by Tish Thawer
Evie's hair and eyes evened out as she stepped into the center of our little crowd. "Alright. Everyone just sit tight. Terrance, I'm sorry, but even though you're showing signs of breaking through whatever hold Meredith had on you, we just don't know enough to let you out yet. Christian, you and Rose stay here. I won't chance you running into Meredith until we come up with a plan. The rest of us need to go out and feed, but once the club's open tonight, I'm going to call Balam again to see if he can provide us with some more information."
Terrance slid down the wall and sat on the floor as the rest of the clan headed for the stairs.
"Do you want to go up and order some food?" Christian asked.
"Sure." I reached for his hand but immediately regretted it when a smile spread across his face. I couldn't let him think we were making up. Even with this new development, things hadn't changed for me. I was going to have to stick to my guns.
I pulled my hand out of his and started up the stairs, trying to think of a way to handle all of this. Currently...I was coming up blank.
Sounding defeated, Christian asked, "What would you like for dinner, Rose?"
"Chinese sounds fine."
After emerging from below the stage, I sat down at one of the tables as Evie, Dax, Bobby, Tori, and Dom left the club to go feed, while Renard and Loni both took seats at the bar. Christian had just pulled out his cell to place our order when Bobby suddenly walked back through the door. Using his vampire speed, he was at Renard and Loni's side in a split second.
"Excuse me a second, I need to see what's going on." I watched Christian make his way over to them. I strained my ears, trying to hear what was happening. I wondered what drama was unfolding now.
I hadn't really gotten to know much about the couple yet, except that Renard was originally from England and that's where they'd taken their honeymoon so he could show his cute American wife all the places he frequented as a human.
They both had a punk-rocker look about them. Renard's hair was a dirty blonde, smooth yet spiky at the same time. Loni had a short, edgy cut of blonde hair that was tipped in black. No one was sure why her hair had drifted like that when she was turned, but Evie assumed it was because she witnessed her sister being killed when she was a little girl. By the time she was turned, it was a distant memory, but Evie thought it was possible the memory still remained buried deep within her psyche. All I knew was that she was really sweet and pretty badass. She was the only female security guard on the staff. Now with Meredith being back in the picture, I was really glad they were both here and had Christian's back.
* * * * *
(Christian)
"What's going on?" Christian asked.
"We just caught Rose's dad staked out in his car at the back of the parking lot. Evie wants Renard and Loni to follow him back to Masen so we can find out where Meredith is. It's a pretty lucky break. What are the odds he'd show up tonight after all this time?"
"Yeah, a lucky break." I knew I'd started drifting again as I walked back to Rose. How was I going to tell her that her dad was just outside and expect her not to go to him?
"So, what's up? What was that all about?" she asked.
"Let me order you some dinner first, and then we can talk about everything." I needed to allow as much time to pass as possible so hopefully her father would be long gone by the time I broke the news.
She crossed her arms and sat back in her chair. "Alright. But I'm not sure how much there is to talk about. It's obvious now why no one ever came after me for killing Meredith...because I didn't kill her. And as far as my dad is concerned, he made his choice to leave behind all memories of me and my mother to go be with her, so I don't see that there's really anything to talk about at all." The tears shining in her eyes broke my heart, and my will.
"I think there's a lot we need to talk about. Like how Meredith could somehow be controlling him like she was controlling Terrance. She could have forced him to sell the house and move to Masen with her; we really don't know. Until Evie gets some more information from Balam, I think we should just stay out of sight and off her radar, and unfortunately that means no more phone calls. But Rose, you should know, your dad still loves you and hasn't stopped looking for you. He hasn't left you behind. As a matter of fact, he was just sitting outside in his car probably hoping to catch a glimpse of you."
I knew I'd said the wrong thing when she stood up so fast that her chair slammed to the floor. "Christian! My dad was just here and you didn't tell me?"
"Rose, please. I literally just found out."
It was clear she was too mad to hear anything else I had to say because she continued her rant without skipping a beat. "And how dare you try to tell me who I can or can't call? It's a damn good thing I did call Jillian, otherwise we wouldn't even know about Meredith!" She stomped towards the stairs but stopped before heading down. "Your whole clan is the same way. You think you all have the best ideas about what to do, but really...you guys don't have a clue about what's happening around here or how to handle any of it!"
I slammed my fist into the table, shredding it to splinters. Bobby, Renard, and Loni's heads were swiveling between me and a retreating Rose. So much for keeping our fight under wraps. This whole situation was out of control and as much as I wanted to race after Rose and try to smooth things over, I couldn't...because she was right. We didn't have a clue as to what to do next. So until Evie had some more information and told us what the plan was, I was just going to have to let Rose cool off alone. I was tired of disappointing her.
* * * * *
CHAPTER EIGHT
Success
(Meredith)
Damien and I were crouched around a homeless man in the alley behind the Salvation Army. The stench of sweat and garbage was almost too much for me to handle. But, I'd been so happy with the success of our conversation, we'd decided to put our theory to the test right away.
I'd gone over the plan again and again on our way over, and Damien was content with letting me start the process. I sunk my teeth into the man's neck, and with only a little pressure had my first taste of warm blood since I'd killed Loraine. It was heaven. My body was filled with a rush of strength and my heart picked up its pace as the man's essence filled my soul.
"Enough, Meredith. My turn," Damien demanded. I was so caught up in the sensation I didn't realize I'd fed longer than expected.
"I'm sorry, you're right. Here." I tossed him the man's body and watched as he sank his teeth in the already open wounds on his neck. I was pleased but surprised he didn't show any signs of hesitating.
Watching the actual process and effect the human blood had on him was astonishing. It was almost as if Damien grew taller and wider right before me. The flare of red in his eyes signaled just how much he was enjoying the effects of the blood.
Breathing heavily and with crimson coating his mouth, Damien pulled away from the man and dropped his dead body to the ground. "It's working. I can feel it happening just like you said."
"I told you; you can trust me. Now that we know how to get stronger and extend our lives, I think it's time we started to look for others who'd do the same. Because once the vampires in Seela find out I'm still alive, they're going to come after me. The more demons we have ready to fight, the better our chances will be."
"I know a handful of people in my family that may be willing to join us, but the majority will be appalled by what we're doing."
"What if we don't tell them? What if we put some blood in the drinks at the next meeting, and little by little feed them the essence that will make them stronger? Once they realize they are being affected, they won't want to stop."
His sly smile told me he agreed with my plan. "You're brilliant. And gorgeous." In the next second I was being slammed against the hard brick wall. "I want you Meredith. I want you right here, right now." I knew he was reacting to the high of the human blood in our veins, but I loved Jeremy and I wanted him to be the father of my baby...not Damien.
"Damien, back
the fuck off!" I shoved him off of me and straightened my shirt. I was stronger than him and wasn't worried about stopping his advance. "I'm flattered, but there's no way in hell I'm sleeping with you, and if you pull that shit again, I'll have your balls on a platter before you can blink. I need someone I can count on as my second, not someone whose emotions and feelings are going be an issue. Can I count on you or should I start looking for someone else?"
"I'm sorry. I think I'm just overwhelmed by the blood in my system. Please accept my apology. Of course you can count on me." He lowered his head as we made our way out of the dark alley and back to the car.
"Good. I have to get home, but let's meet tomorrow night so we can gather some more 'donors' to prepare for the next meeting."
The look on Damien's face confirmed he was on board with my plan. The anticipation of killing and drinking another human's blood as soon as tomorrow had his eyes glowing red, and a gluttonous smile was plastered on his face. "That sounds perfect!"
* * * * *
(Jeremy)
I wasn't sure, but I thought I was being followed as I headed back towards Masen. The blue SUV had been on me since I'd left The Rising Pit.
Evangeline and the rest of her crew–minus the guy who disappeared back inside–hadn't come back before I left, but as I pulled onto the freeway and pointed my car towards home, this truck had been behind me. Damn, I'm getting paranoid again.
During the two hour drive from Seela to Masen, I tested my theory. I changed lanes, sped up and slowed down, and finally began to relax when I no longer saw the truck behind me. I pulled out my cell to give Meredith a heads up that I was almost home. "Hi, honey, I'm almost to the edge of town. Did you eat already or do I need to pick something up for us?"
"I would love some pizza if you're up for it. I can call Giovanni's and have it ready for pickup if you'd like."
Hearing her voice settled my nerves. After striking out on my stakeout, the idea of a romantic evening with Meredith was just what I needed. "Pizza and wine. That sounds perfect, babe. I'll be there in thirty minutes."
* * * * *
CHAPTER NINE
Trigger
(Evie)
Once Renard and Loni were on their way to Masen to gather intel on Jeremy and Meredith, Dax and the others opened the club as I settled in my office and prepared to call my Sire once again.
I asked Christian to join me so he could relay the details of exactly what happened with Terrance if necessary.
Balam answered on the second ring, obviously recognizing my number from the caller id. "Evangeline. What's wrong? I didn't expect to hear from you again so soon."
"I'm sorry to bother you again, Sire, but our situation is far from over and there have been some developments that are causing even more confusion."
"What developments, jovencita?" It was hard for him not to speak in his native tongue, but he knew that I'd stopped speaking Spanish a very long time ago. But he still couldn't resist calling me by the nickname he'd labeled me with so long ago..."young one."
A small burst of laughter escaped me at the oddity of being called "young one." Me, a twelve-hundred year old vampire. But it did solidified just how ancient Balam truly was. I hoped being one of the original Mayan people would lend itself to him possessing some valuable information once again.
"The demon is still alive and my vampire son, Terrance, has shown signs of drifting back to normal. I was hoping you might have an idea as to how that's even possible. I know the rule is to deliver the true death to any vampire who's drifted permanently dark, but if he's drifting back, I think we need to make an exception to the rule." The speed of my explanation was apparently enough of a trigger for Balam to understand how panicked I truly was.
"Evangeline, calm down. After we last spoke I contacted the other elders and we've discussed your situation at length. I think you're right; ending Terrance would be a mistake. He's the first vampire to ever go through something like this and come out of it alive. Our lack of information in the past has led to some unfortunate deaths, but now that we know demons are responsible for the few cases in which vampires drifted permanently dark, this is the perfect opportunity to study Terrance and his reactions and maybe find a solution to the problem through his experience."
Relieved, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I sunk into my leather chair. I was so happy Terrance would be allowed to live. Christian remained seated on the opposite side of my desk, watching me intently as he listened with his heightened hearing as Balam continued.
"I think one of the reasons Terrance has started drifting back is due to the lack of demon blood being introduced into his system. He hasn't fed from the demon in months, so it would make sense that her blood would work its way out of his system. Our rule of delivering the true death was something that Yum Camil established before my time and has always prompted us to end our affected brethren before they ever had a chance to recover."
I hoped Balam was right, as this would mean that Terrance would soon drift back to normal and fully become part of our clan once more. My hopes were quickly dashed as Balam spoke again.
"You are not going to be able to let Terrance free because even though the demon blood no longer poisons his system, we are not sure how the mind bond that was forged will be affected. Just because he's not feeding from her doesn't mean she couldn't still have the ability to control him."
Damn! That was really bad news. Christian's eyes and hair were almost black as he shook his head. I knew how upset he was and exactly what he was thinking. Killing her and every other demon we could find was going to be our only choice.
"Balam, do you and the elders have any ideas on how we actually kill a demon?"
"Let me contact the elders once more and I will call you in a couple of days. The stories of our origins and the ancient demon culture are scarce, but I'm sure through our combined knowledge we'll be able to pinpoint the details you'll need to put an end to this nightmare."
I thanked my Sire and hung up the phone. This was going to be a long couple of days.
"Do you think they have a chance of uncovering the information we need to destroy her?" The skepticism in Christian's voice proved he didn't think so.
"I'm not sure. We're facing something new for the first time in all of vampire history, and that means there are a lot of unknowns. Even Balam has never been through something like this. But I trust him to do everything he can to help us find the answer." With that, I pushed out of my chair and headed to find Dax. I knew my consort would want to know everything I'd just learned. Christian's hand on my shoulder stopped me just as I reached the door.
"Rose and I had a fight. She's mad at me for not telling her about her dad moving when we first found out. And now, with Meredith being alive, I think she's even more determined to contact her dad to find out what's going on. She's lost faith that we'll be able to control the situation and I think she's losing faith in our relationship too. I don't know what to do."
The crestfallen look on his face had my heart breaking. This was Christian's first serious relationship in six-hundred years. "I'm so sorry, Christian, but try to understand. Rose has lost her entire family, and is now being forced to live with a bunch of vampires who can only interact with her at night. She must be feeling pretty alone, and then to find out we've been keeping things from her...you must see how that could be very upsetting."
"I do. And I'm sorry I didn't tell her sooner. You said that you wanted to gain more information first, and at the time I agreed with you, but I think we made a mistake. We're going to have to trust Rose more. Especially since once I become the new Sire, she'll be my consort forever. I don't want any animosity between us right from the start."
"You're right. We do need to trust her more, but keep in mind, Christian, she's still human. Their emotions can make them do irrational things."
"Like run straight into the waiting arms of a demon because she misses her dad?" Christian asked.
"Exactly. And honestly, y
ou do realize we have no way of stopping her from leaving during the day, don't you? Unless you plan to bite and use your sedative on a human, there's no other way to keep tabs on her while we sleep."
"I thought about that, and even though it will push her further away if she ever finds out, I feel like she's leaving me no choice. I'm so terrified of what Meredith will do to her if she gets the chance. And Rose's fear for her father's safety is likely to push her straight into Meredith's grasp."
"Take tonight and think things over. If you want to use a human to guard her during the day, I know the perfect one. Just let me know what you decide."
* * * * *
