The Rose Trilogy Box Set

by Tish Thawer

  "Are you...all right?" Evie's voice was tentative.

  She was probably scared that I'd permanently drifted dark and was in the throes of Rose's poisonous blood. "Don't worry, I'm fine." I tried to assure her.

  "But your hair, your eyes..."

  I flew from the bed, startling everyone, and started to pace again. "I've drifted dark because I'm upset! Rose is gone."

  Evie's gasp signaled that she hadn't registered the fact that we were alone in the room. Dax frowned and sank down onto the bed, claiming the spot I'd just vacated.

  "What do you mean gone? What's happened? There's so much I don't understand."

  I wasn't sure if I should tell them about Loraine, but in order for my explanation to make sense I really didn't have any other choice. "I know, Evie. There's a lot of information I have that you don't. Why don't we go upstairs to your office and I'll explain." I had to get out of this room, because staying in it––without Rose here––was starting to trigger some dark emotions that I couldn't risk facing right now.

  As we made our way out of my room and down the stark, white-tiled hall, I sent my thoughts to Loraine. "I have to tell her everything. About Rose and Jeremy being demons, about you, about my decision to turn Rose into the hybrid...everything."

  "I know, Christian. I just hope that they will understand and not be scared into a reaction that would hurt Rose or Jeremy...or you." The look on her face was grim as she gently floated beside me.

  Once we reached the private entrance that led into Evie's office, we all climbed the stairs, our silence filling the small space. As the bookcase closed behind us, Evie and Dax took a seat on the couch that sat against the far wall, while I continued to pace. Loraine hovered by the door and nodded to me encouragingly. I wasn't sure where to start, so I tried to organize my thoughts into a timeline that would be easy to follow.

  "As you're both aware, I developed extra abilities during my triggering which allow me to hear and know things that others don't. The latter actually floods my mind with information about situations with unwavering clarity and finality. This was how I knew what to do when Evie was knocked unconscious."

  They both nodded their heads and I continued.

  "Recently, my abilities, in combination with something else, have helped me to understand a lot about everything that's been happening."

  Evie shifted in her seat as Dax put his arm around her shoulders. I was sure they knew what was coming next was going to be hard to swallow.

  "For a few weeks now, Rose's mother, Loraine, has been able to visit and communicate with me from the other side."

  Dax visibly sank further into the couch as he exhaled a shocked breath, and Evie's hair started to drift at a rapid pace. This was not going well.

  "Don't panic. She's been a huge help. Please just listen and let me explain."

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER THREE

  Fate

  (Christian)

  "When Loraine was alive, she possessed an ability that allowed her to calm people by her mere presence. It's because of this power that I think she and I can connect. Basically, I'm able to see and hear her because we both share some sort of psychic ability.

  "She explained that each time she materializes, her mind––much like mine, is flooded with information about current situations. It's like the gods give her a data dump every time she returns to this plane. This is how she found out that Rose and Jeremy are demons."

  Evie and Dax visibly tensed up but thankfully remained silent and allowed me to continue without interruption.

  "Rose had no idea about her heritage until the night she fought with Meredith. Ever since then she's carried this secret and for the last few months, tried to distance herself from me in an effort to keep us all safe. It wasn't until Jeremy told her he was staying with Meredith because she's pregnant, that Rose lost control of her demon side. That's what you witnessed when she flew into her fit of rage.

  "Now, I know you don't agree and have no way to understand my choice, but in that instant, I knew turning her and making her my consort was the only thing that would save us all. She's now the hybrid we need to defeat Meredith."

  I took a deep breath and stared at Evie and Dax. My rapid revelations eased about a hundred pounds off my shoulders, but the unsure looks plastered on both their faces, combined with their increased drifting, left me unsure as to where things stood.

  After a deep breath of her own, Evie spoke. "Christian, while I'm well aware of and do understand your extra abilities, I'm sitting here looking at your dark hair and eyes and wondering exactly how turning Rose was the best thing for our clan? If her blood causes you to drift permanently dark, that means we will have lost our new Sire, and personally, I can't think of anything worse."

  I knew she wasn't trying to reprimand me for my decision, but instead, simply sharing her concerns. And they were valid concerns, but again, the knowledge I possessed still led me to believe that turning Rose was the right thing to do.

  "I can't explain how I know it, but I'm telling you, turning Rose will save our clan. Balam said we needed to create a hybrid to fight the demons, and then all of a sudden it turns out that the woman I love is a demon...somehow I don't think that's a coincidence. Call it cosmic intervention or fate, whatever, but I know I made the right choice."

  Evie stood up and came to stand directly in front of me.

  "Well, fate is a pretty big leap, and one that you've left us no choice but to take. But Christian, you're a vampire and the consort bond also means that you can't be away from your chosen for very long. What happens if she doesn't come back? You do realize that you'll die because of your connection now, don't you?"

  I turned away, catching a glimpse of Loraine before I answered Evie's question. Rose's mom looked as nervous as I felt.

  "Yes, I'm very aware of our connection, and while it's being stretched, it's not severed, which means she's still alive. As long as I find her soon, we should both be just fine."

  Evie looked at Dax and I watched him shake his head while she lifted an eyebrow. I knew they were scanning each other's thoughts and having a private conversation; probably about how they agreed that I'd completely lost my mind.

  "Look, I'm going to start my search for Rose immediately with Loraine's help, so if you can get Renard to cover my duties tonight, I'd appreciate it."

  "Speaking of the clan, I think it's important that you speak to them before you leave. Obviously the cat's been let out of the bag that you're the new Sire and they deserve an explanation," Evie stated.

  "Yes, of course. You're right." As I turned to head toward the door, I remembered something else I needed to share. "By the way, Terrance already knows I'm the new Sire. He was still in the pit when I delivered the true death to Kennedy."

  Evie dropped her head, obviously frustrated that I'd ruined our element of surprise.

  "I'm sorry, Evie. I know this changes everything, but I promise it will all work out."

  "I hope so, Christian. I truly hope so."

  A knock on the door interrupted our conversation. "Come in," Evie called.

  Dominique entered the room with a worried look on her face. "Um...we've all fed from the blood bags downstairs and just wanted to check and make sure everything was all right since we didn't see any of you in the pit."

  Evie had confined all of us to feeding from blood bags after a vampire named Kennedy bit a demon in the club last week, causing him to drift dark. Unbeknownst to us at the time, that demon had been Rose, which was another tidbit of information I gleamed as our bond took hold. From that point on, we'd all been feeding from blood bags as not to risk any of us falling prey to another accident, but more specifically, in case Meredith started sending demons to purposely infect us by posing as willing donors.

  Evie cast a quick look in my direction. "Yes, we're fine. Please let everyone know we'll be out in a few moments."

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Good Enough

  (Ch
ristian)

  I followed Evie and Dax out of the office and found myself under the sudden scrutiny of the people I'd considered my family for centuries.

  Bobby, my best friend, was sitting on the bottom step of the staircase that led to the second story of the club, while Renard and his wife, Loni, sat at one of the tables in the middle of the room. Dominique and her sister, Tori, were standing behind the bar as usual, and Terrance was leaning against the wall beside the entrance.

  I walked across the room and up the steps toward the front door, putting myself slightly higher than the small crowd in an effort to make my first talk as Sire seem more "official." As I moved close to Terrance, he kindly slapped me on the shoulder before I turned around to face everyone.

  "Um...I guess you all realize that I'm your new Sire." I cringed at their silent nods and humphs but continued. "Evie chose to perform the Passing of Powers ritual in an effort to prepare for our upcoming battle with the demons. We thought that having two Sires to fight against them instead of one was the best plan. I'm sorry we didn't tell you, but the idea was to keep it a secret so we'd gain the upper hand. Obviously I kind of blew that."

  The blank stares I received had me swallowing hard against the lump in my throat.

  "As you all witnessed, Rose is a demon, and while I'm sure you won't understand my reasoning, I know that by turning her into our hybrid and my consort, we will be able to defeat Meredith and her growing army."

  The silence that hung in the air was finally broken when Dominique spoke up. "So even though you're showing signs of drifting dark, we're all just supposed to believe that turning Rose will somehow save us?"

  "I'm hoping that you can trust me enough as your new Sire to do just that, yes. The abilities that I've developed have given me clear insight into the fact that Rose will be our saving grace."

  "Then where the fuck is she?" Bobby demanded. "Besides, like Dom said, you're standing there with dark hair and eyes. What's gonna stop you from foaming at the mouth now that Rose's demon blood is running through your veins?"

  "I won't pretend that I didn't start to feel the effects of her blood as I drank her to the brink of death. But the instant our connection snapped into place, everything changed. I knew I'd be able to survive this, and so will she."

  It was then that Terrance spoke up. "Listen, if Rose's blood was truly affecting him like Meredith's did me, he wouldn't even be able to think or talk about her right now, so why don't you all cut him some fucking slack. He's our new Sire, and if he says that things will be okay, then that should be good enough."

  His statement caught everyone off guard. And while I was definitely grateful that he'd come to my defense, it was still a pretty big shock. I wondered if the fact that Loraine was hovering near him was part of the reason he seemed so "pro-me."

  After a few seconds of watching everyone contemplate his words, Dominique spoke up again. "I'm not trying to be a bitch here, but I have to ask, you said that you're our new Sire? I thought once a new Sire assumes power, they leave with their consort to start a clan of their own."

  Thankfully, Evie responded to Dominique's statement. "Yes, Dom, that is usually the case, but since we are on the brink of something that none of us understand, I thought it would be best if Christian and Rose remain with our clan until things have been resolved with the demons. Especially since Rose is now our best chance of winning against them."

  "Fine. So back to Bobby's question. Where is the hell is she?" Dominique repeated.

  The tension in the air was thick and telling them Rose was now the hybrid had sucked. However, admitting that I had no idea where she was, or what state of mind she was currently in, was going to be the hardest part of all.

  "I'm not sure. Since Rose is able to rise before sunset, my guess is that she left to go check on her father."

  The room erupted as everyone flew from their seats and started shouting.

  "WHAT? That's suicide! She may be the hybrid now, but walking straight into Meredith's grasp has to be the dumbest idea ever," Bobby declared.

  "What the fuck, Evie, how could you let this happen?" Tori demanded.

  Renard and Loni were huddled together, probably plotting their exit strategy, while Dominique simply glared in my direction.

  "STOP!" This was only the second time I'd used my Sire command, and while I definitely agreed with all of their concerns, I had to maintain a confident exterior. "All of your concerns are completely valid, which is why I'm going to have to cut this short. I'm headed straight there to make sure Rose doesn't run into Meredith right off the bat." I didn't really know if this was where Rose had gone, but I sure as hell wasn't going to tell them that.

  As I turned away, Terrance piped up and asked the one question I wanted to avoid at all costs. "Do you want me to go with you?"

  Thankfully, once again, Evie came to my rescue. "Actually, I think it's going to be important that Christian goes alone. For one, the less people for Meredith to take notice of, the better, but also because Rose and Christian haven't been able to come together as consorts yet, since she left before he woke tonight."

  Terrance nodded and luckily everyone else started to disperse to begin their nightly duties to open the club. Evie winked at me before engaging Dominique in a new conversation, providing me the time I needed to slip out the front door.

  I didn't have to think about Loraine, because she was already hovering right beside me. "Do you really think Rose when straight to Jeremy's?" she asked.

  "I'm not sure, Loraine. But right now, it's the best idea I've got."

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Bad

  (Rose)

  Waking up next to Christian was nothing new. But waking up next to Christian with my teeth throbbing, and an uncontrollable urge to sink them into his neck, was definitely a shock.

  I literally couldn't help myself as I bent his head to the side and sunk my newly developed fangs through the soft flesh of his throat. The sensation of his warm blood filling my mouth was absolute heaven. I could also feel our consort bond and instantly realized that was the reason I couldn't resist the temptation to drink. This was how all newbies completed their transition and drifted to their "normal" coloring.

  I raised my head from the side of Christian's neck and knew something was wrong. Wrong, because I wasn't just a vampire...I was also a demon.

  Flying from the bed, I looked into the mirror. My hair had drifted completely black and my eyes were a deep crimson. In the vampire world this meant I was "bad." But thinking about Meredith, and the fact that she'd killed my mom and was now basically holding my dad prisoner...bad was suddenly feeling pretty damn good.

  Racing around the room, I gathered some supplies and threw them into a bag. I looked over at Christian, surprised he was still comatose but then noticed the clock on the nightstand––it read 3:24 p.m., still hours before sunset. I assumed it was my demon side that allowed me to wake; the demon side that I'd hid from everyone until my father fell prey to that bitch. The moment that he'd called and told me that he was staying with her because they were having a baby, I'd snapped.

  With that memory now fueling my anger, I ran out of the club not caring if I was bad or not. I couldn't wait to get to my dad's and kill Meredith, and thanks to Christian, I was now the one person who could make it happen. I raced between the trees that lined the freeway to Masen. The feeling of the wind blowing through my now black hair was so freeing that I almost flew past exit. I knew my dad lived off of 29th Street, thanks to Renard and Loni's recent reconnaissance mission.

  I raced into the open space across from their brownstone, but realized it was early evening and both my dad and the bitch would most likely still be at work. As I contemplated my next move, the rumble in my stomach brought the fact that I was completely famished into sharp relief. The little blood I'd taken from Christian was just enough to complete my transition, but definitely not enough to appease my growing appetite.

  After all those months o
f talking to Terrance, even though he'd been under Meredith's influence at the time, I did learn a lot about vampires. For one, they didn't feed from others of their kind, only humans, and only once per night. They programmed the sedative that flowed from their fangs to erase the person's mind and to heal their wounds. This made the experience something that was only a necessity for the vampires and never left the human hurt, or even aware that it had happened at all. Too bad I'd run out before Christian had a chance to teach me how to do any of that. I figured it should be pretty easy and since I didn't have a choice but to feed, now was as good a time as any to learn.

  I looked around the park and saw a few people milling about. There was a young couple pushing a baby stroller on the far side of the small lake; an old woman sitting on the bench of the nearest shore, feeding the birds; but it was the jogger that was headed down the path that ran straight under the stone bridge that caught my eye. The bridge ran through a small grove of maple trees which shaded the entire length. It was perfect.