The Shadows Awaken (Guardians of the Night Book 1)

by Robyn Wideman

  Serena thought very highly of Jaden. He was a good vampire. He was moody and intense, but when she was alone with him, he was actually a sensitive and caring lover. Once she had fully enjoyed spending her free nights with him whenever possible, but their relationship was coming to an end. The question remained, could she find a way to warn Jaden without making it obvious? Vladimir would harbor no hesitation in killing her if he sensed the slightest hint of betrayal to his cause. Serena sent her reply to Lucas.

  Yes. Initiate stage two.

  She then sent a text to Jaden.

  Sorry I won’t be able to meet you tonight. Got called to Europe on business, considered traveling back but travel is not safe right now. Do not know if I will be back to America. Goodbye, Jaden.

  It wasn’t much for Jaden to go on, but it was the best Serena could do without jeopardizing her own safety. From here on, she could do nothing for the Butler brothers.

  …

  Jaden stared at his smart phone. He’d been enjoying a late dinner of a fat, juicy steak with a nice glass of red wine, something that always pleased his palate. His enjoyment was cut short by the damn phone and the cryptic message from Serena. He found it very disconcerting. Jaden knew all about the vampire council, the fascist organization dedicated to the survival of the vampire race. Jaden had always thought they were a dimwitted lot, the vampire equivalent of the KKK, but Serena was not dim-witted. She was intelligent, well-organized, and ambitious. She had told Jaden that the council was much bigger and more powerful than he could imagine and had plans that would change the world forever, but he had blown it off as Serena’s way of justifying working for a bunch of clowns.

  When Jaden started noticing a pattern in the news, he began to give more credence to Serena’s view of the council. Stories of strange disappearances, murders, and attacks against humans on a scale never before seen began to surface, but the news channels barely even covered them because the big stories of the day were war brewing between Russia and China, and the rapidly escalating tensions between Indian and Pakistan. Not to mention the full-blown war in the Middle East. No, simple murder and strange disappearances barely made the news, but Jaden still learned of them through other channels He began to fear that Serena had not been boasting after all and her cryptic message served to confirm those fears. The vampire council was planning something big, something world changing, and it involved killing. A lot of killing.

  Jaden knew that Serena’s message meant it was not safe for him to travel. The council was going to come after him and his brother because their beliefs regarding the treatment of humans was in direct opposition to that of the council and made them a target. The council was going to try and kill them and they weren’t going to waste any time. Jaden quickly sent Cain a text

  Where are you? Danger! Meet you at home ASAP

  Cain answered a moment later. At Taste of Bliss coffee shop, with Jess. What’s going on?

  Vampire council, Jaden immediately replied, knowing his brother would understand the significance of his cryptic answer.

  …

  “I’m so glad you didn’t run off screaming when I told you what I was,” Cain said as he put his coffee cup down. They were sitting at a table in the corner. It was quiet in the coffee shop at that time of night. There were only two other couples seated, enjoying intimate conversations much like themselves. A few other people came and went, taking their coffee to go. Jess was happy to have found this quiet spot with Cain. She was very intrigued by him and wanted to learn more.

  Cain’s phone buzzed on the table next to his cup and he looked at it in annoyance. “I apologize, but I should check this. It’s most likely my brother at this hour.”

  Jess smiled. Even vampires are slaves to technology. She found irony in the thought given his age. She watched as Cain typed out a quick response and received a reply almost immediately. His brow furrowed when he read the second message. Something was wrong. “Are you okay? You look like you just got a very unpleasant message.”

  Cain looked up from his phone and gave Jess a sad smile. “Yes, a very unpleasant message. This has been a wonderful night and I’ll be forever glad we had this conversation.”

  “You sound like you don’t think we’ll have another,” said Jess. Whatever the message was, it was significant. “Can you tell me why?”

  “You know how we talked about the differing views on humans that vampires have?”

  “Yes, you are the warm and fuzzy left-winger,” replied Jess.

  “I just received a text from my brother that means being a warm and fuzzy is no longer an option.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Cain sighed heavily. “It means that other vampires are hunting me. I could be killed for my views on humans. You should leave now and forget you ever met me. I’m so sorry.”

  Jess frowned. Are you putting me on? An hour ago, she wouldn’t have thought twice about walking away from Cain, but now she wasn’t so sure she wanted to. She didn’t want this to be the last time she saw him. “What if they are already watching you, wouldn’t that mean I am in danger as well?”

  Cain looked at her like the thought had already occurred to him. He nodded and said, “That is a very real possibility, I’m afraid. I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be. You saved me from those assholes, remember? I probably would have died were it not for your help. So the potential danger that comes from being rescued is not something to regret.”

  Cain nodded and stood up to leave. “I have to go now. You may never see me again, and I won’t be able to protect you if they decide you need to die. But if you come with me, I may be putting you in greater danger.”

  Jess stood up as well and put her hand on his arm in an attempt to stop his leaving her. “I have been fearing death my entire life. Fear that everyone I love is going to die, and fear that I cannot love anyone, or let anyone love me. I’m tired of being afraid, Cain. If I have to say good-bye to you I want it to be my choice, not because of some fucking vampire council.”

  Cain turned his head and peered out the window, something catching his eye. Jess felt his muscles tense under her hand. “I’m afraid what we want no longer matters. They’re here,” he said. “In that car across the road, there’s four vampires watching us right now. I’m so sorry, Jess. We’re both in danger now no matter what.”

  Jess followed Cain’s gaze out the window. Across the road sat a sleek silver sports car, something European and expensive. Under the light of the street lamp, she could just make out the shadowy figures sitting in the car, heads turned towards the coffee shop. She felt her heart begin to pound in her chest. He’s serious. This is really happening. Just like when he’d first told her he was a vampire, she hadn’t taken Cain’s story about the imminent threat seriously. This is so unfair. Death seemed to follow her everywhere. Here it was again, coming for someone that she was just beginning to care about.

  Cain sent a message on his phone and then slid it into his pocket. He smiled at Jess. “No matter how this night ends, it’s been one of the best I’ve ever had, Jess. Can we pretend they’re not out there for a moment longer?”

  Jess bravely returned his smile. From the tone of his voice, she knew that Cain didn’t think they would survive. Huh, she thought, so this is how it ends. I’ve had so many nightmares about how I would die. Never did I imagine my last moments alive would be in a coffee house, sitting across from the most gorgeous man I’ve ever met, who also happens to be a vampire. It was a strange feeling, knowing that her death was so close. She had so many regrets, but being here was not one of them. Jess placed her hand in Cain’s. “Yes, let’s just sit here for a moment and enjoy each other’s company.”

  20

  ERICA

  Frank showed up right on time. Erica opened the door to find him standing there, with flowers in hand. The small bouquet of flowers was lovely. He was as handsome, as she remembered. The casual sports jacket, the white shirt, all made a good impression.

  “T
hank you for the flowers, Frank. They are beautiful,” said Erica.

  “It is my pleasure,” said Frank as Erica accepted the flowers from him. “You look lovely tonight.”

  Erica blushed. It had been so long since she had received flowers and compliments from a man.

  “You are just in time. Dinner is almost ready. Can I get you a drink? Wine, beer?” asked Erica. “I’m having a glass of red while I get dinner ready.”

  “A glass of red would be wonderful,” said Frank.

  Erica led Frank into the living room, “I’ll be right back with the wine,”

  Frank sat at the couches and looked around the room. He admired the artwork while he waited for Erica.

  Erica walked into the kitchen. Jeffery had done the majority of the meal preparation. All she needed to do was pull the meat out of the oven. Erica looked at the timer on the oven, ten minutes. Perfect. Just enough time for some casual conversation before dinner was ready. She was nervous about the whole date process, but so far she was finding the experience relatively painless. Frank was attractive, friendly, and was a considerate date. The flowers and compliments had been nice touches. Perhaps dating wasn’t going to be as difficult as she had anticipated.

  Erica grabbed a glass for Frank, took a big sip out of her glass, then topped it off. Fortified by the alcohol, she headed back to the living room.

  “Here you go,” Erica said, as she handed Frank his glass.

  “Thank you, Erica,” said Frank. “You have an amazing home. I love the gothic art in this room. Most of the pieces are 17th century, Italian if I am not mistaken.”

  “I’m not sure,” said Erica. ‘It’s not actually my house. It belongs to a friend of mine. I am just staying here for a while,” explained Erica. The fabrication just slipped off her tongue too easily. It bothered her that she could lie so easily. But the truth would have seemed like an incredible lie. She left it at that, not wanting to get into too many details about the circumstances that led to her staying in the mansion.

  “Well, your friend has a wonderful home,” said Frank.

  They sat and drank their wine, chatting about the weather and the drive out to the city, before Erica went back into the kitchen and got dinner ready.

  She was just putting the food on table when Frank joined her in the kitchen.

  “I ran out of wine, so I thought I would come see if you needed a hand,” said Frank.

  “Actually, everything is ready,” said Erica as she grabbed the bottle of red wine. “Come sit down, it is time to eat.”

  Dinner went well. Erica enjoyed having Frank as a guest. He was charming and funny and having male company around the house that spoke to her in sentences longer than five words at a time was nice. She wasn’t really feeling any sparks for Frank, but it was a pleasant evening.

  Frank was happy. Erica was gorgeous, intelligent, and funny and she laughed at all of his jokes. He felt the evening was off to a great start. As Erica started to put the dishes from their meal away, Frank decided to test the waters. He came up behind her and when she turned back towards the table he was right in front of her. Erica saw him as she turned, but her forward momentum carried her into his arms.

  Frank leaned in and gave Erica a kiss. It took Erica by surprise. The soft gentle kiss was not unpleasant, and Erica’s initial response was to return the kiss. Her lips lingered on his for a moment before sanity put the brakes on. Erica pushed Frank away.

  “I’m sorry, Frank, but that is a bad idea. I think you should go now!”

  Frank was confused, at first she had started to return his kiss. Now she was telling him to leave? “Is that really necessary?” he asked. “It was just a kiss.”

  Erica nodded vigorously, “You need to go.” Alarm bells were ringing loudly in her head. Too soon, too close, and it seemed wrong. She had panicked. She handed him his jacket.

  “What the hell?” exclaimed Frank in confusion. He reined in his emotions quickly. “Can we just forget I kissed you, and start over?” He realized he might have moved too fast kissing her, but that hardly seemed grounds for her to freak out.

  “No. I 'm just not ... not prepared ... I'm sorry I invited you--Erica stopped mid-sentence. Every word she said was coming out wrong.

  Frank had an offended look on his face. “Fine, I’m out of here,” he said.

  Her date stormed out the door, heading towards his car. He was confused. Why had she turned on him so quickly? Obviously, he had her signals wrong. An intimate dinner at her place apparently was not an invitation for fast-tracked intimacy! She acted like a scared virgin. Then Frank remembered Erica’s deceased husband. This was probably her first date since her husband died. How could he be so insensitive! Of course, she would have been a little confused and likely had mixed emotions about dating.

  Frank felt bad, he had really enjoyed the evening and thought Erica was lovely. He had moved too fast. He owed her an apology. Hopefully she would accept and allow him another date some other time. Frank decided to head back to the house and apologize. The date might be over, but the least he could do was say sorry for misreading the situation.

  As Frank turned and started back towards the house, a large shadowy figure on the roof top caught his attention. The man was watching him. Shit, thought Frank. She has security. Probably told them I was a creep and to beat my ass down, if I didn’t leave. Frank couldn’t see much of the person on the roof but he was big, very big. His stare burned into Frank’s head. A shiver ran down Frank’s spine. Perhaps it was best if he phoned and apologized. He turned and headed back to his car, wanting nothing to do with the shadowy figure staring down at him from the roof.

  …

  Erica listened as Frank’s car started. Part of her wanted to go out and stop him from leaving. She wanted to say sorry for overreacting, but at the same time she wasn’t ready for intimacy. Perhaps it was best to just let Frank leave. She sighed as she heard Frank’s car pull out of the driveway. Her first date had been a disaster.

  Erica grabbed her glass and the bottle of wine and headed upstairs. Kicking off her high heels, she ascended the stairs. She decided the damned high heels were what made her wobbly. She stopped midway to lower the level of wine in her glass, so it would not spill. She needed to talk to someone, even if it was just a stone gargoyle who never talked back. She could talk to Jeffery, but he was almost as talkative as Garg, and at least Garg wouldn’t start squirming and look like a deer in the headlights when she discussed emotions and sex. Jeffery was a wonderful protector and handy to have around the house, but not someone to talk to about feelings.

  Walking out on to the balcony, Erica looked out into the night sky. She agitatedly walked the length of the balcony, swinging the bottle back and forth as she paced. She felt sorry for her date. She felt sorry for herself. She stopped pacing and tried to focus on the view. She poured herself another glass of wine. The sun was fading away, leaving the sky a wonderful collage of reds, oranges and streaks of purple. It was one thing she was starting to love about living in the country. In the city, she never got the full open views of the sky the way she did here. The stars never seemed as bright with all the competing city lights. The sound of wind whistling through the trees was much more pleasant than the symphony of the automotive orchestra filled with taxis, buses, and other cars that filled the city. But the usually calming beauty of the night sky viewed from her balcony was no match for her agitation.

  Taking a healthy drink of her wine, Erica turned her attention to Garg. “Well, date night was a disaster,” she said to her stone audience. “I turned a lovely evening into a horror show by freaking out over a kiss. I could have just let the kiss happen, or politely say not interested, but instead I freaked out and kicked him out. Total overreaction! It wasn’t like he was super aggressive, it was a simple kiss. It would have been rather enjoyable if I hadn’t freaked out. I wasn’t going to sleep with him tonight, or probably any night for that matter. I just don’t feel a spark for him that way, but still I made such a me
ss out of such a simple thing.” Erica sighed, and took another sip of her wine. She was talking to a bloody rock for crying out loud! She shook her head. She decided confession was good for the soul and she continued talking to the damned demonic rock face.

  “So what is wrong with me, Garg? Am I just messed up over Tomas still or is it that I am confused over what I want? Frank seems like a nice guy, but so was Tomas. I loved Tomas. He was wonderful to me in so many ways, but he was kind of paternalistic when I think about it. I think I picked a father figure for my first love. No regrets. It was a good marriage, Garg, but something was missing. I want to be equal in decision making and equal in bed. No secrets. I want sparks. I want to fall for a man that makes me wet just thinking of him.” Erica paused and took another drink of wine. Erica was drunk. She looked up Garg again. The wine she had consumed earlier, while preparing for Frank’s arrival along with the glass of wine during dinner and this third glass was her undoing. She realized, it might be her fourth or fifth glass. She lost count. No matter she thought, and finished the thought out loud “who's counting?”

  “You know what, Garg? You are ugly as fuck. You are the strong silent type. I would probably fuck you before I fucked a guy like Frank. Sure you might have a little demon in you, and those wings would definitely get in the way, but you got a ripped body and certain intensity to you. I’ll bet you would be a beast in bed, you big ol’ stone stud you. Heck, you are up here every night watching me, and according to the Internet, watching over me. Gargoyles are great at warding off evil spirits. If the big, bad vampires don’t kill me, because they are afraid of you … well that is kind of sexy. I should thank you. Thank you, Garg!”

  Erica swallowed the rest of her wine. “See, there is totally something wrong with me, a nice guy kisses me and I freak out. Yet here I am fantasizing about having sex with an ugly, half-demon stone sculpture. I am totally messed up. I am grabbing another glass of wine and having a bath. Good night, Garg,” said Erica, as she made her way back into the house. Her balance was a little tipsy. Her nightly conversation with Garg had not had the desired calming effect she needed. She was just as confused as she had been before the one way conversation, and on her way to a massive hangover. Oh God! She closed the garden doors to the balcony. Did I really say I would fuck a gargoyle? She pressed her hot forehead against the cold glass of the doors. It didn’t help with sobriety. She looked at the bottle in her hand and groaned. It was empty. A few minutes later, so was her stomach.