“Oh yes. Of course, some of us make it habit to break them.” His tone was dry.
I looked at him curiously. I heard no anger in his voice, which suggested he was the one breaking them. “Do you, um, break the rules?” I stammered. “What are the rules?”
“This group always disregards the rules. As I said before, our goal is to change the way vampire society does things. We are Resistance.”
I wondered what they were trying to change. “What are these rules?” I asked.
“Valentino — the leader I told you about — enforces three essential rules. The first one is you’re allowed to hunt humans, even kill them, but you’re not allowed to befriend them. Secondly, you mustn’t let humans know of your existence unless you plan to change them.” Samuel watched me cautiously.
“He may have a point about not telling humans, Samuel. Most believe you’re evil,” I pointed out.
“Most, but not all,” Samuel answered. “However, according to Valentino, you really shouldn’t interact with humans except to feed.”
“And you want to change that.”
Samuel nodded. “The third rule is never to betray one of your own kind, especially your maker. Of the three rules this tends to get broken most frequently, due to hunting disputes. The other two rules are broken as well, but few vampires do it. They’re afraid of being punished.”
“I’m not sure I understand. How do disputes over hunting lead to betrayal?”
“If there is a lack of mortals to feed off in an area, groups of vampires tend to turn against each other. Conflict also tends to arise when a group who hunts indiscriminately and a group like ours hunt in the same area.”
“You do not seem to like Valentino very much.”
“We hate each other. Immensely,” Samuel answered. A bitter smile touched his face. “He calls us all troublemakers.”
“Are you?”
Samuel shook his head. “I don’t think so. We are
just . . . different.”
“Is he older than you?”
“No, but unfortunately, he’s more powerful. He detests the fact that we’ve opposed him. If he could, he would kill us. However, since we haven’t confronted him directly, he cannot because it would be an assassination.”
“Why haven’t any of you confronted him?”
“Because I doubt any of us are strong enough by ourselves. I’m close, but still, I am sure I would lose.”
“And you think I can confront him successfully?” I did not hide my skepticism.
“I know you can. Not now,” he said, seeing my dubious look, “but a few centuries down the line . . .”
“I think that’s absurd,” I replied. “I do not even know how to fight.”
“It isn’t absurd at all, really. We shall teach you how to fight. I think you will learn well.”
“But fight in a dress? That is ridiculous.”
Samuel looked horrified. “In a dress? Heaven forbid, Juliana. You can barely run in those things. To fight well, you really shouldn’t wear a dress. But we’ll save that discussion for another night,” he said, looking at the window. The sky was lightening and the other vampires had returned.
Mary Anne approached and eyed me with a little frown. “Let’s get you out of that dress before sunrise,” she said. “Come with me, dear.” I followed her into a back room. “This will work,” she said, holding up a black dress. I doffed Samuel’s jacket and she helped me get out of the bloodstained nightdress and slip on the black dress. Black, the color of mourning.
“Thank you, Mary Anne.” I followed her back into the main room. She threw my bloodied nightdress in the fire. I turned away to hide my tears.
Samuel saw them, though, and came and stood next to me. He did not speak; he seemed to sense that words were not what I needed.
Sharon broke the silence. “Where is she going to sleep? I‘m already sharing my room and there are only two beds. One of them is just a single bed,” she said with a scowl.
Matthew and Christy emerged from one of the back rooms. He looked at Sharon and then at me. “Well, I don’t think Julia wants to share a room with us,” he snapped. “Not with three men she does not know.”
I remained silent, although he was right. I did not trust them yet. They were strangers, and they were men. Most of the few men I had known had not given me reason to trust their kind.
Christy spoke up delicately. “You are right, Matthew. I think that if Julia feels comfortable enough she could share this room with Samuel until we can arrange the spare room in the back. We’re not very organized,” she said with a rueful smile directed towards me. “At least not lately.”
“Believe me, Christy, I value your kindness above organization,” I said. I tried to smile, but I was very tired. “I guess the sleeping arrangements will do for now,” I said, looking sideways at Samuel. He shrugged.
“Whatever you want, Julia,” he said gently, sensing once again my discomfort.
I did my best to shake it off. After all, these people had probably saved my life. It would be rude to seem ungrateful. “It’s fine. Thank you,” I said, looking at Christy.
She nodded. “Well, good night everyone,” she said. The others echoed her. The sun was rising, and I was not the only tired one.
I walked back to the bed. “I am trusting you to be a gentleman, Samuel. I just want to sleep and forget.”
Samuel banked the fire and walked to the other side of the bed. He pulled back the covers and looked at me. “A gentleman. I promise.” His voice softened. “You won’t be able to forget, Julia.”
I got into bed. “I will try, though.” I closed my eyes, grabbed the covers, and pulled them up to my chin. I suddenly felt very cold, and nothing could warm me. I let the blessed darkness of sleep envelop me.
Chapter 7
I awoke the next night from a nightmare, screaming, “No! No! Stop!”
I sat upright with a jerk. Someone’s arm encircled my shoulders. “Julia, it is all right. It’s just a dream,” Samuel said softly. “You are safe.” I felt him hold me tighter.
“Oh,” I moaned and hid my face in my hands, trying to escape the lingering terror. “Oh, what a frightful dream. I hate him, Samuel.”
“I know, Julia. I know,” Samuel murmured. “He is not going to hurt you anymore. In fact, you could kill him now.”
I raised my head and stared at the far wall. I will not cry, I will not cry, I told myself fiercely. “I cannot. I cannot imagine seeing him again, even if it is to kill him. I’m afraid of seeing him again. I cannot do it. I cannot.”
“Shh. If you cannot bear to see him again, that is fine. You do not have to see that fiend unless you want to.” Samuel’s words, and his tone, soothed me. “Do not worry about him. I am sure he’ll be taken care of soon.” A peculiar note had entered his voice, but I chose to ignore it.
I got out of bed. Mary Anne and Matthew were up; they were in the middle of a discussion. I nodded at them in greeting. They nodded back and not a word was said about my screaming. I was startled by their acceptance of my behavior. I looked back over at Samuel. “Are we going out tonight?”
“If you wish to.”
“I think so. I want to go out for a while.”
“Very well. Your family will probably be the topic of choice tonight wherever people are gathered, Juliana,” he warned.
I focused on a piece of furniture to keep back tears and shook my head. “I might be, but Marie will not. I think Gregory will find a way to cover that up. Not many people even knew I have . . . had . . . a daughter,” I answered. “The family kept it hushed. I had disgraced them by having her. They wanted a son.”
< Good morrow, > a voice said cheerfully. The odd thing was that the message wasn’t actually spoken out loud. It was Jeffrey, but I heard it only in my mind. Startled yet again, my eyes flew back to Samuel for help. The other vampires were already answering the silent message.
“It’s the mind-to-mind communication I told you about last night,” h
e answered.
“How do you do it?” I asked, puzzled. I felt left out and very naïve.
“You just think something to a person. You concentrate on one person and send the message. It’s like a push,” Mary Anne answered.
I frowned, not quite understanding, but decided to try anyway. < Good morrow.> I said, wondering if anyone would ‘hear’ me.
“Well, she’s a quick learner,” Christy said, entering the room. “If only I had learned that fast. Things would have been much simpler.”
The other vampires in the room laughed. Mary Anne smiled. “She’s a natural. She’s even learned to keep everyone from reading her mind already.”
“It is instinct, honed by practice,” I muttered, lowering my head.
Samuel looked at me for a long minute then turned towards a closet. He took out a jacket and handed me a black cloak. “Are you ready to go, Julia?” I nodded and put on the cloak. I walked towards the door and Samuel fell in step behind me. As I reached for the doorknob someone knocked and the door began to open. I jumped backwards in a sudden rush of fear. Samuel caught my hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
I looked first at him, then at the door. A young man with dark blond hair entered. “I hope Julia is with you,” he said as he shut the door.
“She is,” Samuel answered.
“Damien?” My voice was filled with utter disbelief. My brother-in-law here? I could only come up with one explanation. “You are a vampire?”
A brief smile touched Damien’s lips. “Hello Juliana. Nay. I’m human. I am just a friend of theirs.”
“I do not understand. How long have you all known each other?”
“A few years. Damien was the one who first made us aware of you,” Matthew said from the corner. I stared at Matthew, stunned, and as I did, I realized he seemed vaguely familiar. I wondered if he had been nearby once during one of my attempted escapes. I thought about asking, but lacked the courage to do so.
I looked at Damien. “Ever since I met you, you knew I could have been helped? Why didn’t you bring help earlier, then? Before my baby died?” The tears I had been fighting suddenly stung my eyes. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.
“Julia. I understand you are upset, but consider for a moment. I had to see if I could free you on my own first. I knew it would have been better for you and your daughter to remain human. But finally I realized that the only way you could be free from your husband was to get Samuel and the others involved.” Damien hesitated before continuing, “Whether or not you became a vampire, Gregory would never have thought to look for you in such a poor area on the outskirts of town. Even if he did, they could protect you in a way Crystal and I couldn’t. If I had known he was going to kill Marie, I would have acted sooner. I am very sorry that I did not.”
I closed my eyes and said nothing.
“What kind of story did Gregory concoct?” Samuel asked.
“He told the constable and the family that someone broke in, most likely with the intent to steal valuables, but Julia awoke. Hearing her stir, and afraid that Marie’s cries would alert the household and lead to his capture, the thief murdered Marie. He said that Julia found her dead and left the house, crazed with grief.” Damien looked at me. “They think you killed yourself. The constable doesn’t want to alarm the city so he has agreed not to speak of Marie’s murder. Since you and Gregory did not talk of her much, the common folk have been making up their own explanations of your disappearance.”
“What kind of explanations?” I asked.
“There are stories about the identity of the baby some people saw with you in the evenings.”
“I went out with her in the evenings to avoid Adam. I didn’t want him to know about Marie,” I interrupted.
He continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “There are also stories that you were murdered, ran off with another man, and finally a few whispers that you killed yourself after hearing about Adam’s betrothal to Ruth.”
“Adam and Ruth are to be wed? I guess he truly has found a new love.”
Damien looked resigned. “I believe he feels it is his duty to marry.”
“Ah,” I said and frowned. “But wait . . . who would think I killed myself because of their betrothal? Gregory was suspicious after Mother’s funeral, but nothing came of that. I don’t see how anyone but our families could know about our feelings toward one another.”
He shook his head. “I heard the rumors, but I have no idea who started them.”
I shrugged off my dark mood. “Be good to my sister, Damien. She surely needs you more than ever during this time.” I turned to Samuel and requested we leave.
“I’m taking Julia out for a few hours. Thank you for coming, Damien.” He led me out of the house.
I gazed around in wonder, my grief temporarily tucked away. Everything was dark, yet I could see perfectly. I could see the texture of the bark on the trees next to the house, fill of little ridges and valleys. I noticed a well-tended vegetable garden next to the trees and wondered why vampires would cultivate a garden of food they would not eat. Was it for Damien when he came to visit? Or perhaps it was to avoid arousing suspicion by blending in and doing what mortal humans would do. I could even make out the shapes of two horses grazing far down the street. “This is amazing,” I whispered.
“Where would you like to go, Julia?”
“Let us go into town. Will you teach me how to take blood . . . without hurting anyone?” There was a pain in my stomach, a lot like hunger pangs. I supposed it was probably because I needed nourishment— blood.
“That is the plan for tonight.” An easy silence fell between us as we walked. I was strangely comfortable around him, and I didn’t feel a need to fill the quiet.
When we entered town a little later, the streets were almost deserted. Samuel telepathically beckoned me over to where he stood, watching a young couple walk down the street. I turned and glided over to him. “You’ll feed off the man after he takes the woman home,” Samuel said quietly. I nodded.
We followed the two down the street from a distance and watched as the young man accompanied the woman inside a house. After a few moments the man came out and continued on his way. “What are we going to do?” I asked. I had no idea how we were going to subdue this man.
“I’ll show you, and you can help me,” Samuel answered, as he resumed walking. We quickly closed the distance and by the time the man turned down a smaller street we were only a foot or so away. Samuel suddenly reached out and spun the man around.
“Hey?! Who are you?” the man said. He tried to shake free of Samuel’s arm, but could not. He held the man easily with one hand and put the other hand over his mouth.
“Come here, Julia.”
I ran to him, curious. “Now what?” I asked.
“Now you are going to subdue him.”
“Me? How?” I asked. I looked at our frightened victim, then up at my teacher. How on earth did Samuel expect me to do this?
“Look into his eyes and think him to sleep. The same way you speak to us without sound,” Samuel replied patiently.
“Why?” I asked as I followed his instructions. Suddenly, the young man went limp and his eyes seemed to glaze over.
Samuel handed him to me and then answered, “It sugarcoats the experience for innocent, non—resisting victims.” I held the man in my arms and was amazed at how frail he seemed. At that moment I understood that I could kill most mortals easily.
“Find the big artery in his neck. See, right here,” Samuel said, guiding one of my hands to a delicate place in the man’s throat. I could feel the throbbing of his blood. “Now bite, gently. Don’t rip.”
I lowered my head and gently bit the area with my newly sharp teeth. Suddenly warm rich fluid started to drip down my throat. I began to suck at it intently. I wrapped myself up in the metallic taste and smell of blood. I supposed mortals would find the taste unpleasant, but to me it tasted sweet. A few
moments later, Samuel touched my shoulder. “That’s enough, Julia,” he said. I looked up and wiped my mouth. I looked back down in fear that I had killed the man. I was relieved to find he was still breathing. I laid him down on the side of the street and got up.
Samuel knelt down beside him and smeared a small drop of his own vampire blood on the small wounds I had made, then started to walk away. I followed him uncertainly. “Will he be all right? Do we have to worry about him remembering us?” I asked.
He looked back at me. “Maybe. You did drink a lot. Don’t worry about it too much. It’s your first time Julia. It takes practice. And no, there is no cause for worry. The hypnotism ensures he won’t remember meeting us at all.” I nodded but silently fretted as we walked. I didn’t want to become my husband, a murdering fiend with no conscience, especially now that I was a vampire. It was my biggest fear besides my fear of being hurt.
Samuel turned and put a hand on my shoulder. “Do not be so hard on yourself. You are learning. You will make mistakes. It does not mean you are a bad person or that you’re like Gregory. All of us had problems at the beginning.”
I glanced at him with a frown. “Why did you let me take so much if it would have endangered that man?”
“You drank a lot, but I don’t think it was enough to harm him. But sometimes, mortals have something wrong with them, something we can’t always detect right away that puts them more at risk. I’m sorry I didn’t realize sooner.” I mulled over his answer as we continued walking.
He spoke again. “Is there a place in town you would like to go for a while?” Seeing my bewildered look he said, “Don’t worry, you will not be recognized.”
I thought of Adam, but pushed the thought from mind. Later, I promised myself. “Actually, I’m wondering about learning to fight. I would like to learn before I go out on my own,” I said. I wondered if he could see the worry on my face, and assumed he probably could. “I don’t ever want to be hurt like that again.”
Lost Soul (War of Destiny Book 1) Page 8
