The Shadows Awaken (Guardians of the Night Book 1)

by Robyn Wideman

  “Sure,” said Oscar with a laugh.

  “Got it,” said Mandy. “Does having a gargoyle make Sanctuary safe or a target?”

  “Good question. I believe once this war plays out and the world’s armies are done destroying each other that the world is still going to be a very unsafe place. Any protection that Sanctuary offers will be necessary. I fear when Cain says apocalypse, he is not exaggerating. Things will never be the same in our lifetime.”

  “Comforting thought.”

  Mandy watched as Oscar’s rod started to bow. A fish jumped out of the water, wiggling and flipping like a bucking bronco. “It’s about time you got one, I thought I was going to have to catch them all myself.”

  “Cheeky wench,” said Oscar. “Grab the net, this one’s a monster.”

  …

  “Flour, pepper, salt, garlic, and lemon juice,” instructed Oscar. He, Mandy, and Jaden were in the cabin's kitchen, preparing the fish to eat. Between the three of them, they’d caught ten fish. They would all be eating well that evening.

  “How did I get wrangled into cooking?” Mandy protested.

  “House rule. You catch it, you cook it.”

  “Pass the garlic,” said Jaden. He too was following Oscar's house rule and cooking his own catch.

  “I thought vampires didn’t like garlic,” said Mandy.

  “Most don’t,” said Jaden. “Vampire bellies don’t react well.”

  “Yet you aren’t being shy about putting garlic on.”

  “Cain and I aren’t normal vampires, we don’t have the same issue. Besides, garlic just gives most vampires gas, like beans for humans.”

  “Seriously? Vampires don’t like garlic 'cause it makes them fart?” Jess asked, giggling. She, along with Cain, was supervising the dinner-making while indulging in a glass of wine.

  Jaden winked at Jess.

  Jess turned to Cain, who just shrugged.

  “Farting vampires,” laughed Mandy. “I think I need more wine.”

  “Might as well drink what I have. Who knows when I’ll get back here,” said Oscar. “And if you think vampires farting is funny, wait 'til you hear a werewolf let one rip. Now that’s funny.”

  “Don’t believe a word that Oscar says,” said Mandy. “See that tiny little fish in his pan? He was calling that one a monster. He lies like a Persian rug.”

  “More like a bear rug,” said Jaden with a smirk.

  Oscar waved his cooking knife at Jaden and Mandy, “Don’t either of you get any ideas. You just want to turn me into a rug so you can steal my fishing spot.”

  “You know, that’s not a bad idea,” said Mandy. “If we skinned you in bear form, would you stay that way?”

  “I’m not going to dignify that with a response. Now go get that other bottle of wine.”

  Mandy laughed and headed to the root cellar.

  Jess watched in amusement as Jaden, Oscar, and Mandy cooked and verbally sparred. The three were getting along famously. Any worries Jess had about Mandy handling the idea of vampires and shifters were long gone. Mandy was treating both Oscar and Jaden like old friends. Jess looked at Cain, who gave her a quick wink. Jess was sure he knew exactly what she was thinking: that as long as they stayed together, things would be okay. They could survive the war and vampire attacks if they stayed together. Jess looked forward to getting to Sanctuary, but would always love this day spent at Oscar’s cabin. The afternoon had been a perfect retreat from the craziness of the world.

  Mandy came back and opened the new bottle of wine. After she’d filled all their glasses, she raised hers and said, “To new friends.”

  “To new friends,” everyone toasted in reply.

  56

  ERICA

  Erica woke the next morning feeling good. Better than good. Actually, she felt physically vibrant. Opening her eyes, she noticed that her vision seemed better, sharper. Erica sniffed the air. Even that seemed different. She could detect things she had never noticed before. She could tell Terra was coming to her door right now, just with her heightened sense of smell. Being a vampire would take some getting used to.

  Erica reflected back on the previous day’s betrayal. Jerod had been one of them, or so she had thought, but anyone willing to kill his own parents over their beliefs was capable of anything. It seemed fervent, extremist behavior was not solely a human trait. Vampires were equally willing to go to extremes for their causes. She had been sure she was going to die when Jerod had her pinned down. She could only assume her pushing the panic button on her watch had been the cause of her salvation. Dante had saved her.

  Dante ... her love for the demon-possessed gargoyle ... She was not ready to deal with that issue. Another grieving process was at hand. It was hard enough to think about all that had happened, but she did not want to confront the very real possibility that Dante was back to just being Garg. The balcony was only a few feet away, but the idea of walking out and seeing Garg and not Dante terrified her.

  Erica was glad when the door opened and Terra came in. Having someone to talk to would give her time to prepare herself when she walked out on the balcony to face her fears.

  “How are you feeling this morning?” asked Terra, as she came into the room. She could see that Erica was awake.

  “Emotionally I’m a wreck, but physically … I feel surprisingly well,” answered Erica.

  “That is not surprising. Most humans that are changed go through the same process. Here, I brought you breakfast.” Terra put the tray down on the bed beside Erica.

  Erica looked at the tray. Bacon, eggs, toast, and a couple of slices of fruit, it was not what she had anticipated her first vampire meal to be.

  “By the look on your face, you were expecting a big glass of warm blood for a meal. Don’t worry, vampires can eat normal food. Your body doesn’t change that much. Your diet will change. Vampire’s metabolisms are higher and require much more protein than you are probably used to, but a morning protein shake can help that. You won’t go thirsting for human blood just because you have changed. You would have to drink it first to develop a craving for it.”

  “That is a relief,” said Erica. “I would hate to live forever without chocolate cake and caramel lattes.” She was thankful that Terra was here to talk to her about things. “Anything else I should know about becoming a vampire? I have been researching vampires a lot lately, but for the purpose of killing them, not becoming one.”

  “I know a little, but Brad will be your mentor. While Jerod is the one who started the process, it was Brad who changed you. He will guide you as a vampire. He will be the one that can answer your questions about the process.”

  Brad’s confession about his true identity had been a minor shock, but saving her life, by making her a vampire was enough of a gift, that she could forgive his keeping his secret from her. “What kind of powers am I going to gain?” asked Erica. “I can already notice my vision and sense of smell are stronger, and I feel physically stronger.”

  “I have no idea. Even Brad couldn’t tell you that. He can tell you what powers he has, but you have the DNA of two different vampires in your body. It is very rare for two vampires to contribute to the making of a new vampire. Usually one of them ends up falling to the thirst and killing the victim. You will have a unique genetic profile, it will take time to see what you become. That your sight is not diminished by daylight is a good sign. Light sensitivity is a common trait among vampires, and one that makes having a normal life difficult.”

  “So I won’t have to sleep in coffins and only walk around at night. Good to know,” said Erica.

  “I see changing you into a vampire hasn’t affected your sense of humor.”

  Erica shrugged, “I know becoming a vampire is the reason I am alive. I am grateful for what Brad did. I am just going to need time to adjust. Joking about coffins and bad old movies is easier than falling apart. The world is so crazy right now. Maybe being a vampire is the best way to survive.”

  “Well, you certainly
are right about it being crazy out there. The only communication we have with the outside world right now is short wave radio communication. It hasn’t gotten any better in the last few days. I am afraid you might be right.”

  “Is it vampires or war?” asked Erica. Yesterday, before Jerod attacked her, she had been trying to gather information about what was happening.

  “War. Whether the vampires started it or not, the world is at war. Russian or Chinese bombers hit the east coast last night, much of Washington, New York, and all the other cities have been hit. I can only presume we have retaliated in some way. About the only good news is that the war isn’t nuclear. Other than that, it’s chaos. Even the cities that haven’t been attacked are in trouble. Hoarding and riots over food and water are causing chaos.”

  Erica was not surprised. For weeks things had been getting progressively worse. The vampires had a clear plan and had implemented it perfectly. The world powers had been tricked into attacking each other and were destroying the world’s armies. The attacks on refineries and oil rigs had insured that the wars would not last forever. Tanks and planes needed fuel, and reserves would run out in time, but not before countries like Russia and America destroyed each other’s military power.

  “Thank goodness we started working on things when we did. Even a few weeks longer, and we would not have been as prepared, as we are now,” said Erica.

  “You are looking like a genius with the decisions to stock up on diesel and buy biodiesel processing equipment. Between the new tractors and our solar panels, we are almost completely self-sufficient.”

  “I can’t take all the credit. I had a lot of help,” said Erica. Many of the best ideas had come directly or indirectly from comments made by Dante. She didn’t want to say his name out loud for fear she would break down. A look of worry and sorrow crossed her face.

  Terra could see that Erica was lost in her thoughts. She sympathized with Erica. She had been through so much. “I’ll leave you now. I’ll let Brad know he needs to come back and have a conversation with you. Maybe he has a becoming a vampire for dummies book you can read.”

  Erica snorted, “I could use that book. Thank you, Terra, for everything.”

  Terra walked to the door, looked back with a smile, “Of course,” and she left the room, leaving Erica to wrestle with her thoughts.

  As the door closed behind Terra, Erica took a deep breath, it was time. She turned and walked out onto the balcony. She looked up and Garg was not there!

  “I was waiting for you to wake up, but then Terra came to the door. I decided I didn’t want anyone interrupting us.”

  Erica turned. Dante was standing at the opposite end of the balcony, out of sight from the balcony doors. Erica rushed to him. She jumped into his arms, and started kissing him all over his face. This time he did not push her away. He had confessed to loving her, before she went unconscious during the turning.

  “I was so scared I would have to wait for eternity to see you again!” exclaimed Erica between kisses. “I dreaded seeing you as a statue again. What happened?” She stroked his arms, as if to assure herself he was in the flesh, and not stone.

  “I’m not sure,” said Dante when his lips were freed. “It seems that you changing into a vampire doesn’t affect the qualities that made you worthy of protecting, in the first place.” Dante sat on his perch throughout the night, waiting for the transformation to happen. When dawn came, and he was still able to control his powers he started to have hope, hope that he would finally be able to share his love. He would be able to find happiness with someone for the centuries that remained in his lifespan. He had never considered a vampire lover before, but Erica getting bitten had made him open his mind to the possibility. All night he had thought and hoped he would stay awake and live with Erica. Vampire or not, he loved her and wanted her to be his.

  Erica pushed slightly away from Dante, so that she could look him in the eyes. “You said before that you couldn’t be with me, that the difference in our lifespans was too great an obstacle to overcome. What about now? Could you love me as a vampire?” Erica asked. Her heart raced. She wanted Dante so much, but he had his code of honor and his own demons. Could he see past the fact she was a vampire? Would Dante be able to love her now? Or would he reject her again.

  Dante said nothing. Instead he picked Erica up and carried her into the bedroom. He stood her up at the front of the bed and kissed her neck, as he undid her robe. The curve of her neck was deliciously ultra-sensitive. He could see the hairs on her arms raise with goosebumps, as he slowly traced the length of her neck with his warm tongue. He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her against his hardened body. Her eyes were luminous. The pupils of her eyes dilated. He could tell as a human she would have been a highly sensitive, responsive lover, but she had no idea of the depths of passion that she would feel as an immortal. Waking her new super-heightened sexual responses was more exciting, than awakening a virgin. He skimmed his hands up just underneath her breasts.

  Erica groaned with disappointment. Her breasts ached with a fullness she had never dreamed possible. The tips of her nipples hardened, as if she had exposed them to an icy blast. She touched them herself, impatient for Dante to tease them to aching points. An involuntary moan escaped her lips. Her body was more than sensitive. Dante pushed her hands down to his groin. She cupped his fullness and stroked the length of him. He turned her around and rubbed his cock through his clothes against the cleft of her buttocks. Up and down, it was erotic torture for them both. His hands finally cupped her breasts, rubbing the sensitive points between his thumbs and forefingers. Erica pushed back against his hard cock. “Now,” she begged. He tugged her panties down, ripping them in his haste. He reached down and stroked her wet cleft. He slipped two fingers inside of her, and then he put fingers to his lips and tasted her juices. She arched into him and bucked against him. He could wait no longer. He fumbled with his pants and freed his engorged cock. He plunged into her with a swift thrust from behind. She gasped and cried out with relief to finally feel him inside of her. She rocked herself against him, when he tried to slowly stroke her insides with his manhood.

  Dante could not hold back. He pumped furiously as they fell to the bed. The bed moved across the floor as he drove into her demanding portal. Her quick noisy climax was his undoing. The clenching of her warm flesh seemed to suck the seed from his rod. They shook and shuddered together. She was bent over the bed and his knees were on the floor. He slumped into her, breathing heavily. Erica turned and his cock slid out of her. She lay back on the bed and raised her knees. The sight of her feminine petals dripping with dewdrops of male essence made him aware she needed more. She was ready for more. No longer was she an exhausted mortal. She was an insatiable seductress. She licked her lips and parted her thighs even wider. He kissed his way up each thigh. Erica felt as if her body was an elastic band twisting tighter and tighter. Dante sniffed her petals and stroked them with his tongue. He moved up to her breasts and suckled each nipple in turn, and when her moans grew louder he covered her mouth with his and they knew each other’s taste. He felt his cock grow harder again. He moved back to her reddened swollen nipples and suckled them once again. Erica felt her insides clench with the sweet torture. He flicked the tips with his tongue sending vibrations straight to her center. Dante licked the underside of her breasts. He rolled on the bed pulling her on top of him. She lowered herself onto his cock. He reached with one hand to rub the center of her pleasure nub with his thumb. Erica’s eyes glazed with passion. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever think her whole body could feel like the small throbbing pleasure button between her thighs. The insatiable desire for more tension and release was almost frightening, but the look in Dante’s eyes was one of permission to be as greedy as she wanted to be. His appetite was matching hers. She slowly ground herself over him. The rush of tingling heat through her thighs was exquisite, feeling hotter and hotter, making her cry out again. Her juices burst just before his, leaving th
em slick and wet. Erica had never ejaculated before. Had it not felt so wonderful, she might have been embarrassed. Dante looked very pleased with the heights she had reached. They communicated through touching strokes and caresses. Words were not needed. Primal urges were ruling their thoughts and actions. It was when they were both sore that they nestled together, waiting for the morning to come. The tender caresses and nibbles as her body cooled warmed Erica’s heart. Dante had answered her without a word. Yes. Dante could love a vampire. Dante loved her.

  57

  JESS

  When morning came, they packed up their belongings and loaded them back into the truck.

  “I wish we didn’t have to leave this place,” said Mandy.

  “Me too,” Jess agreed. She felt safe there. The cozy little cabin on the lake seemed so far removed from the war and chaos in the outside world that it was easy to forget it was even happening. She looked around again at their picturesque surroundings before reluctantly climbing into the SUV.

  “If things ever get back to normal, or safe enough to travel, you can all use the cabin any time you’d like,” said Oscar. “I’m sure Jeffery will agree.”

  Mandy hugged Oscar. “Thank you, Oscar. You’d better bring me back so I can teach you how to fish.”

  Oscar laughed, “I’d like that.”

  Jess smiled at the easy camaraderie that had developed between Mandy and Oscar and again felt a twinge of regret that they were leaving.

  As they drove, Cain turned the radio on. He had to scan through the channels several times before they picked up a station. It was a news channel and once again the focus of all the news was the war.

  “The latest reports have said that China has joined Russia and attacked the Gulf Coast,” said the voice on the radio. “The majority of the attacks have been against strategic military instillations, but Texas and California and all major cities in the southeast have reported heavy civilian casualties. Much of the Eastern Seaboard is now without power. Martial law is in effect. You are reminded that looting and rioting will not be tolerated.” The news reporter droned on and they listened to the newscast for the rest of the journey, but the reports never got any better. America had suffered heavy damage and there was no end to the war in sight.