by Candy Crum
The man that had shot Will had been the very one that had defied me earlier. The very one that had tried to shoot him before, but had been stopped by Cass. There he was… Standing right behind Will’s slumped over and very dead body, his gun still raised and pointing over Will’s back directly at my face. He had such a dark look on his face. One that told me he’d killed before and he would kill many, many times over in the future. He had no remorse for it. He was a murderer and he planned to take my life, too.
“Enough.”
It was only a single word. It hadn’t been loud or even angry. It was simply spoken, but I felt the boom of power overtake everyone in the room except Cass and me. Everything in the room stopped. It was totally silent aside from the footsteps that fell from across the room. They were coming from the very place Cass and I had entered through.
I turned to see a very tall man with short, jet black hair, icy blue eyes, and medium-toned skin. He was dressed in clothing fit for a New York theatre. Black slacks, black dress shirt, a long well-fit overcoat, and black dress shoes. He looked like he walked out of a magazine. He was flawless in every way.
“Tristan,” Cass said.
“Cass,” Tristan said, giving a nod in his direction.
Tristan walked into the room at the mess that laid before us.
“On your knees,” he said, his voice calm, smooth.
Every human in the room dropped to their knees without question, bowing their heads as they did so. I watched in awe as he controlled everyone in the room.
“Mia,” Tristan said.
His face softened as he looked me over, a small, yet genuine smile spreading across his lips. He stepped forward, pulling a white cloth from his pocket. He kneeled in front of me and gently wiped my face clean.
“My little girl, so beautiful. I see the innocence and pain in your eyes. You are everything that I could have dreamed of and more.”
“You’re… my father?” I asked. My voice was barely a whisper.
He was beautiful, but he was incredibly powerful. The look of kindness and love on his face told me that everything that Cass and my mother said had been true. He was a good man. The power that he displayed, however, and with absolutely no effort at all, told me that the other half of Cass’ description was just as correct. He was not someone that you’d want to piss off. I could see then why he was so terrified for Tristan to find out that Cass had been my first after turning.
“I am. Tell me daughter, what would you have me do for you here?” he asked.
I looked around at the destruction around us. Will was dead and Andrews was no longer breathing. I imagined that he’d died a slow death from drowning on his own blood.
“All I wanted was to save them,” I said, my voice still quiet. “He was my best friend and he was just an innocent cop. He tried to help me. He knew what I was and all he did was try to help me. I failed.”
“What would you have me do, daughter?” Tristan asked once again.
The darkness scratched the back of my brain. “Kill them. They will go on to hurt others. They will kill mercilessly and will never show a moment of grief or remorse. They have to die.”
“As you wish,” Tristan said before standing.
With only the tiniest gesture of his hands, every armed man in the room lifted their guns to point at their own heads. I saw what was about to happen and I didn’t care. I was numb. Two good, innocent men died. Will had gotten himself into some bad trouble, but he’d never hurt anyone before.
“Wait,” I said.
“Yes?” Tristan said.
I stood then, my eyes once again meeting those of the man that had defied me and then killed Will. His face showed nothing but submission. My father had a hold on him that I couldn’t manage earlier, but I could at that very moment. I was no longer in danger and no longer making a futile attempt to hold a room full of men under my power. Every bit of my focus was on him and I could feel the bond building as I focused harder on him.
“Come to me,” I said.
“Yes, Mistress,” he said.
He bowed his head and rose to his feet, never again lifting his eyes as he made his way to me. He stood in front of me, not saying a word and only waiting for me.
“Is that how you show respect to your Mistress?” Tristan asked.
Will’s murderer immediately dropped to his knees.
“Please forgive me!” he pleaded.
I was disgusted by what I saw before me, but a large part of me that was twisted and dark at that moment loved watching him suffer. I hoped that every innocent person whose life he’d ended was watching him right then with great pleasure.
“Look at me,” I said. He was quick to obey. “Do you know where Jay is?”
“Yes, Mistress,” he said.
“Stop calling me that. My name is Mia. I’m not your damn Mistress, but I do have total control over you and you will do as I tell you. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Mia,” he said.
“Good.”
I knelt so my face was only inches in front of his, my eyes locked on his.
“I want you to go to Jay. I want you to tell him exactly what happened here. I want you to tell him that he has pissed off someone that will never stop looking for him. You tell him that Will is dead and for that, he will pay with his life. It will not be pleasant. It will not be swift. I am going to be a voice for the innocents of this town. I am going to be their hero. I’ve told him this before, but I want you to remind him. I’m going to rip through all of you, piece by piece. I’m going to disassemble everything that he’s worked for. When everything has fallen apart, I’m coming for him. Tell him exactly that. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Mia,” he said. “I will.”
“You are never to harm another person again. I suspect that Jay will kill you for that eventually. I don’t care what happens to you, but you will never harm another person again,” I ordered.
“Never, Mia,” he said.
I was getting sick of hearing my name.
“Go. Now,” I demanded.
He scurried out of there. I heard the door close and multiple guns fired simultaneously, effectively ending the horror that we’d all walked into. Tristan walked past me and lifted Andrews’ head. He finished pulling the bonds from his feet before gently placing him on the floor. Tristan then pulled a knife from his belt before driving it in Andrews’ chest, twisting it hard.
“Cass,” Tristan said. “Bite into your wrist.”
Cass did as he was asked and held the open wound over large hole in Andrew’s chest. A few moments passed before Tristan leaned forward, placing his mouth over Andrews’. It looked as though he were giving him mouth to mouth, but then I realized he was kissing him. I wanted to stop him, but I had to believe there was a purpose to all of it.
Tristan pulled away and I watched in amazement as the holes in Andrews neck and chest closed. He took a deep breath and coughed several times, eventually turning over to vomit blood onto the floor.
“It hurts now, but you’ll heal very quickly,” Tristan said.
“How…” I started. “How is that possible? He was dead!”
“Succubi and Incubi are the only ones that can bring the dead back to life,” Cass said.
“If they are gone for very long, it’s impossible to get them back. He still had warmth to him,” Tristan said.
My eyes lit up. “Will! What about Will? Can you bring him back? He died just seconds before Andrews was shot!”
Tristan’s brows furrowed as something resembling sympathy crossed his face.
“I’m sorry, daughter. That I cannot do. His wounds are far too severe. If I brought him back, he would be brain dead. The brain is much more complicated than a hole in the heart. The human brain doesn’t have the rapid healing capabilities that the rest of their body does when given Vampire blood. The organ is too complex. I’m sorry, Mia, but your friend is gone.”
Tears began to well in my eyes as the adrenaline eased and the real
ity of the situation before me settled in.
“I loved him,” I said. “I know that he knew it, but I never really got to tell him how I felt.”
“I’m sorry, Mia,” Tristan said.
He helped me stand, turning me to face him. Looking at him, I could see me. His hair and eyes. They were mine. I took after him quite a bit.
“I’m going to help you through your transition,” he said. “I wanted to see what kind of person you were and I’ve seen it. You’ve impressed me. You’re beautiful inside and out. I wanted someone that would make a difference in the world and that will be you. I think that turning later in life helped you. I will never be able to repay your mother for raising you the way that she did. The way that both of your parents did. I know that you’re hurting right now, but I need to get you and your friend out of here. I need to get you home.”
“Leave me,” Andrews said from the floor. “I have to call this in. I can’t abandon this.”
“And how will you explain this?” Tristan asked.
“I’ll tell them the truth, minus the heroics that were taken. As for the mass suicide, I’ll tell them that they killed themselves. Ballistics and everything else will agree with that. It’s exactly what happened,” he said.
“You guys go,” Cass said. “I’ll stay here with him and make sure nothing bad happens.”
“Thank you, Cass,” I said. “For everything.”
“Yes, Cass,” Tristan said. “Thank you for looking out for my daughter.”
I could see the hard swallow in Cass’ throat before he smiled. “Of course.”
We started to head out, but Tristan turned back, a dark smile forming on his lips.
“And Cass,” he said. “Please tell me that my only close friend wasn’t aware that he was deflowering my daughter.”
My eyes widened. How did he know? How creepy. I wasn’t sure that I liked that very much. Would he always know?
“I’m so sorry,” Cass said. “I really had no idea until after. She’d been awakened for a week or so and hadn’t fed. I was only trying to help. I didn’t know until after. I swear.”
“I believe you,” Tristan said. “Let’s not let that happen again, hmm?”
“Yep,” Cass said. “Not a problem.”
With that, Tristan escorted me out of the building. I was still shaking from everything that had happened. My heart was broken and I felt no hope that things would get better anytime soon. All that I had left was my grief. My anger. My hatred. The only thing that I had to hold onto was the promise that I made to Jay. It was a promise that I intended to keep. I wanted him to suffer for all the lives he’d ruined when he pulled young boys off the streets and made them criminals or killed innocent people and left their families to deal with the pain.
I would wait.
I would heal myself.
I would let my father teach me things that I need to know to survive.
Then… Jay would feel every ounce of pain that I did. He would feel my wrath.
Chapter One
Have you ever awoken from a dream that was very odd, but felt so real that it kind of influenced your whole day? Well, every day I awoke from normal dreams to find myself in a strange alternate universe where I’m a succubus, my father isn’t my father, but a very old incubus named Tristan is, my best friend is dead, my two new friends are a cop that knows what I am and a vampire named Cass, and I’m expected to feed on the life force of humans to survive. Basically, the opposite of whatever it is you have going on when you wake up.
A few weeks had passed since Will’s death, but there are some things I should probably go over before I continue. That night, when the four of us – Tristan, Cass, Andrews, and myself – left the warehouse, we came back to my parents’ house. It had become quite the safe zone. I just hoped that it stayed that way.
I’d called my mom on the way there to let her know that I was on my way home and to have some strong alcohol waiting. I told her that I’d explain once we got there. Truth was, I was exhausted. I’d fed a little, but it wasn’t nearly enough. It was like being awake for a week straight. A nap probably isn’t going to do much.
When I walked in, my mother ran to me and wrapped me in her arms. I was covered in brain matter and blood, but she didn’t care. She saw me, saw that I’d been in one hell of a situation, and hugged me when she saw that I was okay. It made me want to tear up with just how much my parents loved me.
They did whatever they had to in order to conceive me, which is where Tristan had come in, and they never looked at me like I was any different, even though they knew that one day I could be. When they realized that I was different, they still didn’t care. They’d known what they were getting into and they didn’t care what I turned out to be, as long as I was theirs to love. There could be no better example of what a parent should be. I hoped one day I’d get a chance to be as good of a parent as they’d been to me.
The door had opened again and Andrews walked in, followed by Cass. I wondered if he’d have to be invited in, but apparently, it didn’t work that way. The moment that Tristan entered, however, my mother’s arms fell and she stumbled back a step or two.
“Mom,” I’d said. “I’m sure you remember this guy. This is Tristan.”
My mother’s eyes may as well have glazed over when she saw him. I could see things in her expression that no person ever wants to see on their parents. I shivered. When I turned to Tristan, he looked at her like dinner, but he was smooth about it. I could tell that he’d liked her more than just a fun night. After all, he’d chosen her for a reason.
“Gross,” I said.
“What?” Tristan asked.
“Would the two of you stop looking at each other like that? She’s human. You have control over her, even if you don’t try. Not to mention, she had your child. Certainly, not losing any points with her there. So, just let it be. Stop looking at her like she’s dinner. You might be my ancient ass father, but I’ll kick your ass.”
Tristan smiled. “You’re protective of them. I like this. As you wish. I will honor your request. If she comes to me, however…”
“Hey!” I said. “She’s a happily married woman, and she’s had her tubes tied. She won’t. Well… I suppose if they like that kind of thing…”
I shivered again.
Tristan shook his head. “You are a creature that feeds on sex, yet you look down on others for their own desire?”
I rolled my eyes. “I know what I am. Doesn’t mean I’ve had enough time to adjust. Forgive me if I’m not as experienced as you are in the area. Most people don’t like to think about their parents getting laid.” I threw my hands in the air. “ANYWAY! Can we talk about something else? I’m dying over here. I’m covered in my best friend’s… everything.”
“Oh, my God,” my mom said, her hand covering her mouth. Tears filled her eyes. “Will?”
I nodded as her tears brought my own. My rage had settled with the disturbing conversation that I’d had with my parents. With that brought in sadness and realization. Will was dead. I’d never see or talk to him again. I would never get to tell him that I loved him and wanted to be with him.
“One of the drug lord’s asshats killed him. Right in front of my face.” My eyes drifted to the floor as the haunting image filled my mind again. “He shot him point blank in the back of the head. All of it exploded all over me.”
I wiped my wet cheeks and saw smeared blood on the back of my hand. I asked Cass, Andrews, and Tristan to fill in the gaps while I took a shower. I couldn’t handle the grit of dried blood, bone fragments, and brain matter clinging to my skin. It was even worse to know whose it was.
I went outside and hosed myself off. I stripped down to my bra and underwear and left the clothes outside. At that moment, I didn’t care who saw me like that. I wasn’t dressed any different than being at a pool.
After the shower from hell, where I stood and cried for twenty minutes before the water ran cold, and I remembered that I was in there for a
purpose, I got out and dressed. My mother had food started and it gave me a chance to sit with Tristan and really get to know him. I caught him staring at me often with something that resembled wonder in his eyes. It was like I was a brand-new baby, and he’d just seen me born into the world.
“Why do you look at me like that?” I asked.
“Like what?” he asked.
“Like that. That goofy grin, the pink cheeks, the twinkle in your eye. You look at me like…” I paused, not knowing how to put it into words.
“Like a proud father?” he asked.
“Is that what it is?” I asked. “I fail to see how a demon bio-donor that has never bothered to find me in over two decades could possibly be proud to call himself that.”
“We are not demons.” He took a drink of the ice water that my mother had sat out for him. “That being said, my hope was that you’d be raised to have human values and morals. I wanted you to be inherently good. The world has become a hideous mess of itself. Not only are the humans disgraces to their once noble kind, but the supernatural creatures are more violent and risky than ever. I always feel alone in this world in my opinions and thoughts, though I know there are others like me.
“Across the country, and even further into Egypt, there is a war waging between vampires, werewolves, and immortal humans. The queens of both the vampires and werewolves want nothing more than to keep the immortal queen from taking the throne and enslaving humanity. One day, I hope to join that fight. I want to fight on the side of the vampires to save the humans.
“It’s been brewing for nearly three thousand years, but now that the chosen one has come, the war will soon come, too. There is so much to teach you of this world. I’m one of the oldest living incubi. All of our offspring were raised by terrible people. Those that were greedy and wanted to have our offspring to potentially get something for themselves. I approached your mother because you were what she got out of the deal. You were the only thing that she wanted in return. That kind of human could only produce something pure and kind, even with my seed.”
