First Blade (Awakening Book 1)

by Jane Hinchey

  "I don't like you getting involved in vampire business, Rhys."

  "I can't not do anything. It's Georgia and Skye we're talking about."

  Hayden sighed. "Fine. I know you're close to the girls. But don't bring this fight to our doorstep Rhys - we don't want a war between the vampires and wolves. Especially over humans."

  "Noted."

  19

  The pain was everything. Every breath hurt, every limb hurt, her internal organs hurt. With a groan she cracked open her eyes, only to be met with darkness. Was she still in the cave? She flexed her fingers, feeling the floor beneath her. Yes, it was a floor. Cold and hard but definitely the floor of a building, not rock and dirt.

  She struggled to sit up, her head pounding. Nausea rolled and she stilled, not sure if she was about to hurl or not. Eventually, her stomach settled and she managed to sit up and prop her back against the wall behind her. Not only was her head throbbing, so was her neck. Probing her neck with her fingers she discovered he'd literally torn a chunk out of her. No neat fang holes for her! He hadn't drained her and she wasn't sure if she should be grateful or not. A wave of dizziness washed over her and she pulled up her knees, resting her forehead against them.

  "I know you're awake in there," Erik's voice taunted. She spun her head around, wincing as the movement broke open the raw wound on her neck. A door opened and a pool of light flooded the room. She could see now she was in some sort of cell. The walls were brick with no windows; the floor was concrete and the cell was completely empty except for Georgia.

  "I'd not intended for you to live this long, my sweet Georgia." Erik sauntered into the room, pulling on a cord from the ceiling. Light stung her eyes from the naked light bulb dangling from the ceiling.

  "But the Master enjoyed your blood so much, he insisted we bring you along and at least try and keep you alive. For a little while at least. He has been in slumber for too long, who am I to deny him the ambrosia of your blood?"

  "What?" Georgia rasped, her throat dry, her brain foggy.

  "Don't you remember, sweet child? You kindly dispatched that damn angel vampire abomination and your sister gave the master the life blood he needed to awaken."

  Georgia tried to lunge at him, but she was weak and the effort to move hurt more than it should have. She knelt in a puddle at his feet.

  "Oh, I do love your spirit. I will love it, even more, when I break it!"

  "Asshole," Georgia muttered.

  "Enough, I grow tired of this. Master wants to see you." Grabbing her arm he dragged her to her feet, holding her upright when her knees sagged beneath her.

  He dragged her along a dark corridor before pushing her up a flight of stairs. They emerged into a kitchen, the windows above the sink reflecting nothing but the darkness outside.

  Erik kept a painful grip on her arm as he led her through what appeared to be a very large and very expensively decorated house. He came to a halt before a set of arched doors with beautiful carvings depicting a garden scene. He raised his free hand and knocked.

  "Enter."

  The door swung open seemingly by itself. A large hand placed between her shoulder blades pushed her into the room. Georgia didn't know what she had been expecting, but it wasn't this. The room was gorgeous. Bookcases lined one wall, stretching all the way to the cathedral ceiling. Sofas and reading nooks with antique armchairs called forth a cozy and relaxing place to read. A huge fireplace dominated the end of the room, so large she bet she could stand up in it, and off to one side stood a magnificent mahogany desk, complete with an antique lamp. Behind that desk sat a man Georgia hadn't seen before. But she felt him; his vampiric power positively sizzled her nerve endings.

  Erik released her and she stood, trembling as the vampire rose from his seat and approached her. He was an inch or two taller than her, his skin so pale it was white, his eyes glowing red and his hair as black as midnight. She couldn't really tell but she thought it was pulled back into a ponytail. He wore a crisp suit and was stunningly handsome.

  "Please," he grabbed her hand and pressed his lips to the back of it, "allow me to introduce myself. I am Marius Byron, master vampire, and I have YOU to thank for awakening me from my eternal slumber." His power pulsed through her, threatening to short circuit her brain.

  "It wasn't intentional," Georgia rasped, "I'd have preferred you remain asleep."

  His grip tightened painfully on her fingers before releasing her as he smiled.

  "Erik warned me you had...spirit. That you would not bow down and simper at my feet." His accent was English, and Georgia couldn't fathom the world that he had come from.

  "Got that right." She swayed a little and put a hand to her eyes. Not only was her head throbbing, her vision was starting to darken at the edges. She yelped when hands gave her a light push backward and, losing her balance, she toppled back into a chair that had suddenly appeared behind her.

  "Sit, before you fall down," Marius ordered.

  He walked over to the fireplace and stood with his back to it, hands clasped loosely behind him, very much the gentleman of the manor. He watched her watching him.

  "I have not yet decided what shall become of you, sweet Georgia. You and your dearly departed sister have given me back my life and for that, I feel I owe you. BUT!" he held up a hand when she went to speak, "I can easily end your life in a heartbeat, snap your neck like a twig or simply drink you dry. Which is very tempting, my sweet Georgia, because your blood? Mmmmm, it is like ambrosia. I am keen to have more."

  Suddenly he was in front of her, bending so he was looking directly into her eyes. The red in his gaze seemed to swirl and dip and send out a hypnotizing energy. She felt his energy pushing into her and she cried out, the pain in her head amplifying. Blood trickled from her nose and the room spun, black spots appearing. Her stomach churned and suddenly she vomited. Leaning forward in the chair, about to slip off and face-plant into her own pile of vomit, a hand grabbed the back of her neck and held her in place.

  "Erik! Heal her, clean her, make sure she is fed and rested. Then, I shall feed. I want this to last and alas, in her present condition I fear any more blood loss would be the end of her."

  "Yes, Master." Erik dragged her from the chair, and she struggled to stay conscious as he dragged her into an enormous bathroom. She cringed when she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She was covered in dirt and filth, her hair matted and bloodstained, along with her clothes.

  Erik slammed the door shut and she heard a lock slide into place. He let her go and shoved her across the room while he turned and started to fill the bathtub. When he straightened his evil eyes settled on her and he stalked her across the room.

  "I can hear your little heart beating so frantically," he drawled, obviously delighted at her panic. "What are you so scared of, Georgia? That I shall see you naked? That I shall have you? Or that I will drink your blood until your heart stops?"

  She'd backed up against the counter, nowhere else to go and could only watch helplessly as he approached.

  In the blink of an eye, Erik brought the inside of his wrist up to his mouth and bit down before grabbing her and pressing the bleeding wound to her mouth. She jerked back in revulsion, clamping her lips shut.

  "Drink!" he ordered, pulling her head back by her hair so sharply she cried out. As soon as her mouth opened his blood trickled in. She tried to spit it out but he kept his wrist pressed tightly against her mouth, squashing her lips back against her teeth. Eyes watering she fought him, but she knew the blood was in her system, she could feel the tingling in her neck where her flesh was torn, knew it was knitting back together. The throbbing headache where she had hit her head was easing. He released her and she spat at him, "Asshole". He laughed.

  Grabbing her around the waist he hauled her easily to the bath and dropped her in, clothes and all. The water was cold, making her gasp. She struggled against him, trying to get out but he pressed a hand against her chest and forced her onto her back, fully submerging her under the wa
ter. She thrashed, panicking, fearing he would drown her.

  He let her up and she dragged in a shuddering breath, only to have him shove her under again. He repeated the process over and over again until she was exhausted and her struggles ceased; she merely floated to the surface to grab a breath of air, no longer fighting him.

  "That's more like it." He grinned. Finally relenting, he pulled her from the bath and stood looking at her as she shivered before him.

  "Strip...you can do it yourself or we can do it the fun way..." he leered at her.

  With trembling fingers she worked her way out of her sodden clothing, long mortifying moments later she stood before him, skin pebbled with goose bumps and shivering. His eyes roamed over her naked body. She was helpless, naked, and trapped and it infuriated her.

  "Pervert."

  He laughed, then he moved and she couldn't help but flinch, but he merely opened the bathroom door, ushering her out. She was led back to her room in the basement. A mattress and blanket had been brought in, along with a tray of food. The door clanged shut behind her, locks sliding into place. On shaking legs she sank down onto the mattress; pulling the blanket around her she reached out for the food, hating that she needed to eat, but knowing she needed to build up her strength if she had any chance of getting out of this alive.

  20

  "Zak! Zak!" Frank's voice shouted at him, coming from a great distance. Frank's voice was urgent, insistent. What was it? Zak struggled to push through the darkness dragging him down. The blessed silence had been so peaceful, he'd wanted to stay, but then the noise had started to come back and he knew in the back of his mind that there was something important he needed to be doing.

  Rough arms were holding him, which was strange. Why was Frank holding him? His eyes flickered open to look at his old friend.

  "What's up?" he muttered.

  Frank beamed at him, "Oh man! I thought you'd bitten the big one." He indicated his bleeding wrist. "I had to force feed you to try and get you to heal yourself. NEVER do that to me again." Awareness came back to him in a rush. Georgia had daggered him!

  His hand went to his chest, his fingers brushing over the blood still wet on his skin and the tender spot where his wound was still healing. He looked at Frank.

  "What happened?"

  "You don't know?"

  "Georgia..." Zak sat up, his eyes darting around the cave, searching for her.

  "She's gone," Frank admitted gruffly. "I don't know what shit went down in here but that original vamp DID get awakened, drank Skye dry, and must've grabbed Georgia as a takeaway snack."

  "What!!!" Zak surged to his feet, rushing over to examine the slab of rock that was now drizzled with fresh blood. The rock formation that had been there previously was gone. Even he hadn't realized that pile of fossilized rocks had been an original vamp out for the count. His eyes landed on the still body of Skye lying on the ground, her wrist a bloody mess.

  "Oh, Skye." he murmured, crossing to her and rolling her onto her back. Then he heard it. A very faint, ka-boom. Several long seconds later another faint ka-boom.

  "She's still alive!" he shouted. Frank appeared at his side, his brows drawn together in a frown.

  "Oh my god. I thought she'd gone. Couldn't find a pulse...can you save her?"

  "I'll have to turn her. No other way to save her." Zak brought his own wrist up to his mouth when he froze. "Where's my ring?"

  "What?"

  "It's missing. Where is it? How did they get it off my finger?"

  Frank frantically searched through the rubble, "You know," he grumbled, tossing rocks aside, "this means you must have truly died. For them to be able to take it from you."

  "I know," Zak growled, thunder in his eyes.

  "Can you turn her without the ring?"

  "Yes...but her chances are much higher if I'm wearing it. The power of three angels behind me will go a long way to saving her. She doesn't have much time...barely minutes."

  Frank held up the ring in triumph, "Found it!"

  Zak slid it back on his finger, feeling a rush of energy pulse through him as he did so. The red river of blood still wound its way around the band. He'd wondered if the ring would no longer be active now that the original had been awakened...apparently not.

  He scored his wrist with his fangs and held it over Skye's mouth, his free hand holding her mouth open for the blood to drip in.

  Ka-boom...ka-boom...ka....boom...........ka.....boom.........

  Skye's heart stopped. Both men waited, praying Zak's blood had reached her in time. They weren't concerned with her heart stopping; it had to happen to transition into a vampire, they just hoped she'd gotten a couple of beats in to circulate Zak's blood. A minute stretched by, then two.

  The two men looked at each other. They'd failed. Suddenly a mouth clamped onto Zak's wrist and began guzzling great greedy slurping sounds. With a grin, Zak looked down at Skye who had his arm in a death grip and was drinking deep from him.

  "Welcome back."

  Skye's eyes opened and she looked at him, dazed. She dropped his arm in confusion.

  "It's ok. Don't panic," he soothed her. Her transition would start soon and he needed to explain to her what was about to happen or she was going to freak out big time.

  Skye went to speak, but her voice failed her.

  "Don't talk, listen. We don't have much time. You were dying, to save you I had to turn you. Your transition is going to start soon and I need to prepare you...and get you away from this place. I'm sorry, but it's going to hurt. Your body's molecular structure is going to change and that is never a pleasant experience, but afterward? You're going to be stronger, faster and more alive than you've ever felt before. When you awake after the transition you're going to be thirsty. For blood. I won't sugar coat this for you because I need you to understand. Usually, these conversations are had BEFORE I turn someone, but you were turned in an emergency, so there was no time."

  Skye watched and listened as Zak outlined what was going to happen. Her body would feel like it was on fire from the inside out. When that was over she'd be in blood lust, a very dangerous time for a new vampire. But Zak had promised he'd be there to help her, and heaven help her she believed him.

  She wasn't afraid. Ok, being a vampire hadn't been high on her wish list, but it was better than being dead. And the upshot? Maybe as a vampire, she'd have a better chance at saving her sister because she'd still been conscious when she'd seen Erik flip Georgia over his shoulder and disappear with her and the newly awakened original.

  21

  It could have been hours, it could have been days. Georgia had no idea how much time had passed since Erik had left her locked in the basement.

  Now that her head wasn't throbbing and her vision was no longer blurry she could see the room better. Initially, she'd thought there were no windows, but now she could just make out a long narrow window at the top of the far wall that looked like it had been boarded up from the outside. The door was thick and solid. She'd given it a couple of shoulder thrusts but it hadn't budged.

  Her mind drifted to Skye, and her chest ached. Had she survived? Even though she knew it was unlikely, she clung to the hope. If anything, her sister was a fighter like she was. Praying for her sister, to a God she rarely spoke to, she clasped her hands and closed her eyes please, Lord, just this one time?

  Then she thought of Zak and tears filled her eyes. Her mind couldn't fathom that she wouldn't see him again, hear his voice, and feel his touch. They were only at the beginning, so how could they have reached the end so soon? And how could it have been Georgia herself who'd brought about the end? Why, for once in her life, hadn't she listened and just stayed put? But no, she was such a tough guy, always out to prove herself. Yeah, job well done, loser, she berated herself, you couldn't manage to save your parents and you couldn't save Zak. What use are you?

  She was lying on the mattress staring at the ceiling, wallowing in her misery, when the door suddenly flung open. She hadn't even h
eard approaching footsteps! Bloody vampires.

  "Up!" Marius commanded.

  Georgia slowly rose to her feet, eyeing him warily. She kept the blanket wrapped around her, hiding her body from view. Marius smirked but didn't comment, simply ran his eyes over her.

  Lightning fast his hand reached out and snatched the blanket from her, the tug of the fabric being ripped away jerking her toward him. She caught herself before she touched him and danced backward before he could touch her.

  Not fast enough. He was on her, his power smothering her mind and senses as his body crushed hers into the mattress. She could hear his laugh. Feel his hands pinning her down, the strength of him as he tore into her, the warm stickiness of her blood as it flowed from her torn neck.

  She fought. She bucked, kicked and twisted. Each movement tore her throat, yet she wouldn't lie docilely and let him feed on her. She wouldn't go down without a fight. She tried to bring a knee up to smash him in the groin, but he easily pinned her legs.

  Her struggles slowed, the edge of her vision starting to fade, when finally he lifted his head, those massive, grotesque fangs shimmering with her blood.

  "Keep fighting. I love it. Just know this ...nobody is coming for you. No one." Then his weight was gone and he was standing looking down at her. She couldn't move, her limbs heavy, her neck throbbing. She watched him with dull, glazed eyes, his presence pushing into her mind like a live wire across exposed nerve endings. Inside her head, she screamed and screamed and screamed.

  That day set the standard for the following days. Daily feeding, daily torture. The days had turned into weeks, weeks where she'd been kept his prisoner and he'd reduced her to nothing.

  Nobody is coming.

  "Oh Georgia, broken already?" He lay on her, his mouth at her traumatized neck. "You're mine now."

  She floated in a haze of pain, heat, and horror. He could have healed her but didn't. He kept her weak and in that moment, she would have gladly taken her own life, put an end to the pain and humiliation of what he'd reduced her to.