan.
“Well, well. Has the little boy come to save his mentor?” His grin was lined with dark blood. He gave a quick kick to the doctor’s leg. “I think you might be a bit too late.”
“The little boy is now a man of eighteen, Skars.” Though Keegan’s voice sounded strong and self-assured, he wanted to retch. He took a step closer.
Not only had Skars fed off Dr. Franz, but he’d visibly tortured him. His eyes were two swollen mounds of blue flesh while his lip had been cut and now hung open, exposing his teeth and gums and leaving the doctor with a perpetual grimace.
Though the largest of the blood stains was at his neck, his slacks, shirt and even socks had splotches that indicated small cuts over the doctor’s entire body.
Ready to pounce on the strong vampire, Keegan stopped when a strangled and gurgling sound came from the doctor.
“Well, look at that.” Skars smirked. “The good doctor still has a few breaths left. How would you like to stay and witness how I drain the very last drop from your mentor’s aging and twisted body?”
Keegan fisted his hands as he took another step closer. He glanced down at his tortured friend. He needed medical attention fast.
“No doctor will be able to save him, Keegan.” Slowly threading his fingers together, Skars took a step toward Keegan and held his clasped hands up to point at him. “The remaining drops of blood that course through his veins will not keep him until he can be examined.”
Tears threatened to make their way to his eyes, but Keegan refused to give Skars the satisfaction.
“Your stoicism is admirable.” Skars snickered as he took another step closer. “Having lost your biological father must have been painful enough. Now to have to watch your mentor, the man who brought you from a boy to a man, the man who gave you a purpose in life, lose his last life’s blood must tear you apart.”
“I’ve grown accustomed to living with pain.”
“And what if I were to alleviate that pain?”
Keegan resisted the urge to ask how.
“I’ll spare your mentor and will breathe life back into him.”
The price would be high; of that Keegan had no doubt.
“Let’s have an exchange, shall we?” Skars asked. “We both want one thing – vampires destroyed. I want certain ones to be, and you are going to help me…”
**********
Though the hundreds of years had passed, Keegan maintained his youthful, eighteen-year-old appearance. Dr. Franz was made immortal, too. In exchange for Dr. Franz’s life, they were made immortal, not as vampires, but humans. But Keegan would serve the vampire he hated most – Skars as his immortal hunter. There was something about Keegan that rendered vampires to lose their vampire instincts when they were around him…all except Skars and Strigoi vampires. Skars could use that to his advantage in ridding the world of his vampire enemies. When Dr. Franz suggested coming to Summerlin, Keegan was reluctant. Leaving Europe seemed like a betrayal.
“You're the one who made a pact with Skars,” Dr. Franz reminded him. “He wants death to all vampires who could diminish his powers.”
“Yeah, but hunting good vampires feels like such a waste of my time, of my abilities.”
�
�There’s no such thing as a good vampire, Keegan,” Dr. Franz said.
“Well, a less vicious vampire.”
“Delilah has been at the top of Skars’ list for centuries. Now that he’s tracked her down, he wants her. Not only is she a good vampire, but she’s strong… and that’s why Skars wants to get rid of her.”
The beach community was a far cry from the life Keegan had known in London. Becoming accustomed to the high school he had to attend added to his initial discomfort. But being in school afforded him a good cover, and he had heard Delilah sometimes taught art at this school. Months he spent trying to see when she would turn up, but as if she knew to stay away, she never did.
But now as he distanced himself from the funeral home, the pain of his loss was heavier on his shoulders than it had ever been. He was alone. Battling the seemingly endless stream of vampires had been a daunting task with Dr. Franz as mentor.
The knowledge that he now stood at the helm both invigorated and frightened him. Would he be able to live up to the legacy of Dr. Franz?
Alone in this strange country, did he have what it took to rid the world of vampires?
Chapter 18
Alexis avoided her reflection. Every storefront cast a vile image; a woman she barely recognized and one she wanted to look at less and less, despite the human beauty that still clung to her features. Her intense and frequent feedings, constant hunting and insatiable thirst for blood had left her barely human.
Her hunger led her to risky hunting practices and feeding grounds where the chances of being caught were high. Though aware of the increased risks, she forged on, intent on her next victim; next meal. If anything the thrill and the danger of it all heightened her senses and intensified the satisfaction of each kill.
A thread of logic remained somewhere in the recess of her mind, telling her to gain control of these frenzied feedings before things got out of hand. It was also this thread of logic that kept her from sharing this transformation with her sister. But the thread seemed about to break. Alexis could feel it.
