Mark of the Dagger (The Marked Series Book 1)

by Rae, Stella

  Before Dani could say anything, Joe sat back down, still bare from the waist up. She couldn't take her eyes off the tattoo. "Your dad had one too," he said quietly. "Dani, can I look at your neck?" She slowly turned her back to him and moved aside her hair. She felt his fingertips gently trace the raspberry outline. "That's the same spot Jakes was."

  "What does it mean? And how come yours is like a real tattoo?"

  "I'm getting to that. I just thought that by showing you mine first it would be easier for me to explain and for you to understand...” He reached for her hand again. "We, you and me and your dad, we have what’s called Demon Hunters blood, running through our veins. Your dad was a Demon Hunter, just like I am-"

  "I thought you are a business man?" she interrupted him utterly confused.

  With a laugh he continued, "To ordinary people yes, I am. But mostly that is just a front. Out here in our world Dani, there are scary monsters. Those few of us that are Demon Hunters, we risk our lives night after night to rid our world of these soulless creatures. We give ourselves over to protect the innocent around us."

  "We have schools all around the world. It is where kids mostly around your age go to train. It is where our hunters in training learn of all of the ‘species’ that inhabit this earth. These schools are where they learn how to defeat them or even if they should.

  "That mark on your neck, the mark on my back, it is the Mark of the Dagger. It is how you know that you are of this blood. It is how we know that you are ready to train."

  Dani took advantage of his pause to ask questions. "How come I didn't know about you and dad? You said that you protect humans; does that mean that we are not human? And why am I just now getting this mark, I'm a little old to start training. Will I not be far behind? Does this mean that dad didn't really die of a heart attack?" she finished quietly and all in one breath.

  She didn't miss the small nod her mother gave Joe but decided not to call her on it. "Well, People of the Dagger normally get marked around their fifteenth birthday. So yes, you are a year behind. If you decide this is something you want to do, you will have to train harder to catch up. We are all still humans Dani; we are just the Chosen Ones to help protect the others."

  "As for not knowing...” he shrugged. “After your dad died your mom and I decided not to tell you. We weren't sure that you would get the Mark of the Dagger because your mom doesn't have Demon Hunters blood. When People of the Dagger breed with mundane people, their children will just be ordinary. We thought it was highly unlikely that you would be Chosen."

  "Then why was I?"

  "The only reason I can think of is because of our lineage. We come from the oldest line of Demon Hunters. Our ancestors were the first to be marked. So maybe it was just too strong to let the line end at you." he shrugged, “I'm just not sure. That’s something that we can research later on."

  "You never answered me about my dad," she said quietly, despite the fact that she wasn’t sure she could take any more information. Her world was just turned upside down in a matter of hours and with everything that she thought was fact and fiction changing, she didn’t even know who she was anymore.

  "No, your dad did not die of a heart attack. He died in battle. He died a hero, Dani. When you were three years old, all Demon Hunters available were called out to Pennsylvania. There was an attack on the training school there." he started. With the deep emotion surfacing, his English accent was more pronounceable.

  "Your dad and I were among the hunters called. And when we arrived it was total chaos. By the time the faculty caught wind of the attack it was too late to move the students elsewhere. We gathered the students in the auditorium because it sits in the middle of campus. Its’ location would make it more difficult for the vampires to get to them because they had to go through the hunters outside. Your dad was one of the hunters selected to guard the students. Unfortunately, a few of the vampires got past those of us further out. Had it not been for him, we would have lost a number of kids that night.”

  Dani was in information overload. She had no idea how long she sat there without saying anything after he finished telling his story. It wasn't until her mom handed her a box of tissues and wrapped her arms around her that she knew she was crying. Her father was a hero? Joe was a warrior? Was she supposed to follow in their footsteps? It seemed like her whole life was a lie. She didn't even know who she was anymore. She wasn't normal and never would be again.

  "I can't believe you didn't tell me." When she opened her mouth that wasn't what she was planning to say. But it was out and there was no taking it back. "You both have lied to me, my whole life. How could you do that?" she stood up. "How could you think that springing all this on me would be ok? With no warning? I..." she trailed off, not knowing what to say to express what she was truly feeling. Betrayal.

  "Dani," her mother reached out to grab her hand.

  "Don’t." Dani said and watched her mom flinch back in surprise at her tone. "Don't touch me." With that, she spun on her heel and ran to her bedroom and slammed the door.

  "Well that went well," Sarah said in a rueful tone to Joe.

  He gave her a small smile and stood to redress. "Come on, let’s order in Chinese tonight and we can talk more to Dani about the school once she calms down a bit."

  "Do you really think she will? Calm down, I mean?"

  "Sarah, she is a sixteen year old girl. She's resilient." And with that, he wrapped an arm around her and dragged her into the kitchen.

  Chapter Two

  Exhausted from the day’s events and the after effects of crying Dani must have fallen asleep. She woke up to her mother sitting beside her on the bed.

  "Honey I’m sorry that we didn’t tell you. We didn’t think you would become marked and we thought it best that you not know of their existence."

  "You didn't see the point in telling me who my father really was?" Dani asked incredulously.

  "Knowing this doesn’t change your view of him. While he was alive the fact that he was a hunter was never hidden from you. It wasn’t until we lost him that I decided to keep what he was a secret. I couldn't handle it anymore. I had just lost my husband Dani and I was scared of losing you too." Sarah took a deep breath, trying to calm the quiver in her voice. "Please understand that. Now, your Uncle Joe and I have dinner waiting out here. Please join us, we have more to discuss." She kissed Dani on the forehead and left the room.

  Dani sat there in the quiet room for a minute, wondering what else they wanted to tell her. Learning what was in her blood, that her family members were kick ass warriors and that she was expected to be too, the pink frilly curtain and bedspread were laughable.

  She looked around her walls at all the band posters and Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and other books and posters and she thought the room was a little young for her now.

  Now that she had time to calm down and think she thought the whole idea of Demon Hunters was pretty cool even if a little scary.

  Thinking of her dad and Uncle and what they do, it was almost awe-inspiring. If the reality was anything like what she has read about in her fantasy books, she could imagine how scary that job must be in real life. She shivered as she thought of her dream and wondered if living the life of a hunter would be similar.

  Dani wondered if her mom was going to let her train. She remembered the feeling of elation when she lifted her sword in her dream and decided she wanted to train. She wanted that feeling back. She wanted to do something important. Feel like she was making a difference in the world. She wondered if the school would even let her in.

  After all, didn't Joe tell her that normally kids that come from mixed blood didn't get marked? How in the world did she? What if they didn't accept anyone who wasn't pure blooded? Even if they did, maybe she didn't have enough Demon Hunters blood to make a difference. She was probably going to be slower and weaker than the rest of them.

  But Dani decided she didn't care.

  She at least needed to try and if she had to wo
rk harder than the rest of the students then she would. She would do whatever it took to be the best hunter she could be. After all, the blood that ran through her veins was the oldest in history and no matter how diluted it may be, she knew she was meant to do this.

  She wanted to be more than what she was. More than the sixteen year old story teller. The dreamer, the girl who loses herself reading and creating fantasy novels for hours at a time. This could be her chance to actually live one. With her mind made up to join the Demon Hunters, she headed toward the kitchen to talk her mother into it.

  Dani sat at the table next to Joe and dished out lo mien noodles and sesame chicken. She waited until they both had food on their plates before she said anything.

  "I want to do it," she looked from her mother’s resigned face to her Uncle's happy one. She clarified. "I want to train; I want to learn more about all of this Demon Hunter business."

  Joe nodded, "That’s great Dani! But you need to learn more before you make that decision."

  "Like what?"

  “Well, if you do this you’ll have to quit public school. You won’t be able to see Mia as often, well, hardly ever except for when you are on breaks. And most importantly, you can’t tell her or anyone else where you are going or what you are really doing. You will be living with the hunters, closing yourself out of the ordinary world. There are a lot of sacrifices to choosing this life, and you need to think long and hard before you make this decision.” She nodded.

  "You will be attending Mount Claussen, the school in Pennsylvania as it’s the closest. You will live on campus taking the classes to get your high school diploma as well as classes on Demons to learn what they are and how to handle each individual ones. There will also be extensive training. Your days will be long and sometimes your nights even longer. These schools are not easy, they are not for the faint of heart. The instructors push their hunters in training very hard but if you choose to do this, I have great faith that you will exceed expectations.”

  "I have to lie to all of my friends? What about mom, will I still see her?"

  "Your mom can come visit you anytime she wants. And you will have four breaks a year that you get to come home. Plus, it's only three hours away. So it won’t be too bad."

  Sarah had been quiet throughout their entire discussion and Dani turned to look at her. "What do you think mom?" She asked her.

  "I think that if you want to do this, it is your choice. And no matter what you decide, I'll support you in your decision." Her mom told her and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

  "I still want to do it," she said quietly. "I think that no matter the sacrifices, it will be worth it."

  "Your dad would be proud of you," Sarah told her.

  "We need to get you packed up and ready to go," Joe said and clapped his hands. "I've already talked with headmaster Charleston at Mount Claussen, he is expecting us in two days. I figured that would give us enough time to get everything taken care of here," Joe said.

  Joe laughed at Dani’s surprise, it was obvious that she did not expect everything to escalate so quickly.

  "How did you know I was going to say yes?" she asked him through narrowed eyes.

  "Because you, my dear niece are your fathers’ daughter," he said with a slight tug at her hair. She smiled.

  Dani is her father’s daughter. She was going to be a warrior just like him and would do everything in her power to make him proud. Vowing to herself right then to work hard and train harder until she was the absolute best Hunter that she could be. Anything less would likely get her killed.

  "I will talk to the school tomorrow, get all her paper work finished up," Sarah said to Joe. To Dani she said, "Looks like you don't have school tomorrow. You and I will do something special. You should probably tell Mia you are not going back and have her come by tonight to say your goodbyes."

  Chapter Three

  Mount Claussen was a massive compound set in the valley between the mountains. Trees surrounded the compound on every side but the north which housed an enormous iron gate with the initials M.C. There were little carvings of gargoyles etched into the iron. It looked slightly mid evil and a lot creepy.

  Dani’s stomach was in knots threatening to make her expel the little bit of breakfast her mother coaxed her to eat. When they pulled up to the gates she had the door handle in white—knuckled grip. Her nerves only increased as they waited for someone to come out the security house just inside the gates.

  On the tail of the nerves crept doubt. Since Joe wasn’t able to make the drive with them, only saying that he would meet them there, he wasn’t there to reassure her that everything was going to be ok, that she had made the right decision. She didn’t understand why her resolve was beginning to waiver now. She had been determined to join this school only yesterday.

  No matter the sacrifices, Dani told herself over and over, certain was she that this was the right move. But at the moment she was terrified and nervous, a combination that only proved to make her question her sanity. A gasp of surprise escaped her as a tall, gorgeous man approached the car, somehow easing her nerves. She laughed to herself, reassured that even though she just found out she was supposed to be a warrior, she was still the same boy-crazy teenager she had always been.

  Once they were through the gate they were enclosed on both sides by big beautiful trees, the colors of the leaves changing with the beginnings of fall. Dani marveled at the shapes and shadows the sunlight cast on the narrow, winding road in front of them as Sarah drove.

  As the trees thinned she got her first glimpse of the massive compound. When they pulled into a large parking lot she got out to take in her new home. Never had Dani seen anything as lovingly tended or beautiful in her life. The grass was a vibrant shade of green separated by pristine walkways leading to different ends of the campus, like a maze, she could definitely see herself getting lost often. There was a pond off to the right of parking lot and she headed toward it, her mother following close behind.

  “It’s beautiful here isn’t it?” Dani heard Sarah ask in a tight voice making her wonder if they were thinking the same thing.

  This was the place her father gave his life to protect. He was here, perhaps he sat on this very same bench overlooking the pond before the attack. Being here and knowing that was going to be a lot harder than she had anticipated. Although, in a way she felt like it was just one more connection she had to her dad.

  This was probably harder for her mom. Knowing the same thing Dani knew and letting her stay anyway...

  "That it is. It's going to be really different living here and being away from you. Are you sure you are ok with it?" Dani asked her.

  Dani stood with her back to her mom, scared to look at her for fear she might cry. Instead, she looked out at the mountains that were far off in the distance, yet looked as if she could reach out and touch them. Sarah said nothing but grabbed her daughter and held on tight.

  "What do you think?" Joe asked from behind them.

  "It's amazing," Dani blinked back her tears.

  "Well you haven't seen anything yet. Come on. I'll give you a quick tour on our way to the Headmasters' office."

  They walked past the dormitories, a massive gym that held a pool and the most spectacular church Dani had ever laid eyes on. Almost the entire building was made out of stained glass. It was covered in Angels and Warriors, she had never seen the like before.

  Once again she'd lost count how many times a gasp escaped her. She was in awe of the entire campus. The main building housed the cafeteria, auditorium, two common rooms, the library, and administrations. The building itself was made of black stone looking mid-evil; part castle, part fortress. There were even turrets.

  Placed in the middle, it was the focal point of the campus. The other buildings surrounded it, creating a shield as if to protect its heart.

  "Holy Cow,” Dani exclaimed. She could think of nothing else to say about it.

  "This place is amazing," Sarah said in awe.

&n
bsp; "Yeah! What she said," Dani said jerking her thumb in her mother’s direction.

  Once in Headmaster Charleston’s office, Dani tried to get the stupefied expression of seeing the campus off of her face. She already felt like a fool, no need in letting the Headmaster know she was one. She wasn't sure what she expected him to be like, but what she got, definitely wasn't it.

  Headmaster Charleston was a short, plump man with a receding hair line. He had rosy cheeks like Santa and his glasses kept sliding down his nose. He seemed genuinely nice and happy that she was there. Sometimes when he spoke to her he sounded as if she were royalty. Dani didn’t know if this was because of her bloodline or if he was that way with everyone, but she was uncomfortable with the attention regardless. He talked on and on to Sarah, saying everything he could think of to ease her nerves about leaving Dani here.

  "So Professor DuPont, I assume that you've gotten yourself settled in?" he asked Joe. Dani whipped her head around to stare at Joe who was watching her with a bemused expression. He answered the Headmaster with a yes.

  "You're staying here? You'll be a teacher?"

  "Yep. I'm your new trainer, kid."

  "That’s fantastic," Dani said on a laugh. She felt so much better knowing that she wasn't going to be completely alone. "I'm glad you will be staying, but won’t you miss going out on your own?"

  "I'm getting to be an old man Dani, I need the break."

  "You're thirty five, that’s hardly old. I don't want you giving that up because you think I need you here. I mean I want you here and I'm glad you want to be here too, but please don’t pick up and leave home because of me."

  "I'm here and I took this job for me. The fact that you are here is an added bonus. Now shut up and listen to Headmaster Charleston," he said with a gentle pat on her shoulder.

  "Well like I said, I'm glad you'll be here," Dani turned back to the Headmaster.