by Bell Stoires
A Dark Night
By Bell Stoires
© Bell Stoires 2014
Book One of ‘The Grandor Descendent’ Series
Even in the shadows there is light… and where there is light there is love
Ariana Sol is just like any other twenty-four year old. She is a university student, struggling to pay rent and absolutely confused by boys, at least she was. In one night Ari’s entire world is turned upside down when a stranger rescues her from a brutal attack. But this stranger isn’t normal, hell he isn’t even human… his name is Ragon and he is a vampire.
But Ragon isn’t the only vampire in Brisbane, there are hundreds of them, hiding amongst the shadows of the human sources they feed from. Three laws govern the vampires- the Final Death Laws, and by protecting Ari, Ragon has broken the most sacred one.
But what are Ragon’s true reasons for wanting to protect Ariana? There is something he isn’t telling her… something that will change everything she thought she knew about her past… something that will shape her future.
Text copyright © 2014 by Bell Stoires
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
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Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address above.
The Characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author would like to thank Edge Concept Photography facebook.com/edgeconceptphotography for front cover photography; Illuminated Imagery facebook.com/IlluminatedImagery for front cover graphic design; Begitta Design www.begitta.com for styling and provision of gowns for use in cover art.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1- A Dark Night
Chapter 2- Green Eyed Monster
Chapter 3- A Place To Call Home
Chapter 4- Enter Kiara
Chapter 5- Returned Favour
Chapter 6- The Coven
Chapter 7- Sources
Chapter 8- A time for answers
Chapter 9- A Unexpected Guest
Chapter 10- Hunting In Style
Chapter 11- A Diary Entry
Chapter 12- Date Night
Chapter 13- Rejection
Chapter 14- The Halloween Party
Chapter 15- Trick or Treat
Chapter 16- Finally
Chapter 17- In The Aftermath
Chapter 18 - Patricks Fledgling
Chapter 19 – A Vision
Chapter 20- Clyde’s Decision
Chapter 21- Limbo
Chapter 22- A Stroll Through The Morgue
Chapter 23- A Great Cost
Chapter 24- Frangipani Farwell
Chapter 25- Exit Kiara
Chapter 26- A Parting Of The Ways
Chapter 27- A Third Power
Epilogue
Prologue
Snow lay on the high stone battlements of a hidden castle, while wind driven on by the fury of a nearby storm battered the impregnable fortress. Behind the tall walls, three beings sat like marble statues; two males and one female. They were more beautiful than any human could ever be and yet deadly, for time had stripped them of their humanity. They were oblivious to the winter that had settled in the lands that surrounded them, despite the white topped trees that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Inside the great expanse of a room, they sat on thrones, elevated by a small stage.
“But what of the child?” the female said, her red hair so vivid that it brought a glow to the dark halls. “It could put an end to all of our plans and… and were so close to-”
“Our plans?” screamed the older of the males, “Our plans? If it lives then more than our plans may be lost! It could destroy us all.”
“We should have killed the parents’ years ago. They should never have been allowed to have another child,” the other male replied, his green eyes widening in anger.
Outside a long rumble of thunder sounded, followed by the crash of lightening, temporarily casting an eerie light over the three beings. But these particularly creatures did not fear the darkness, rather the light.
“We must question the witch further,” said the first man. “It is essential we find the child. It cannot be allowed to live. We have waited for too long… nothing can stop us.”
Silence followed this; all three sat contemplating the implications of eldest man’s words. Heavy rain had begun to spatter the dark window, mingling with the snow, so that it formed a sludge which slid down the black glass to the ground beneath.
“So be it,” said the woman, while the other two nodded slowly in agreement.
Chapter 1- A Dark Night
The dull hush that had washed over the university library was peaceful, until a quiet thud sounded, waking Ari instantly. The disturbance had been caused by her head falling against the thick notebook on the desk she was sitting at. She looked around apologetically, before glancing down at her wrist watch and rolling her eyes; it was almost midnight. This marked the end of yet another exhausting day at the library. It was August and the library was packed with students studying for their mid-semester exams. Ariana was tired; tomorrow she had a Pathology exam and she had spent the last week preparing for it. For two years Ari had been studying a bachelor of veterinary science at the University of Brisbane.
Ari had tried valiantly to remain focused on the 2nd edition veterinary pathology textbook that she was reading. But no matter how hard she tried, for the past hour or so the words had begun to blur.
“Another all-nighter,” she whispered to herself, rubbing her temples gently as she stacked her books into a pile.
Swinging her bag, now laden with heavy text books, onto her shoulder, Ari moved silently from her lone desk and over to the girl’s bathroom. As she walked, she scanned the remaining students indifferently then sucked in her breath sharply. Her eyes had fallen on a boy, sitting alone by the stairs. She had seen him in the library on many occasions; he had been studying for as long as she had. In fact his had been one of the first faces that she had seen when she had started studying at the University of Brisbane. She could still remember this first instance; Ari had stayed back late and gone to the library. She had been scanning a bookshelf, her fingers trailing past the spines of many textbooks when she’d reached for a thick book. The instance she had pulled the book away, two bright green eyes had been revealed. Ari had startled, letting out a stiff scream which had erupted from her surprised lips before she had realised just how handsome the face was that stared back at her. But instead of being stunned, the boy had seemed horrified, his eyes widening before he raced away. Ari had clutched onto the book and looked for him after that, but he had vanished.
She had seen him a few days later, and then on and off again for the next two years. During that time she had never spoken to him, not even once even though each time he’d been alone. He always sat on the large couch that was propped near the staircase, with his black shiny motorcycle helmet off to the side. I
n this eagle spot, he could see all the comings and goings of the library. Often Ari wondered how he always managed to get this prime real-estate, especially seeing as he seemed only to ever be there at night, when the library was often busiest, though she had to admit, that if he asked her to move for him, she would have… in a heartbeat.
He was absolutely breathtaking; being both tall and well built, with dark hair which was currently hidden beneath a grey beanie. His face was oval and his jaw line strong, with a sparse coating of dark stubble lining it. He had full lips, a small nose and thick eyebrows. Most attractive of all his features were the startling green eyes that hide beneath long black lashes. She never saw him smile, though she could picture his straight teeth and imagined that his grin would light up his face.
And Ari wasn’t the only girl to notice him; whenever she saw him, which was almost every time that she went to the library to study at night, he was almost always being ogled by girls passing him, though he never looked up from whatever book he was reading to acknowledge them. Ari thought that he might be a literature major or else an art student. He never seemed to be typing when he was at the university, but always reading or else drawing in a mysterious sketch book. Sometimes Ari got close enough to catch the titles of the books he was reading- ‘The epic of Gilgamesh,’ ‘Dante’s Inferno’ or the likes.
A few times she had locked eyes with him, only to look down immediately, her heart hammering and her face bright red and blotchy. Sometimes, when Ari was so entrapped in her mind from hours of tedious study, she would think that out of the corner of her eye she had seen him looking at her. She always glanced up after these gestures, but always his eyes were firmly placed on his sketchpad or book. And then there were the times when so many hours of dreary study had left her in a day dream; she would imagine him coming over to her and chatting with her, perhaps even asking if she wanted to go to the café to get a coffee, or else taking a moonlit ride on his motorcycle.
As she neared the boy in his perch by the stairs, he did not look up at her, and so Ari walked past him and towards the girl’s bathroom.
Once inside, Ari rounded on the row of white porcelain sinks. Reaching for the taps, she turned one of the tiny brass nobs then, bracing herself, splashed some freezing water onto her face. Looking into the mirror she frowned. There were tiny droplets of water cascading down her face, but these did not mask the large circles that had formed under her eyes, relic of her long nights studying. Sighing audibly, she pulled her hair free of the band that had been holding it into a ponytail, massaging her head momentarily before fluffing her long brown hair so that it cascaded beside her face.
Moving back outside, Ari looked up hopefully to see her mystery man. He was still sitting by the stairs, his eyes glued to the book he was reading- ‘Paradise Lost’. Next to him was a group of girls; Ari thought they were giggling far too enthusiastically for so late in the night. Though they were mulling around the printer, it was painfully obvious by the long glances they kept throwing at the boy reading, that they were hoping to be noticed by him. The girl’s conversations were loud and flamboyant, matching their eccentric outfits and manicured hands; rich girls Ari thought to herself. The kind of girls whose parents paid for them to enjoy university, so instead of having to get part time jobs, they could study at their leisure.
Pushing past the girls, Ari shrugged her bag higher onto her shoulder and turned to face the stairs. She glanced up as she descended, her eyes meeting her mystery man’s for the briefest of moments before he looked back down at his book. Ari’s heart fluttered in her chest and she smiled.
Ari clung tightly to the railings of the steep wooden staircase, afraid her exhausted feet might give out under her. At the bottom of the stairs she waved kindly to the tall Asian security guard who manned the information desk. Neither knew the other’s name, but Ari had seen him often enough to afford him this common courtesy, without seeming too presumptuous. As she swiped her university I.D card at the automatic door, it buzzed loudly and opened to let her out.
Just before replacing her card back into her wallet, Ari glanced down at it. The picture on the front was taken a few years ago when she had first started her course, but she had not changed much in that time. She was twenty-four years old, with long dark brown hair, which was straight or wavy depending on the weather. Often she wore it half up and half down, with wisps of hair framing her oval face. Her high cheek bones, slender pointed nose and definitive chin, gave her a ‘classic beauty’ appearance, which was accentuated by long eyelashes that framed her large, dark blue eyes. Often one of her eyes would turn green if she was sad or angry; a fact the students at her high school had made fun of from the moment they had discovered this.
For a twenty-four year old, Ari led a relatively cumbersome lifestyle. For two years she had been studying a bachelor of Veterinary Science at the University of Brisbane, while living alone in a small studio apartment in Paddington; a quiet suburb on the outskirts of the city. Since the age of eighteen, when she was no longer a ward of the state, money had always been tight. Ari was an orphan and with no family to speak of, a full time study load, and her government allowance barely covering the rent, she’d had to restrict her social activities to survive.
Placing her student I.D card back into her wallet, Ari descended down the narrow stairs from the library and began moving towards her car. Walking from the library at night was always a little unnerving. Ari parked her car on a side street close to the University, and from there it took her about ten minutes to get to class. Tonight the sky was particularly black; though the moon shone valiantly, its small rim of light barely managed to break through the thick conifer forest that she was walking past.
Off in the distance a noise rang through the deserted grounds. Glancing around the heavily shadowed area, Ari tried to make out the footpath. Despite the ominous feeling the lack of light imparted, the university really was a beautiful campus. Large lakes adorned by water features were prominent on the eastern side, while well tendered sports fields occupied the west and south. Here, facing north, a large bamboo and conifer forest was prominent. It gave the university a lush appearance, masking the dry warm climate that was typical of Australia.
During the day, the dark and light greens of the leaves, blended with the friendly rattling sound of the wind as it moved gently through the hollow bamboo stalks, giving her a calming sensation. Now however, the rustling leaves caused from the chilly wind sounded eerie, and without any lights to guide her way, prompted a sense of foreboding, rather than serenity. An odd creeping sense ran up Ari’s back, immediately followed by a cold chill. She was just looking through her bag for her keys, when she finally realised that the noise she had heard before, heavily muffled by the trees and wind, was music.
“Thursday smoko,” she whispered to herself, smiling slightly as she pictured the many university students who were probably at this very moment, exceedingly drunk and dancing like no one was watching.
Every third Thursday the university put on smokos. These eagerly attended events were targeted at the students who loved to party, typically those just out of high school or simply still young at heart. Though it was the head of school who allowed the events, it was the social committee who ensured a constant supply of alcohol, giving boys more courage and girls less common sense.
“Hey beautiful,” called a voice from behind her.
Turning around before she could stop herself, Ari saw a group of guys walking close behind her, none of which she recognised.
“Err hey,” she responded nervously, turning back around quickly to face the path, just as she redoubled her efforts to find her keys.
“Where you going so quickly?” asked one of the boys in a slurred tone.
Feeling uneasy, Ari walked even faster. She was no stranger to unwanted attention such as this. She had just prepared a witty retort in her head, when she sensed movement behind her. Her instinct was to flee but by the time she had made up her mind, it was already too lat
e. Someone had run past her and she watched as they quickly overtook her.
“I have an exam tomorrow,” Ari said to the guy who now faced her, “and my boyfriend is waiting for me just over there in his car… so I better hurry.”
She had hoped that lying about having a boyfriend might frighten them off. Almost immediately however she realised how wrong she was. At first none of her pursuers answered her, so she continued to stare at the boy in front of her defiantly, trying to hide her rising apprehension.
“What’s the rush?” asked one of the boy’s behind her. “I don’t see a car; surely you can stay for a chat.”
“Yea well, Tom, my um… boyfriend, he’s pretty jealous,” she said, “I wouldn’t want him to be angry that I’m late. That might upset him.”
“Tom hey,” said another of the boys, and Ari spun around to see who had spoken. “Why don’t you go out with me instead?”
“Yea,” said the guy in front of her, “I’ll make sure you get what you need.”
Cruel laughter followed this declaration, and Ari realised that the boys had begun slowly closing in around her. She grimaced as they leered at her, watching as they wobbled slightly on their feet, while giving off the strong smell of alcohol and stale tobacco.
“Well nice meet-” she began to say, before she felt someone behind her put one arm roughly around her waist.
Terrified, Ari began to kick out hard at the boy who faced her, while flinging her arms in the air, desperate to get away. Before she knew it, a large sweaty hand covered her mouth, while the rest of her attackers quickly joined in to restrain her. Suddenly her eyes were wide and wild with fear, as her heart raced in her chest. Wisps of hair clung to her face as she looked around frantically for help.
“Stop!” she screamed wildly, after biting down on one of her attacker’s hand.
