The Rose Trilogy Box Set

by Tish Thawer

  "I understand that you're nervous, and of course, it's not going to be easy. But at least now we have a group of demons to choose from. We'll just follow Renard back to where Meredith conducted her meeting, and then abscond with one of her little members. By the time she misses anyone, it will be too late."

  "Evie, it's not that simple. Whether it's my clairsentient ability or something else, I just know that it won't work. There's something we're missing, and until I get a clear picture of what that something is...I'm not going to be biting anyone." Christian's statement held the slightest hint of his Sire's command.

  As frustrating as all of this was, I was extremely proud of how well he was adjusting, and how powerful a new Sire he was quickly becoming.

  "You're right, Christian. We can't rush into anything. The sun is almost up, so let's plan to continue this conversation tomorrow. When you wake, I'd like you to meet me at the cell. We need to see if you can gather any more information from Kennedy, and find out if he's started to drift back yet."

  "You think the demon blood has already left his system?" Dax asked.

  "Yes, I do. Terrance was feeding from Meredith repeatedly for months, but Kennedy had only a small taste, so if the timing proves accurate, he should be drifting back by tomorrow night."

  "Alright, Evie. I'll meet you there. Goodnight."

  I watched Christian exit my office and then turned to face Dax. He was still sitting in the chair, gnawing on a plastic toothpick as his hair drifted from dark blonde to the deepest brown. "I don't like this, Evie. None of it seems right. How can creating a hybrid demon really help us? Seems to me, we'd be playing into our own demise."

  "I've considered that too, but I have to trust Balam. If he and the elders think this is our best shot, I really don't see any other option. Meredith may not have started anything yet, but it sure as hell seems like she's getting ready to. I won't let her and her army start infecting the vampires in the area. I'll do whatever it takes to protect our clan and our race."

  Dax removed the toothpick from his mouth and slowly stood up from the chair. "I know you want to protect us all, but Evie, it's really not up to you anymore. It's Christian's job now, and like he said, he's not going to bite anyone until he figures things out. All we can do now is just support him, okay?"

  I leaned into his embrace and rested my head on his shoulder. He was right of course. I still held the status of Sire within my clan, but Christian was the true leader now. I just hoped that with all of his abilities, he was able to figure out what piece of the puzzle we were missing, and soon.

  * * * * *

  (Rose)

  I woke up just after 9 a.m., slid out from under Christian's arm, and proceeded to get dressed. I didn't have to worry about waking anyone up, as they were all comatose and would remain so until the sun went down.

  As I showered and did my makeup, the butterflies in my stomach started doing flip-flops. I knew I'd need to make the call soon, or I'd risk missing Dad. If he still worked his same schedule, he was usually in the office by 10 a.m.

  Even though I knew there was no risk of being interrupted, I decided to head upstairs into the club so I could truly be alone. I was nervous but excited to finally be reaching out to my dad. I glanced at the red numbers of the digital clock hanging above the bar...9:36 a.m. I flipped open my cell and dialed.

  "Hello. This is Jeremy."

  Tears immediately started streaming down my cheeks at the sound of his voice. I couldn't say anything due to the huge lump presently taking up residence in the middle of my throat.

  "Hello?" he repeated. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

  I finally got my emotions under control, swallowed, and said, "Dad. It's me...Rose."

  The line was silent for a moment as I heard what sounded like a car slowing down then he said, "Rose? Honey, is that really you?"

  "Yeah, Dad. It's me. Are you alone?"

  "Oh, baby, it's so good to hear your voice. And yes, I'm alone. I'm in my car. Where are you? I'm actually headed back to Seela today."

  "That's great. I'm still in Seela. Is there any way you could meet me somewhere today?"

  "Just tell me when and where."

  "How about the park around the corner from that steak house on Elm and 3rd?"

  It was the park where Christian and I had watched a screening of Dracula on the night of our first date. I hadn't thought about that night in so long but it still made me giggle.

  "That sounds great. I need to make a couple calls to cancel some meetings today, but I can be there in an hour."

  "Wait. You can't call anyone! Dad, no one can know about this...especially Meredith."

  The line went dead once again, and I was worried I'd made a mistake by bringing her up. But I couldn't risk any of her little peons knowing where I was. "Dad, I'm serious. If you don't promise not to call anyone and come alone, you can forget it. I won't come unless you keep it a secret."

  After a heavy sigh, he said, "Alright. I'll head straight there and not call anyone. But Rose, I hope you're planning to explain all of this odd behavior."

  "I am, Dad. But whether you'll believe me or not is a whole different story."

  An hour later I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans for the umpteenth time as I stood nervously behind a large maple tree watching for my dad's car. I'd driven Christian's car and parked it around the corner. I didn't want my Dad or anyone else seeing it and linking me back to The Rising Pit. As far as he knew, Evie still hadn't seen Christian or me since the accident, and that's exactly how I wanted to leave it in case this meeting didn't go as I hoped.

  The second I saw his car, I wanted to run. Run away or run into his arms, I wasn't sure. I was so nervous because deep down I didn't think he'd be listening to a single thing I had to say, which could prove to be a problem, since he'd probably want to grab me and head to the nearest insane asylum.

  As he approached the bench, I stepped out from behind the tree. He froze in place, tilted his head, and then opened his arms to me. I went running.

  "Dad!"

  "Rose, my baby girl. Are you alright?"

  "Yes. I'm fine." I pulled out of our embrace and took his hand, then led him over to take a seat on the bench.

  He sat there quietly for a few moments just staring at me. "Rose, I've been so worried about you." He hugged me again and this time I didn't pull away. He stroked my hair and rocked me back and forth like I was a baby in his arms. I felt precious to him once again.

  "Where have you been? I looked for you everywhere but didn't have any luck."

  "Dad, I'm not going to tell you that. I love you and I just need you to know that I really am okay."

  He leaned back, and the red sparks that flashed through his eyes were enough to send me into a full blown panic attack. Holy shit! What if my dad was being controlled by Meredith? What if she'd started to feed him human blood to trigger his demon DNA? Shit, this could be really bad. What the hell had I been thinking?

  "Rose, as angry as that makes me, I'm trying to respect the fact that you're a grown woman and don't need my protection. But I just don't understand why you can't tell me where you're staying. What's with all the secrecy?"

  The red sparks left his eyes and he seemed to be relaxed once again. As much as I wanted to head for the hills, I knew that now might be my only chance to try to explain everything and maybe get some answers.

  "Okay, Dad. I'll explain everything, but you have to promise to keep an open mind. I'm not crazy, and if you push me, I can prove everything I'm saying, but I'd rather you not force me to."

  There. I thought that was a pretty good way to start the conversation.

  Dad settled into his seat, getting as comfortable as you could on a park bench, and then began to listen to my wild tale of vampires and demons.

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Bombshells

  (Loraine)

  The moment I materialized and found both Rose and Jeremy sitting in a park, my heart started to break. Seeing
my family together had tears running down my ghostly cheeks. I would have given anything to be able to communicate with them, but as usual I couldn't. Christian was still the only one who could see and hear me.

  As I moved to hover around the back of the bench, I saw Jeremy's eyes flare red at whatever Rose had just said. I let my hand mist through his shoulder and sensed him immediately relax. I knew my calming energy was going to be in high demand here today, because Rose was about to drop some major bombshells. I listened as she relayed the story of the vampires and demons to her dad.

  She proceeded to tell him that his new girlfriend was in fact the demon who killed me, and that both he and Rose were demons too. Despite the skeptical looks that continually swept across Jeremy's face, he kept quiet and allowed Rose to finish her explanation. I was so thankful my calming ability still worked even from beyond the grave.

  Rose continued to explain what happened the night she attacked Meredith, and how the bitch was now trying to build an army to fight against the vampires.

  * * * * *

  (Rose)

  "I don't know what to say. I'm trying to wrap my head around this, but demons and vampires–it's just so unbelievable."

  "Dad, I told you I could prove it if you need me to, but I had hoped that you'd just trust me instead. Meredith is a demon and so are we. She killed mom and wants me dead too so she can have you all to herself. Did you really never have a clue about what you are?"

  "What I am? What I am is your father and someone who goes to work every day to provide a good life for his family. I'm just a normal guy!"

  "A normal guy? Is that why just minutes ago you had red sparks shooting through your eyes?"

  That must have been the perfect thing to say, because in the next second he scooted closer and grabbed both of my hands. "You noticed my eyes flaring red?"

  "Yes. When you got mad. It's a typical demon trait."

  "Oh my god. I thought I'd been imaging things. I've been noticing lately that I seem to get angry a lot easier and that when I am mad, my eyes flare red and my temperature starts to rise."

  He sagged further onto the bench. I was worried that he was close to passing out. I knew this was a lot for him to take in, not only learning that vampires and demons were real, but learning that his daughter who'd been missing for months, was smack in the middle of it. Yeah, I think I was close to passing out too.

  "Dad. You have to get away from her. If she hasn't started slipping you blood yet, I'm sure it's only going to be a matter of time. I don't want you to end up under her control and a part of her stupid demon army. The vampires will have no choice but to destroy you if you do."

  "I assume the vampires you're talking about are Christian and his 'family.' I'm not stupid, and I know that's where you've been staying. I suppose I should be grateful to the owner for keeping you safe."

  "Yes. I'm staying with Christian and his clan. We are in the process of figuring out how to fight the demons. I want you to come back with me, Dad. I know Evie would let you hide with us. You don't even have to go back to Masen. We could just go back to the club right now."

  We sat in silence for what seemed like minutes. I didn't have anything else to say and I knew Dad needed some time to let this all sink in. I hated that our first conversation, after being apart for months, was about demons and vampires instead of how much I missed him and how happy I was to see him. But with the situation escalating like it was, it was something that couldn't be avoided.

  "Rose. I love you, and I'm trying here, I really am. But I can't just walk away from Meredith without at least confronting her about all this. I want to believe you, but at the same time I don't. I can't stand the thought that I've soiled your mother's memory by falling in love with the woman who killed her. And if what you're saying really is true, then I need to face Meredith and put things to an end once and for all.

  "No! Dad, you can't. If she finds out you know about her and that you're aware of your heritage, she could hurt you, or even kill you. Especially when you tell her you're leaving. No. Please just come with me." I frantically grabbed a hold of his arms, but he shook me off.

  "I can't, baby girl. Facing her is a risk I have to take. I know you said you can prove everything to me, but I need this...I need to prove it to myself. I'll call you tonight."

  I sat with tears running down my face as my dad kissed the top of my head and headed back towards his car. What have I done? I thought that by telling him everything, I could convince him to come with me so he'd be safe. But instead, here I sat watching him walk off to meet his death.

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Questions and Confessions

  (Christian)

  When I woke, even though Rose was the first thing to enter my mind, she was nowhere in sight. I assumed she'd already headed upstairs to spend some of her day out in the sun. I worried about her being outside alone, but I couldn't blame her for wanting to take advantage of it while she could. Becoming a vampire and never having that opportunity again was something she'd soon be facing.

  I dressed in a hurry and headed to meet Evie outside of the cell as planned. I assumed she'd want me to see if I could obtain the identity of the demon that Kennedy had bitten, but when I rounded the corner, I knew something major was going on and that I wouldn't be getting any information from our prisoner today...or possibly ever.

  Everyone was gathered outside of the cell, including Terrance.

  "What's going on? And no offense, man...but why is Terrance out of his chains?" I asked.

  "Terrance has drifted back to normal and I no longer fear Meredith's control over him. Plus...look at Kennedy," was Evie's deadpan response.

  I glanced into the cell to find Kennedy practically foaming at the mouth and straining against his chains so hard that they were beginning to dig into his skin. He hadn't started to drift back as Evie assumed he would and now I suddenly realized the seriousness of the situation.

  "How is it that Terrance has drifted back but Kennedy hasn't?"

  "That's the questions isn't it? There's something about what happened to Terrance that's different than what's happening to Kennedy. Terrance was never like that, even when he drifted to his darkest point," Evie replied.

  She was right. There was something special about Terrance's recovery that we weren't understanding. And we'd better figure it out fast, because if Kennedy didn't start to show signs of improvement soon, we'd be forced to deliver the true death.

  "Let's all go upstairs. I have a lot of information to share with you and we need to talk this out as a group," Evie directed.

  We all climbed the spiral staircase and emerged from under the stage only to find Rose sitting on the floor by the front door crying her eyes out.

  I rushed to her side and wrapped her in my arms. "Baby, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

  "No," she sobbed. "But I did something stupid and I think my dad could die because of it."

  Everybody slowly took seats at sporadic tables around the club. It looked like tonight was shaping up to be full of questions and confessions. "What did you do, Rose? What's happening with your dad?"

  "I went to meet him today, and I told him about Meredith and the war that's coming between the demons and vampires. I told him she killed Mom and that was the reason I attacked her. I'd hoped that he'd come back here with me to stay safe, but he said that he had to confront Meredith and put an end to things."

  She threw herself fully into my arms and I tried to absorb the shakes that were now wracking her entire body. "Oh, Christian. What have I done? I just wanted him to come here with me to be safe, and now she's probably going to kill him when he tries to leave her. I'm so stupid. I should have listened to you. I'm so sorry."

  I looked up to find everyone in the club staring at us with concerned looks on their faces. But the face I most wanted to see wasn't there. So I concentrated and called out with my mind. "Loraine? Rose needs you."

  As soon as I opened my eyes, her ghostly f
orm was hovering over us and she was laying a misty hand on Rose's back. "There, there, baby girl. Everything will be alright," I heard her say.

  "Are you sure? Is there any way you can go make sure Jeremy will be safe?" I asked the question in my mind, and thankfully she seemed to hear me because she nodded and disappeared.

  Her presence did the trick because Rose sat up and wiped the tears from her face, then spoke to the entire clan. "I'm very sorry for not listening to Christian and Evie's advice. I hope I haven't made things worse by telling my dad of your existence, but I didn't think there was any other way to explain what happened. I understand if you no longer wish me to be part of your clan."