by Tish Thawer
"Okay, but here's the deal. No one can know that we know each other or that I'm going to change you. This isn't the usual way that these types of things happen, and by not following the rules, that puts us both in a lot of danger."
"Then what is the normal way? If there was a way to do this without breaking any vampire rules, and as long as I could keep it a surprise from Christian, I would do it."
"There is no other way. I told you we're in serious danger for you even knowing vampires exist. It's not like you can just walk in and ask everyone to take a vote. Traditionally, when a vampire wants to add someone to our clan, the whole clan has to vote on it, since everyone gets to have a say as to whom they want added to the family. But don't worry, as long as you can keep it a secret, I'll change you because I know that everyone will be happy, and Christian will be thrilled with this surprise. I may be in trouble at first, but I'll deal with it."
With that settled, the plan was for me to graduate college, and once I was moved out of my childhood home, he would change me and I would surprise Christian with the fact that we could now be together forever.
I couldn't wait.
* * * * *
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Life was Over
(Rose)
After the decision had been made that I would become a vampire and surprise Christian with my transformation, life went back to normal. Normal, but better. Everything now held a newfound excitement for me. My dates with Christian were fantastic because knowing that I would never be without him gave me such internal happiness that it felt like I was walking on clouds whenever we were together. He finally expressed his love for me as well, and continued to display it in the most traditional ways: flowers, love notes, jewelry, etc., and constantly told me that he never wanted to live without me. That was something that I loved hearing, because in just under a year, he was going to be getting his wish.
Tonight's date had been especially great because Christian had told me that his boss, Evangeline, was going to be hosting a company mixer and all the employees were supposed to bring dates.
Though he never let on, it was obvious that this was his way of introducing me to his clan and I couldn't have been more excited. If he wanted me to meet them, then that meant at some point he was probably planning to have them vote as to whether I could become one of them, just like Terrance had explained.
"Absolutely, I would love to meet everyone you work with." I accepted the invitation and then kissed him goodnight as it was really late. I headed home, realizing that it was just after two in the morning. I hoped that I wouldn't wake up Mom and Dad, but Mom had a tendency to wait up for me, even though I was a grown woman. I didn't mind though, and if she was up, I would get to tell her about Christian inviting me to his "company mixer" next weekend.
The moment that I turned the corner at the end of my street, my vision was filled with blaring red and blue lights. It only took a couple seconds for me to realize that the ambulance and cop cars were centered around my house.
Oh no!
I had no idea what was happening, but, I hope my dad didn't have a heart-attack, was the first thought that crossed my mind. He always worked so hard, and lately he'd had to attend a lot more late and out of town meetings.
I parked the car down the street and ran towards the house as fast as I could. I tried talking to the first policeman I saw. "What's happened?"
"Miss, you need to get back in your car and head on home," the cop politely stated.
"This is my home!" I screamed as I pushed my way past him and started across the yard.
"Rose!" My dad's voice rang out, and in the same instant my heart dropped. If he was running towards me, then something had happened to Mom.
From the tear streaks that coated his face, I knew it was bad. I stopped in my tracks halfway across the lawn and froze. By the time he reached me, everything had gone silent. It was like my ears were suddenly filled with cotton, and the whole world had started to operate in slow-motion.
The moment Dad reached me, he wrapped me in his arms and we fell to the ground. "Rose. She's gone. Your Mom's gone," he sobbed.
It wasn't the cold dew on the grass that caused my goose bumps, but the utter terror of what he'd just said to me. There had to be a mistake. I had just talked to Mom early tonight when I told her that I was going to be later than usual. There was no way that she could be dead.
"Sir, if you and your daughter would come with us, we have a few questions for you," the same officer said.
We were led into the house, and then instructed to take a seat in the living room. I was so lost in my head that I didn't even hear the police as they started asking my dad questions about what had happened. But once I was able to regain a small amount of focus, it became clear that someone had broken in and killed my mom when she'd come out of her room and spotted them. Dad said that he hadn't heard anything, but that when he woke up and found the bed empty, he'd got up to check on Mom and found her in the hallway, just outside their bedroom.
Dad continued to explain that it looked like she had just passed out, as there wasn't any blood, but when he tried to wake her, he realized that she wasn't breathing and called 9-1-1.
Apparently when the ambulance arrived and began examining the body, they had found two small puncture wounds on her neck, and requested my dad's permission to do an autopsy to pinpoint the cause of death.
After hearing this, the first thought that crossed my mind was, Terrance.
That son of a bitch no good vampire followed my mom home and killed her after feeding one last time. Oh god, what if he turned her?
I immediately realized that my train of thought didn't make any sense, because if Terrance had turned my mom, her body wouldn't be here. He would have taken her with him so they could complete the process, and so that he could be there when she woke as a vampire. No, this wasn't right. Plus, Terrance had always treated my mom like something he cherished, so why would he kill her? Something just wasn't adding up. Terrance couldn't have been the one who killed my mom.
I continued to ponder all the possibilities of what could've happened because there was no way that two puncture wounds to the neck was a normal cause of death. As a matter of fact, I heard them rule it a "freak accident" as they finished up their interrogation and began to clear the scene.
My attention was suddenly snapped into focus as I saw my mom's body being wheeled out the front door in a body bag. My dad quickly grabbed me and forced me to look away.
My mom's life was over, and so was mine. How was I supposed to live without her? As the tears started to flow and the authorities finally left us alone, I sank into my dad's embrace. As devastated as I was, listening to him cry over the loss of his wife was what pained my heart the most.
After that night, everything changed. My dad took a sabbatical from work and pulled me out of school while we tried to process everything. He made funeral arrangements and had meetings with lawyers and insurance people all while insisting that I stayed glued to his side.
It quickly became clear that Mom's death had turned Dad into a scared, over-protective father. The only time I was able to grieve on my own was when it was time for bed or when I used the restroom. He wouldn't let me see Christian anymore, and since I practically never left the house without him, I never saw Terrance again either. It had only been a month, but there was no end in sight to what I liked to call my "official lock-down." God, I missed my mom so much.
The only thing that made me happy was thinking about Christian. We talked on the phone as much as we could, and as harsh as it sounded, the fact that we would never have to go through something like this made me happy. I was still devastated that my mom was dead...but I was going to live forever.
Blood of a Red Rose
(Book Two of The Rose Trilogy)
* * * * *
PROLOGUE
Our New Life
(Rose)
By the time we reached The Rising Pit, my eyes were dry. I literally could
n't cry anymore. Just a few hours ago, everything had been so perfect. My dad had broken up with that demon bitch, I had finally gained back my freedom, and we were going to go buy me a new car the following day.
But in a flash, everything had changed. I found out my mom had been murdered by a demon who was after my father, because apparently he was a demon, too. And not only was I a demon as well, but now...I was also a murderer.
I hadn't thought twice about killing Meredith when Christian told me to do it. Not only had I wanted revenge for my mother, but also I had to keep her from telling Christian that I was a demon.
I had no idea how I knew it, but when Meredith had admitted to killing my mom, I felt the rage inside of me rise to the point where something physically changed within me. It was like I felt my DNA shifting. So when she told me that my father and I were demons, I knew she was telling the truth. I also knew she was telling the truth about Christian's clan wanting to kill me if they found out.
I wasn't sure how I was going to keep this secret, but then again, I had always been able to keep my thoughts hidden. My God, that was it! After learning about the effects of Meredith's blood on Terrance and how it kept his thoughts protected and fuzzy, it all made sense. No wonder I never had a problem hiding my thoughts from Evie...it was because of my demon blood.
"Rose? Are you going to be okay?" Christian's question startled me out of my inner turmoil. With everything racing around in my head, all I could do was nod in response.
"I know what happened is something that's going to take some time to process. But you have to realize, you didn't have a choice. She killed your mom and could have hurt you or your dad. She infected Terrance and there was no way I could let her threaten anyone else in my family. Killing her was the right thing to do."
He shifted in his seat and took both of my hands in his. "We need to get you inside and tell Evie everything that happened, but first I need to ask you a question. You know you can no longer go back to your old life, right? I'm sorry, but I won't let you be placed in a situation where you could be taken from me. I love you and I never want to live without you." He swallowed hard and cupped my cheek in his palm. "I will soon become the new Sire, and when I am I want you to be my consort. If you agree, I'm sure Evie will let you stay here with us from now on. We can start our new life together right away."
Oh my God. This was what I had been dreaming of for so long, but how was this going to work? I was a demon and Christian wanted me to become his consort. It was going to kill me to have to tell him I couldn't become a vampire anymore...that I could never be his consort.
I was so scared and I knew I would never be able to go home again. Staying with the clan seemed like the best way to stay protected. They could bite and use their sedative on anyone who came looking for me. It was the obvious choice, even if it wasn't for the same reasons as Christian thought. "Yes. I would love to stay with you and the clan. Thank you, Christian. You are truly saving my life."
"You are my life Rose, and I'll gladly spend an eternity proving that to you." He leaned over and kissed me. It was soft, tender, and filled with emotion.
The pain in my heart left me feeling like I was the one with a poker through my chest. How could I live with the man I loved while planning to lie to him every single day?
I guess I was about to learn exactly how to break a vampire's heart...
Rose’s eyes close, and the darkness sets in,
How can I live with my lover as a friend?
* * * * *
CHAPTER ONE
Changed
(Rose)
Killing my dad's ex-girlfriend and living with Christian's vampire clan had been the best decision I'd ever made. I was able to spend my nights with the love of my life, and fill my days finishing my college courses online while they slept. I'd graduated on time and had now passed my twenty-first birthday. The only downfall...I really missed my dad.
"Rose, are you okay?" It wasn't Christian's question that startled me; it was, once again, the shock of how beautiful he was, and that I was a part of his everyday life now. My dreams had come true. He was my angel on earth.
My mouth started to water as my eyes scanned him from top to bottom. He was standing there with a towel wrapped around his waist. Fresh from the shower, his light blonde highlighted hair was wet, and his caramel eyes were sparkling with golden rays that could've been straight from the sun. He was so perfect, and damn did he have the most gorgeous body...one I'd become very familiar with over the past four months. All things considered, I was a very lucky girl.
I pushed myself off our bed and wrapped my arms around him. "I was just thinking about everything that's happened. Terrance, Meredith, my dad. I...I just can't believe how much everything has changed."
He pulled out of my hug, kissed me on the lips, and then looked deep into my eyes. " I know, baby, but now you're living and working here full-time, and once I become the new Sire, I'll change you and then we'll truly be able to start planning our very long future together."
The smile I plastered on my face was the best I could do and I hoped Christian bought it, because inside, I knew that was something I could never let happen. I was part demon and my blood would infect him, just as Meredith's had infected Terrance. I couldn't do that to Christian. Besides, the clan already vowed to hunt and kill any demons in the area. Sucks to be me.
Over the past four months I hadn't stopped thinking about Meredith's revelation that Dad and I were both demons. It was the reason she had gone after my mom. She'd wanted my dad for herself. It was pretty obvious my dad didn't have a clue, and that was a problem. I had no idea how I was going to learn anything about our heritage since I'd killed the only demon I'd ever encountered.
So many hurdles that would make it impossible for me to become Christian's consort. Yet out of necessity to remain hidden and safe, I was still living here with the clan. Evie had put me to work here at the club, so I actually had a real job and wasn't just a burden to them. I'd always been really good with numbers, so now I was in charge of keeping the books. Not that books were even necessary, since they could easily bite and use their sedative to manipulate anyone who would question them, like the liquor board or the IRS. But it was actually easier and more in-line with the clan's morals to run this business on the up-and-up. I certainly wasn't complaining, I finally had a real job.
When I'd first arrived, Justin and Christian had set me straight about the vampire facts that Terrance had lied to me about. I'd learned vampires were actually really great people and nothing like how the history books or fables of old portrayed them. They only fed out of necessity, and always used the sedative that flowed from their fangs to make sure it never hurt their prey. All a vampire had to do was program their sedative to make their prey do and think whatever they wanted. So they always made it a pleasant experience, and then wiped their memories of the event. It's how vampires had been able to remain hidden from the world for centuries.
Almost a year ago, when I first found out vampires existed, I'd hoped to surprise Christian by going through the change and becoming a vampire like him so we could be together forever. But since Terrance was the one to tell me all about vampires and was unfortunately under Meredith's influence at the time, everything he told me had been a lie. There had been no way for him to make me a vampire as promised; that was something only a Sire could do. As I walked into the bathroom I called over my shoulder, "Do you have any idea when you'll become the new Sire?" Please let it be a long time.
"I'm not sure. My abilities are increasing but I think Evie wants to wait and see what other talents I develop before we do the Passing of Powers ritual. Honestly, I'm not even sure I'm really the one being triggered. It could all just be a big mistake."
Hope blossomed in my chest as I stared at myself in the foggy bathroom mirror. "What happens if it's not you?"
"I guess we just wait until someone else starts to show signs of being triggered."
Please let it not be him. The longe
r I had until a new Sire was triggered, the longer I had to figure out all this demon crap. One day very soon I was going to have to face my dad and get some answers. I didn't think he knew, but what if I was wrong and he'd known all along?
"I'm gonna hit the shower, but when I'm done...there's something I want to talk to you about."
* * * * *
CHAPTER TWO
Search
(Jeremy)
Today was the day I was going to find my little girl. I just knew it.
