The New Queen Rises

by Dawn Gray

  "Because he's mine. I don't need any other reason," I replied.

  "What about your new love, Julian? What about his cause, do you support it?" Jack asked.

  "I want my son back so I can get on with my life. His cause or your cause it makes no difference to me. I don't want any part of it," I replied to him.

  "But you are a part of it, my dear." Another voice said and stepped out of the darkness. He was a tall man, of French decent and he stepped up closer to me. I starred him in the eyes and I wasn't frightened. "You are the Queen of the Vampires, how does that make you feel?"

  "Hurrah for big deals," I said sarcastically. The man holding my right arm suddenly punched me in the stomach. I could feel the air going out of me as the pain ripped through me, but I straightened up as much as I could and I looked up at this man. "You must be Victor."

  "You've heard of me, how unexpected." Victor smiled down at me. "Tell me, Ashley, how are my two fledglings doing?" He grabbed me by the hair and pulled my head up as I started to slouch. I looked at him and smiled.

  "Just fine and dandy," I replied and smiled. "Can I have my son back, please? I just want to go home."

  "You honestly believed that I would give him back that easily, did you? That you could just show up and take him just like that?" Victor smiled. I looked at Jack and watched him smile at me as he crossed his arms. "You were very mistaken in your thoughts, my dear girl. I have marvelous plans for your little boy. He will become my ultimate child, he will make me proud."

  "Over my dead body," I replied and grinned. "I will do everything in my power to stop you."

  "But, my dear, you have no powers." Victor laughed.

  "You have no idea," I told him and watched him as he clapped his hands.

  "Bravo, bravo. You're confidence impresses me, Ashley." Victor smiled. "But, if you try to take him away from me, I will have to kill you."

  "Give it your best shot," I replied.

  "Now, now. We can't have this sort of attitude while we are trying to raise a good child," Victor said and smiled at the two that held my arms. "It seems that you might need a little adjusting. I hope you are more cooperative the next time we meet, Ms. Wolf."

  "The next time we meet, sir, will be the last day that you live," I whispered to him.

  "Good-bye, Ashley," Victor said and walked back into the shadows. Jack walked up to me and touched my cheek, then kissed me softly on the lips.

  "It was so good to see you again, Ash," he whispered in my ear. "I hope we can be friends, for the sake of our child," he said and stood, then started to walk away, but he turned and looked at me. "Boys, teach Ms. Wolf some manners please."

  With those words, as I watched him walk away, the beating began. After a while, I became numb to the pain. The anger that had filled my heart had caused me to feel nothing else, and my eyes saw nothing but red as I laid, unable to move on my own, on the needles and the leaves of the trees that surrounded me.

  One of them picked me up and brought me over to a small circular foundation that might have been the remains of an old fort. In the darkness, he set me down against the wall and threw my jacket over me, leaving me there to bleed from the wounds that their hands and boots had caused.

  I slouched down, having no energy to move, until I came to rest on the hard cement floor. I pulled at the jacket and was able to cover most of my body and my head. I inhaled, what little I could, and stared at the darkness, but I didn't cry. I was much too numb for that, and what feeling I did have left seemed to be hell bent on revenge. I soon stopped feeling all together, laid there motionless, until I closed my eyes, and let the blackness of my mind take over.

  9

  I could feel the light on my feet as the sun rose in the sky, but I was still unable to move. I opened my eyes and sat there for a while, just trying to think of ways to get out of this, but nothing occurred to me.

  Around noon, or I assumed it was noon, an idea hit me and I thought that it was worth a try. I relaxed, closed my eyes and started to draw a circle with my mind. In that circle, I drew a five-sided star, starting with the Northern point and ended at the same point. I place a candle in my vision at each point of the star and when I was ready, I concentrated on the house until I couldn't hold the picture anymore. When I opened my eyes, I saw the chandeliers that hung in the hallway.

  I was looking through someone's eyes, I just wasn't sure whose. I walked into the sitting room and looked at Michael and Julian who were sitting around, anxiously waiting for something.

  Without warning, Quinn flew into the room, grabbed Michael by the collar of his shirt, and picked him up off the couch.

  "Where is she?" He demanded to know. Julian stood up and looked at me, whoever I was, and then at Quinn. Michael looked down at him with total calm.

  "Quinn, put me down," Michael requested.

  "Not until you tell me where she is, you son of a bitch." He scowled in anger.

  "Quinn, this is insane, who are you looking for and why would Michael know where she is?" Julian asked.

  "Ashley! He knows where they took her, Julian," Quinn said and growled at his brother. "I know he does."

  "Quinn, be reasonable," Julian said and walked over to them. "Ashley's fine."

  "Have you even noticed that she's not here? That she's not down here right now, with you?" He looked at his brother with total anger. I had never seen this side of Quinn before and it shocked me to see the fury in his eyes. "If she's hurt, I swear I'll kill you," he said to Michael, almost in a low growl. "Talk! Now!"

  "Quinn!" I hollered, but the voice belonged to someone else. I was in Lauren's body; I heard her voice. "Quinn, put him down, he doesn't know."

  Quinn looked over at me. I watched his eyes glow red, as if he didn't think that Lauren should have anything to do with this. "Please, I'm begging you to let him go."

  As he looked at me, his eyes lightened, and he slowly put Michael down. He walked over to me, stared me straight in the eyes for a few moments and then his face softened. I smiled up at him and touched his face. Even in this body, I could feel the pulse he let off and he must have felt it too, because his eyes filled with wonder and he asked, quietly, "Ash?"

  "Yes, it's me," I said softly and caught the confused look on Julian's face, as if he wasn't sure how to take the fact that I was touching Quinn or why Quinn was so upset.

  "Where are you?" Michael asked. Quinn looked at him, quickly, and bared his teeth. I touched Quinn's hand and he looked at me.

  "I don't know, I've never seen this place before." I looked around at the boys, and then I looked directly at Quinn. Calming Quinn down seemed to be something I had to do before I paid any attention to the others. "Listen carefully, Quinn. I'm hurt and I'm weak. I don't know how long I can hang on to her like this. Michael doesn't know; I told you that yesterday. It's David. David knows, because he brought me here. Don't blame Michael. He's not a threat."

  "Ash, how bad are you hurt?" Julian asked, catching on to what was happening.

  "Victor!" I said suddenly. Quinn stood up straight. "I met Victor last night. He is not a nice man."

  "How bad are you?" He asked again, and the room began to grow dark.

  "Julian, help me," I replied and faded back to my body. I was worn out to the point of pure exhaustion, so I closed my eyes again and feel asleep, but the burning in my veins had worsened and the growling in my stomach hurt me too.

  It was dark again when I opened my eyes, the stars were out and I could almost see the moon from where I was laying. I was weaker than before, I could feel that, but then again I could also feel something else, no, someone else. I felt it as the person came closer, familiar and friendly, and then the one became two and this other one was full of worry and love.

  A third one tickled my senses, a darker more mischievous one and I knew right away who that was. I glanced around and whispered to them to help me, fearing that I had lost my voice, I kept yelling until it got louder, loud enough for them to hear.

  "Help me!"
I yelled with my mind and my mouth, and I heard the sudden scurry of footsteps, the light from a flashlight, and four familiar faces looking over me.

  "Holy ..." Michael started and Lauren covered his mouth.

  "Ash," Julian whispered. "Ash, it's us. Can you hear me?"

  "Can you say something so we know that you're still in there somewhere?" Quinn said and touched my fingers.

  "Piss off," I replied sarcastically at his question, which I'm sure came from genuine concern, and then I grabbed two of his fingers and held them tight."What does it take for a girl to get some grub around here?"

  "Yep, that's her," Quinn said and smiled, and then back away as Julian picked me up. I moaned at every little step and turn and I could barely sit straight in the car when they put me down. Quinn drove and Julian rubbed my hair softly as I dozed in and out of consciousness.

  "I don't understand what you were thinking, going out like that alone," Michael said and looked at me. "You should have at least told one of us where you were going."

  "I couldn't," I whispered, knowing that he could hear me. "It would have gotten Jack hurt."

  "You could have gotten killed," Julian said in response.

  "That's what I tried to tell her before she left," Quinn said and sighed.

  "You knew about this and you didn't follow her?" Julian asked him.

  "She insisted that I couldn't," Quinn replied. "I tried to convince her that it was a dumb idea."

  "Don't blame him, Jules," I told him and took his hand. "I told him not to follow me or I wouldn't come back there if I found out he did. I threatened him." Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my side and with each passing minute it grew worse until I couldn't lie there anymore, but I couldn't sit with it either. It became so much that I knew I was screaming, but then all I could remember was the darkness.

  I opened my eyes slowly and looked at Julian and Quinn, and then I closed them and just listened to their voices.

  "She's dying, Julian," Quinn whispered at him. "Do something."

  "What is with you lately?" Julian asked. "What's the sudden concern with her that has you jumping off the wall?"

  "Look, she's going to die if we don't do something for her," Quinn said avoiding his question. "You have to do an exchange or she won't make it through this."

  "An exchange could kill her Quinn, and you know that," Julian replied.

  "Trust me, she can handle it."

  "What makes you such an expert on her all of a sudden?"

  "She's already part of us, by her heritage. Giving her you're blood isn't going to kill her."

  "It's going to change her though; she'll be one of us."

  "She is one of us!" Quinn hollered at his brother. "In case you haven't noticed, big brother, she's changing. She's been getting more and more like a vampire every day, since she came here. If you weren't so damn caught up in your work and off on business trips, maybe you would actually see what the woman you’re supposed to love so much is turning into."

  "I suppose you've noticed it?" Julian asked. Quinn nodded and smiled.

  "I've noticed every detail of her transformation and you know of none of it. Right before you're very eyes, Julian, she's changing. So stop being stubborn and do the exchange."

  "Why do you want this so bad? Is this what Victor told you to pressure me into?" Julian asked him, getting angry himself, letting his voice rise. "What the hell are you up to, Quinn? What's the big hurry?"

  "I love her, all right!" Quinn yelled at him to his face. "I am in love with her and I can't just stand here and watch her die. You think you know it all, but you know nothing. She needs you now, but you’re off on business. I can't watch you hurt her anymore."

  Michael listened at the doorway to the two men in the room bicker. He stepped closer to the bed and rolled up the sleeve of his shirt. Quinn looked at him as he leaned down and looked me in the eyes, which I had opened to smile at him.

  "What are you doing?" Julian asked.

  "I'm going to do the exchange with her," Michael said and took my hand. He looked back at them and shook his head. "This way here she won't be connected to either or you and when she's better, she can make you two stop being so loud."

  Michael looked at me and touched my hair as he lifted me off the pillow and wrapped his arms around me. "This is going to hurt just a little, honey. Don't be frightened and try to relax."

  I felt him touch my neck to find my vein and then I felt his teeth burrowing into me. I tried to relax, but the pain was too much. I grasped him around his upper body and held on to him, my breath was shallow and I felt like a fish out of water, gasping for air.

  When he withdrew, I stared off into nothingness at the wall, until I heard his voice, and he turned my head. I watched him cut his wrist then look down at me. He told me that I had to do it, drink from him, but I wouldn't, therefore he pushed his arm into my mouth and the blood flowed until I couldn't do anything but swallow it, once I did there was no stopping.

  The burning in my veins calmed down and I felt instantly better, but when he pulled away and I looked at Quinn and Julian, I could tell that something was wrong with this picture. I closed my eyes; not wanting to see them staring at me anymore, then there was silence.

  When I looked around again, they had all left the room. I could feel my energy coming back, and I heard a small whisper in my head.

  Michael? I asked with my mind. The whispering stopped. Michael, is that you? Please, answer me.

  Yes, it’s I, Ash. Don’t be afraid, he whispered back.

  What is that noise that I’m hearing?

  The minds in the house, the staff that run this place, you’ll learn to ignore it in a while. Would you like some company? Julian is asking if you’re awake.

  No, I think I need some time alone, I told him softly. I looked over my body and watched as the bruises healed and the cuts faded. Michael?

  Hmm?

  Why can’t I hear them?

  Who?

  The others.

  When you change, you can only hear the thoughts of your sire, everyone else is unreadable.

  What if they initiate it?

  No, nothing.

  Michael?

  Yeah?

  What happened?

  Well, Sweetie, I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough. I don’t want to explain it to you because I don’t know the whole story.

  Where are you now?

  In the bathtub.

  Naked?

  Yes.

  Oh, well then, I’ll let you take your bath.

  Thank you.

  I stood up from the bed and walked over to the window, and looked over the back yard; I stood there looking for a long time before anyone walked out onto the green grass. Quinn walked with his hands above his head, as if he was about to be arrested. Then he quickly sat, then lay, down on the grass.

  There was a quiet knock at the door, and when I turned to look, it opened slowly and Julian walked in. He smiled at me as I leaned against the windowsill and smiled back.

  "Up and about already?" He asked me. I nodded and crossed my arms. "I guess I have missed a lot lately."

  He stood by me and looked out the window at Quinn, who was lying on the grass, and then he glanced at me as I looked at the floor.

  "Is there something that you need to tell me, Ash?" Julian asked. I looked at him and shook my head. "About you and Quinn?"

  "There is no Quinn and I, Julian," I told him, walking over to the edge of the bed, and then I sat down. "Or, at least there's trying not to be."

  "What does that mean?" He questioned.

  "It means ...I don't know what it means." I sighed and rubbed my eyes.

  "Do you love him?" He asked me.

  "I can't answer that," I replied.

  "What do you mean you can't? It's a simple yes or no question?" He said and the tone of his voice changed. I looked at him and then stood.

  "I can't answer it because I don't know," I replied. "I don't know what I feel, and right now I don'
t think I want to know."

  "Well, I need to know."

  "I don't mean to hurt you," I said softly. "So much has happened and it's overwhelming."

  "Do you love me?" He asked again. I looked up at him.

  "Yes," I replied.

  "Are you in love with me?"

  I stopped and thought about this. It should have just told me that if I had to think than I must have some doubts. I looked up at him, looked him deep in the eyes and started to cry. When I got myself under control, I inhaled deeply and rubbed my arms.

  "I don't think so," I told him. Julian looked up at the ceiling then back at me with his hands on his hips. "I love you, Jules, but I'm not sixteen anymore. I don't think it's the same love that I felt that year. I think Quinn was right. I think that I was in love with the idea of doing something that my parents disapproved of."

  "I loved you, I love you still. I waited eight years to hold you again." Julian sighed and sat on the window.

  "Eight years, Jules, is exactly what happened to me. I changed and for those years you held a spot in my heart that no one could touch, you still do, but it's different," I replied and sat by him. "It's more like the love of a sibling, that kind of unbreakable love that family shares."

  "Is that what you told Quinn when he asked you if you loved him?" Julian questioned me.

  "What I told Quinn was that I loved him like a brother. What Quinn told me is that I was lying." I touched his cheek with the back of my hand and he looked up at me. "I don't know just yet what I feel for your brother, and I'm sorry that I didn't tell you earlier about the confusion I was having."

  "When you went to Boston, before I came home, what happened?" Julian asked.

  "Quinn bit me, you know that," I answered.

  "Something else must have started this whole thing."

  "When I touch you I can feel you're power, you're strength, and it's very inviting to fall into. When I touched Quinn, something else happened, something that I can't explain, and I can't try to either," I told him softly, as I put my chin on his shoulder. "I'm scared, for you, and me. I don't want this to end in a bad way, Jules. I couldn't live without you in my life again, but I also don't want to lead you on by thinking that I can love you totally the way you want me to."