“But different,” I said. I was different. I needed to remember that.
“I’ll go with Char and Jeremiah. You’ll be all right?” Malik said.
Jasik nodded without looking away. “Maybe it’s time to have that talk? Malik will make sure they find something, so why don’t you sit down and relax.”
I obeyed. I was eager to learn more. I needed to understand what I had become. Everything I knew about vampires had been taught to me by witches. Our elders mandated daily gatherings. We had learned how to fight, how to scavenge, how to use our magic as a tool to kill.
We were taught that vampires had always been a feral species, one that was a mystery to witches. We knew they were the cause of almost every human war. Luckily, witches had stepped in before the vampires’ existence became known, but in the 40s, witches came close to losing the war against vampires.
One vampire realized his race was close to extinction. In retaliation, he formed an army and murdered over five million humans in Europe. When he knew witches and the human armies were mere moments from trapping him, he took his own life. A coward’s way out. My grandmother was a child during these horrific times, and with the rise of each full moon, she would tell us the story of how one vampire had the power to almost annihilate an entire group of humans.
Her stories were powerful tools against the vampire race: they would instill a mindset of murder into the next generation of witches.
“I don’t know what you know, so I don’t know where to begin,” Jasik said, frustration filling his voice.
“How ‘bout the beginning?” In truth, I remembered everything I had ever been taught. I remembered my hatred for his kind and the disgust in myself for asking him to change me instead of trusting The Power would save me. I would not have been chosen if I could not handle it.
“We’re supposedly mortal enemies, you know. You and me.”
I said nothing. What was I to say? We weren’t supposedly enemies. There was nothing supposed about it. We were enemies.
“The blood running through your veins isn’t just that of a vampire. The witch in you didn’t let go when you died. That power is still flowing through you, making you different.” The witch in you didn’t let go. I choked down the snide remark begging to be let loose. He treated my heritage with disrespect, as if being a witch was similar to vampirism. Mortality was nothing like immortality. Witches were nothing like vampires.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I’ve heard stories throughout the many long years I’ve been a vampire. Rumors, mostly, because our lack of an encounter with a being such as yourself has prevented us from proving any real existence of a hybrid creature.”
“Hybrid?” I asked, dumbfounded.
“Well, more or less. That would be the appropriate human label, but to us, you’re so much more.”
“How so?”
“If the myth is true, then you would be the answer to our problems. A feasible way to control the fight, to give us the upper hand.”
“What fight?”
“Against Rogue vampires.”
“You’re fighting vampires?”
“More or less.”
“Vampires from vampires? You protect your kind from your kind?”
“You see, vampires have a goddess. Like mortals have their gods. Do you know why the mortals’ gods gifted humans with power? To protect humans. Hunters are no different. I guess you could say we’re the witches of the vampire race,” he said with a chuckle. “So yes, we protect vampires from vampires.”
Suddenly, the history I remembered seemed drastically different than the story he was telling. I had been taught that vampires were nothing more than soulless demons inhabiting human-looking bodies. I had been taught that though a vampire may look like your loved one, talk like your loved one, they were not your loved one anymore. The demon had many disguises and used many tricks to buy your trust. But falling for them would cost a witch her life.
“Your gods gave witches powers just like our goddess gave vampires powers. Gifted humans found a new name: witches. Gifted vampires received a new one, too: Hunters. That’s what we do. We hunt. We hunt Rogues, vampires too dangerous to live. We protect our kind from those poisoned by power and hatred.”
“How do you know which ones shouldn’t live?”
“Rogues stand out. They’re different—the way they move, the way they look, the way they think,” he said as he rose.
“Jasik… why did you save me?” I blurted the words before I even realized I wanted to ask.
The question sounded stupid as it left my tongue. He had saved me because I begged for it, right? I wasn’t so sure that that was his only motive. Why were they there the night before our ritual? He saved me then, too. He saved me from Malik’s fangs. Did they know what was to happen the following eve? How did they get to our coven in time? Why did they save us? I had so many questions, and I didn’t know where to begin.
“We were hunting them. The Rogue vampires that attacked your coven.”
As he spoke, his eyes grew distant. I couldn’t understand why it affected him as much as it seemed to. I hated that I couldn’t understand the connection that now tied us together. But more so, I hated me. I hated my decision to become a vampire. I hated my fear of dying. I hated that I didn’t trust The Power. But most importantly, I hated that I didn’t hate the vampire before me. I wasn’t even afraid of him. Somehow, deep inside, I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. And that sickened me. I wanted to despise everything he stood for… but I couldn’t. I wondered if turning had changed more of me than I realized.
“Had we been even a minute later, we wouldn’t have been able to save you. Any of you. We were informed of a group of Rogues that had been destroying small villages, making their way across the coast, and we were sent to remove the problem.”
“And you did, right? All of them?” A gnawing in the pit of my gut told me I missed something—an instinctual predatory reaction I began to feel the moment I witnessed the death of my father: kill or be killed. I thought back to the fight. I passed out before it had ended.
“We killed all but a few.”
My world came crashing down as the realization hit me hard: the vampires who stole my life from me, the vampires who forced me to play the only hand I had been dealt, still walked, still lived, still breathed. Anger boiled within me as an acidic slop rose in my chest. I forced it down in a quick gulp. The thought made me sick, furious. They should be dead. Everyone who had any part in the attack should have perished beside the fallen members of my coven. I would make them pay.
“You were sent? By whom?” The idea of a vampire government and secret militia terrified me more than I would admit—even if I had become one of them.
“Our High Priestess. As Hunters, it is our duty to protect our coven. These Rogues were creating a problem that needed quick resolution.”
“I see,” I said, trying to wrap my head around the world that thrived when the lights went out. It felt eerily recognizable, as if I already knew of the world he lived in. His world sounded too much like my own.
“Vampires live in covens, too. Each coven has four Hunters. Each Hunter is blessed with one gift: the ability to be a reader, a healer, a shielder, or a seer. It’s believed that when combined, they would create an ultimate power.”
“So what are you?” I asked, swallowing the knot that formed in my throat. The world of vampires was far more vast than I had every realized.
“Don’t you know?” He gave me a boyish grin, and I fought to not forget what he truly was: a murderer. I couldn’t let his seductive British accent or his charming looks make me forget. “Look within yourself. Find the answer.”
He stood and faced me, and I took that as my cue to follow his lead. I stood before him. I focused on him with an intensity that made me shudder. I didn’t know what I was doing.
And nothing happened.
Instead of tapping into some hidden vampiric power source, I just stood there, jaw cl
enched, digging my nails into balled fists. Needless to say, I wasn’t very good at being a vampire, so I did the only thing that didn’t make me look like I was constipated. I called upon spirit. I wasn’t sure if I still had my Pagan powers, but the vampire seemed to think I did.
I relaxed my body, shaking away the nerves, the tightness. I closed my eyes and focused on my breath. Inhaling through my nose. Exhaling through my mouth. I pictured the world around me.
The moon had reached its peak, and as it slowly set, the sun would soon rise. I focused on her, on Mother Nature, on her power—the power that was nestled in all her children.
As a spirit user, I had a small affinity for all magic, because spirit was everywhere, in everything, but I had never perfected my skill of using the other elements for long periods of time. I reached within myself, tugging the new part of me that contained my heightened senses toward the part of me that held onto my past.
My magic encompassed me, wrapping around each crevice of my body just as it had done before I had changed. I formed a small smile.
Turning into a vampire hadn’t meant losing who I was. Being a witch would always be part of me. I hadn’t turned. I had transitioned—into a better, more powerful version of me. The me who made a sacrifice to become The Power’s vessel. The me who made the ultimate betrayal in order to save myself and my coven.
I reached out to the vampire, placing my palm flat against his chest. His scent hit me first. His essence was cool and tingled in my lungs. He smelled of musk and mint. His heart pounded beneath my hand and in my head. I had heard it before, when the distance between us became less and less, and each time, it rang in my ears. I knew it was there, but I still hadn’t expected to find a heartbeat.
One. Two. One. Two. I counted the echoing beats as if I had just regained my ability to hear. Heat pulsated from his body and radiated through me. My breathing became heavy.
As I stepped nearer, I watched as a soft glow around him shone brighter and brighter. Reaching out to it, I smiled as it swirled around my essence, wrapping me in a warm blanket of bliss. But as I pulled his magic closer to me, it began letting go, releasing my body from its grip. It left me alone. Cold. Blissless.
Sticks cracked, jolting us out of our trance. Jasik spun around, his hand easily maneuvering his blade from its sheath. He stepped before me, protectively blocking my body with his. I stepped beside him in a deviant move to show him that I didn’t need his protection.
Malik stood only a few feet from us, jaw clenched, face hard. “We found something.”
Jasik nodded, slid his weapon back into place, and walked away. My body ached as he left my side. The bright glow around him faded away, and I knew his magic was now out of reach.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I kicked the sticks at my feet. The lingering effects of magic took a heavy toll on my strength. After each ritual, our coven would feast. I imagined refueling a vampire was just as important.
“We mustn’t speak of her to anyone,” Malik said in a hushed tone. I glanced over as Jasik’s face grew grim.
“Neither the time nor place,” Jasik said, glancing at me. I looked away.
I ignored the vampires’ obvious attempt to withhold information from me and concentrated on the ache in my gut. I was hungry, and while it irritated me that they were blatantly keeping secrets, I was too worried about what feeding actually meant.
We left the clearing and emerged into the forest, quickly picking up our pace from a brisk walk to a full-on run. While we weren’t particularly near the neighboring human population, we were close enough to risk someone strolling by. These woods were known for their hiking grounds. I wondered if the vampires worried about my level of control. I shook away the concern and convinced myself that they were only worried about their own safety.
Mere minutes passed, but we ran several miles. We had run north, leaving behind California as we entered Oregon. During all of my hunts, I had never ventured this far north.
The vampires led me to a dying wolf. Its matted gray and white hair was stained with blood. As the smell hit me, a wave of hunger rocked my insides. My stomach lurched as if I hadn’t eaten in days, and my tongue went dry. My muscles tightened as I rubbed my dry tongue over my lips. I began to shake, and as each second passed, it became more difficult to control the urge.
My fangs lengthened as I released a small growl. I knew I was no longer in control. The part of me that rose to the surface was more terrifying than the vampires that surrounded me. I pounced on the wolf. I gave in to the need, to everything I had prayed I’d never become.
Digging my fangs into its body, I drank hard and long. Expecting it to taste no differently than rusty water, I was surprised when the thick substance coating my tongue was refreshing. It was sweet with a hint of bitterness, but most importantly, it was delicious. My muscles felt stronger, my senses more alert. I scrunched the wolf’s fur in my hands, pushing my face deeper into it; it ceased to struggle and whimper as it took its last breath.
Sticks crunched against the ground, and my head shot up. A pack of wolves emerged from behind the tree line. A large wolf stepped forward. The alpha. It released a loud growl as it continued to take steps toward me, challenging. I knew I had killed a member of its pack, and it was the alpha’s duty to protect its remaining members. But I refused to give up my meal.
I jumped to my feet and sprang before it. With my foot, I pushed the carcass farther behind me. I pulled my lips up, further exposing my fangs. Streams of blood dripped down my chin, and I released a growl. The alpha met my gaze and held it, but I refused to look away. He challenged me for only seconds before they began to slowly back away. Waiting until the crunches beneath their feet were no longer audible, I relaxed my strained muscles and sat down beside the dead wolf. I finished the final slurps and licked the drips of blood from my chin.
In that moment, I had forgotten who I was. I had killed a living creature, a child of Mother Nature. As a witch, I was raised to love all living things. We hadn’t abstained from eating meat, but my coven respected nature and lived peacefully among animals. We learned to give our livestock a peaceful life—and death. What I had done was a disgrace.
I stood, looking down at my hands. Chunks of gray, matted hair coated my fingers. Holding my hands up for all to see, I began to shake, and I looked at Jasik. I whimpered, my breathing coming in short bursts. I didn’t know why I looked to him, but I needed someone, anyone, to tell me what I had just done was okay.
He took the few steps that separated us and wrapped his arms around me, digging the fingers of his free hand into my hair. He rested his chin atop my head.
“It will become easier with time. I promise.”
I ignored his words. I had killed something. But worst of all, I had enjoyed it. I wanted him to tell me it was okay. I wanted him to make me forget. I wasn’t ready to hear that it would become easier, because I never wanted it to happen again.
Pulling away from him, I wiped my hands on a patch of grass, removing all evidence of my despicable actions. I wiped my tears away with my sleeve and walked toward the others.
I was stronger than I realized, yet weaker than I wanted to admit.
Quickening my pace, I caught up to Jeremiah and Lillie, leaving Jasik and Malik behind. The two were sparring in a grassy field. They ignored me and acted as if my actions weren’t uncommon. They acted as if they didn’t care.
I crossed my arms over my chest and let my breathing slow. Once my fear subsided, I watched the two fight. They seemed to use only enough strength to make their next move. I watched them as a predator stalked prey. It wasn’t uncommon of me: I had stalked and killed many vampires as a witch. I imagined I was fighting them. I saw openings that the other didn’t notice—or didn’t utilize. They fought for fun, for sport, not for victory.
“Shouldn’t we be going somewhere? Someone could see, and the sun…” I asked.
“This area is rural enough, and we have some time before the sun rises. We so rarely take
time off to enjoy the beauties of life. I encourage indulging in what recreational activities we can when done hunting,” Jasik explained.
I said nothing. Instead, I thought about what he said. Vampires enjoying the beauties of life wasn’t something I had been taught. I thought I knew everything I needed to know about the creatures I was destined to kill, but in reality, there was so much I didn’t understand, so much I needed to learn.
“Lillie is our reader. Her ability to read her opponent’s mind gives her an advantage, but Jeremiah’s shield can prevent her from touching him. Their quarrels are quite amusing,” Jasik said as he stepped beside me.
“And you’re the healer,” I said, remembering how his essence had merged with mine. The warmth of his healing powers seemed to still linger. I glanced up to him, noticing the soft white glow that surrounded him.
“And Malik is a seer. His ability allows him to foresee events—tragic and not.” His eyes never met mine.
I returned my gaze to the fighting vampires. Just as Lillie somersaulted toward Jeremiah, an iridescent glow surrounded him, and he back-flipped away. They laughed as they fought, though both wore looks of disdain. It was clear they each didn’t want to hurt the other, but neither would simply give up the fight either.
They seemed to be masters at evading each other’s attacks. Being a reader, Lillie could read Jeremiah’s mind, so she was able to move quicker and cheat her way out of the hit. But Jeremiah did his fair share of cheating, too. Using his ability to shield, he created blockages, forcing Lillie into corners. As each landed a hit on the other, I was sure someone would hear. Though we hid deep within the woods just north of Mt. Shasta, the force behind their blows caused an echoing vibration that radiated through the forest.
“They fight like siblings,” I said with a chuckle.
“Jeremiah has only recently joined our coven.”
I smiled. His newborn-ness had been apparent even when I first saw him.
“He was turned after a near fatal wound acquired during the last world war,” Jasik continued. “Lillie has been with us much longer. She lost her family to the Spanish influenza. She changed willingly. Malik and I found her, dressed as a savage and living with Rogues. We almost killed her, but our realization that she could be helped saved her.”
Blood Rose (Blood Books Book 1) Page 5
