“I met Marco when I was human. We dated for a while. Many Kejas can put humans in a trance before feeding from them, so that the humans have no memories of the event. He put me in that same trance, and then he Turned me. One minute I was human, the next I was in agony and going through the transition with absolutely no idea what was happening to me.”
That made the mercury glint to Sam’s irises flare—it was the marker of a hybrid. “Unfortunately, that happened far too much until we gave it a death sentence.” She flicked her dark hair over her shoulder. “What happened after that?”
“Like all newborn vampires, I was struggling with bloodlust and fighting for control. And he just dumped me on Lazarus.”
Jared’s face hardened. “He abandoned you?”
“Yep.” As if it wasn’t bad enough that he’d effectively stolen my life from me, he’d then carelessly put me aside. Sires typically monitored their vampires while the person went through the transition, overcame the bloodlust, and their gift surfaced. “I was in shock, I was scared, I was confused, and I was surrounded by people I didn’t know. All I wanted was to go home. That was all I kept saying—that I wanted to go home. Lazarus said I couldn’t, but that he’d teach me control so that I could exist in the human world if that was what I wanted.”
Jared’s forehead creased. “If Lazarus was watching over you, he must have seen your gift manifest itself.”
“He did.”
“But he didn’t make you stay?”
“I thought he’d go back on his word when he realised what a good weapon I’d make.” After all, I could be used to separate mates against their will. In fact, a vampire had tried forcing me to separate Sam and Jared by using Paige as leverage. “He didn’t. Like me, he and his sister were Turned against their will. So maybe he took pity on me. I left, and I severed my bond with Marco. He didn’t try to track me.”
“Are you sure?” asked Sam. “You’re not just one of his vampires. You’re his first-born. That’s pretty significant.”
It was, which was why a lot of acknowledgement and respect came with being a first-born. We, for whatever reason, were the inspiration that led to our makers starting their own line. It was a serious thing to run a line and it involved a lot of responsibilities. To become one was a huge decision. First-borns were the catalyst of that decision, and so they were deeply respected and their Makers tended to have a soft spot for them. As such, it was odd that Marco would just overlook my existence. “I know, but he never came looking for me.”
“I was going to ask if he Turned you because he cared about you and wanted to keep you,” said Sam, “but if that was true he wouldn’t have abandoned you or let you go.”
“Marco doesn’t care about anyone other than Marco. Given everything, I’m sure you can understand why I ran from him.”
“You didn’t just cut your ties with Marco, you cut yourself off from the entire nest,” Jared pointed out. “That left you very vulnerable; completely without protection. Why would you do that?”
It seemed melodramatic now but… “You have to understand that at the time, I still didn’t see myself as a vampire. I was convinced I could return to my old life, pretend to be human. Both Lazarus and Annalise warned me not to cut all contact, but I just wanted to be away from that world. I didn’t listen to them.
“Once people heard of a vampire that could sever bonds, I was hunted. I had no protection, so I became a drifter. Paige was sent to track me, only she joined me instead of taking me to her Sire. In return, I severed her bond with him so she could be free. That was all she really wanted. To be free.”
Sam leaned back in her chair. “Have you had any contact whatsoever with anyone from your nest since leaving?”
“When Lazarus and Annalise watched your ascension via V-Tube, they caught a glimpse of me in the background and also heard you offer me a place in the legion. They contacted me shortly afterwards to pass on their congratulations. Annalise and I now occasionally exchange emails. She’s even invited me to the Binding anniversary of two of their vampires, which is taking place in six months’ time.” Binding formed a powerful psychic connection between two vampires, joined them on a level that far surpassed any marriage or other type of bond.
“You plan on going, even though it will mean facing your Sire again?” asked Sam.
“A year ago, I would have said no. I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere near him. I’m stronger now. I’ve cut myself from my nest for long enough. Lazarus, Annalise, and the rest of the nest are, for all intents and purposes, my family.”
“They are,” agreed Sam. “And maintaining connections outside The Hollow is a good thing. Most of the legion are in regular contact with their nests; life shouldn’t always be about work.”
“You say Lazarus knows about dragon shifters,” said Jared.
I nodded. “Yes. Lazarus is a scholar, and he’s knowledgeable about a lot of things. He admires and respects dragon shifters for their strength, power, and viciousness. I heard that Marco had negotiated a peace treaty between Lazarus and the local dragon drove.”
“You think Lazarus would be happy to share information with us?” asked Jared.
“I don’t see why he wouldn’t,” I replied.
“Then we’ll contact him tonight.”
“He never leaves his home, so he won’t agree to come here,” I told them.
“But I don’t doubt that he’ll invite you there. I’d like to come along.”
Sam exchanged a look with Jared. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that, Imani. How do you think Marco will react to seeing you again? I mean, you not only dared to try to escape him, you were able to do it. You cut your connection to him. He has to be, at the very least, seriously offended and a little embarrassed that you escaped his hold without his permission or knowledge.”
“What makes it more complex is that you’re not just one of Marco’s vampires,” said Jared. “You’re his first-born.”
I blew out a long breath. “I don’t know how he’ll react. I never really understood why he Turned me, or why he then abandoned me. Still, he’ll be pissed that I fled because first-borns are supposed to be flattered that we somehow inspired a vampire to begin their own line. We’re supposed to stay at their side and serve them faithfully. We’re not supposed to run.”
Expression pensive, Sam tapped her fingers on the table. “What about the rest of the nest? Won’t they look down on you for fleeing instead of sticking around as a good little first-born should?”
“While I stayed with Lazarus, they were all pretty nice to me. Probably because they felt bad for me, and because Marco is highly respected.” Even though he was a complete dick. His high status in vampire society was based on both fear and respect, since he’d been a ruthless assassin for most of his vampire life. As his first-born, all that respect and sense of importance extended to me. “I appreciate your concern, but I have to go back there some time.”
A short silence fell. Sam broke it. “All right. You can be part of our entourage, since we’ll be expected to take one for support and protection. I’d rather take a small one, or it will seem like we don’t believe we can protect ourselves just fine.”
Jared nodded. “We’ll take six vampires, including Imani. The question is…which ones?”
“We’ll discuss it later,” said Sam. “Let’s get back to the arena. First, Imani, I want to know if you’re comfortable with sharing your past with the others. We don’t have to go into great detail—we can just give them the bare bones of the story. Or we can tell them to mind their own bloody business, it’s your choice.”
While I wasn’t necessarily comfortable with sharing my past… “They should know about Marco so they know what to expect when we visit Lazarus.”
“As long as you’re sure?”
I nodded.
“All right, let’s go.”
Back at the arena, I gave everyone a very brief summary of my past and informed them that we should be visiting Lazarus in t
he near future. After stating that she would update them on the situation at tomorrow night’s conference, Sam then started the session.
Not wanting to think about the upcoming reunion with Marco, I put all my focus into training. When we first started, our goals had been simple but tough. First, we had to learn how to channel all our preternatural energy so that none leaked from us. It was an unnatural energy we began producing when we Turned; making our mind and body evolve. If we didn’t know how to hold it inside, we wouldn’t be able to use our gift to its full potential. In addition, it meant that Feeders like Sam could leech off our energy.
Within a month, we had completed our first goal. Then we moved onto our second: improve the use of our gifts. We each learned how to use our ability in different ways. Only then were we able to hit our third goal, which was to learn each other’s gifts inside out; know every strength and every weakness that came with them. That allowed us to learn how to work together as a squad and how to strengthen each other.
On every assignment, I was paired with Paige. It was a good thing for two reasons. One, Paige was very protective of me, just as I was of her. Two, our gifts worked well together. By sifting into a person’s brain with my psychic hand, I could find a vampire’s blood-bond and, well, play it like a guitar string. It both hurt and distracted, which gave the tall, lithe Keja the opportunity to pounce.
Her gift was extraordinary, in my opinion. It could be used for both good and bad. Basically, Paige could transfer not only her injuries, but the injuries of others. That meant if someone wounded her, she could transfer that wound to them and it would revisit on them three-fold. The gift thereby allowed her to both heal and cause harm.
Sam had also paired Jude and Cassie together. They matched well. Jude’s gift to erase recent memories wasn’t offensive, so Cassie’s gift of mind control was a big help. Jude was much better at combat than Cassie, so she was good at watching Cassie’s back.
Until more females joined the squad, Ava wouldn’t have a partner for assignments. In the meantime, she stayed with Salem and the vampire he was paired with. She didn’t need their protection, though; not with her awesome gift of muscle memory. Ava could literally memorise and replicate any combat move she saw. The gift not only made her faster and stronger than other Sventés, but it gave her better reflexes. Anyone who underestimated little Ava quickly regretted it.
As always, tonight’s training was gruelling and brutal. We were split into two teams: an offensive one, and a defensive one. Paige and I were part of the latter. Sam created a huge mound of Earth with her gift and then ordered the defensive team to defend it from the offensive team.
After a quick lunch break, we were back in the arena for another session. Jared assigned us physical exercises that kept up our stamina and endurance. I threw every ounce of my energy into it and worked myself hard because, yeah, I wanted to forget that I’d just seen myself injured and facing a dragon.
By the time it was done, I was ready to drop—which was no doubt a lot to do with the temporary exhaustion thing, courtesy of Marla’s crony. I went straight to my apartment, intending to hit my bed early. That plan was foiled when Paige turned up with vodka-flavoured NSTs.
“Don’t think I’m not mad that your fat ass teleported out of the arena without me earlier,” said Paige, barging inside.
I shut the door, faking offense. “My ass is not fat.”
“Well it ain’t fucking skinny.”
I laughed. “At least it isn’t bony.”
She cast me a mock glare, relaxing on my rug. She liked to sit on the floor. “I’ve been told my ass is cute, thank you very much.”
I sat opposite her, lotus style. “Yeah? By who?”
“So, can I just say that Marco is a total asshole?”
“I’m with you so far.”
“I don’t like the idea of you being in the same building as him.”
She probably wanted to lock me away somewhere to stop me from going. “Wouldn’t you rather that I had back-up with me when Marco and I see each other again for the first time?”
She sniffed. “I guess.”
Wanting to change the subject, I said, “You looked confused after you had your vision.”
“I didn’t understand it at all.” She took a swig of her drink. “And I don’t have even an inkling of when it will happen.”
“Do you regret having your vision?”
“Part of me does.” Paige sipped more of her NST. “I mean, how can I treat it as a warning if I don’t fully understand what I saw? Maybe there’ll come a time when I do, and then it will help me know what to do. Or, at least, that’s what I’m hoping.”
We talked a little about inconsequential things. When I yawned for like the tenth time, she barked, “Ha, it serves you right for overworking yourself.”
I tossed her a ‘whatever’ look, not interested in a lecture.
As I walked her to the door, she gave me a hug. “Get a good day’s sleep, okay?”
“Okay.” I opened the door…and found Butch standing there, hand ready to knock.
(Butch)
Paige perched her hands on her hips and lifted her chin. “I distinctly remember us having a conversation in which I made it perfectly clear that Imani wasn’t going to be a booty call for you anymore.”
Imani squinted at her friend. “You did?”
Yes, and I’d wondered if Imani knew about it. Apparently not. It was a one-sided conversation. I’d just stared at Paige, waiting impatiently for her to stop ranting about me ‘using’ Imani. At that point, Imani had already made it clear that she was done with casual sex.
“And yet, you’re here,” added Paige.
I nodded. “This is true.”
“Well, now you’re going to leave.”
“This is Imani’s apartment, so that’s for her to decide.” I held up my hand when Paige went to speak again. “Stop. I’m not going to talk like she’s not standing right there.”
Paige blinked, looking both surprised and impressed by that comment. She turned to Imani. “Make the right decision, sweetie. You know what that is.” She shot me a narrow-eyed look as she swept past and disappeared down the hallway.
Before Imani had a chance to speak, I pushed my way inside. I liked her apartment. There was something welcoming about it. Maybe it was all the paintings and smart use of colour. Anyone who didn’t know Imani would take one look at the large space and think she was a messy, disorganised person. I’d thought the same at first.
Her coffee table was covered in magazines, drawings, pens, remote controls, and other bits and bobs. Books, DVDs, and CDs were scattered everywhere. There was little order in her kitchen. Her bedroom…well, I wasn’t sure if she made much use of her wardrobe at all because her clothes always seemed to be piled on the armchair next to it.
As I’d come to know Imani, I’d learned that she wasn’t an untidy person with no sense of organisation. It was that she found order in chaos and confusion. She had a system of order; it just differed from that of anyone I knew.
“You’re the second person to barge in here tonight,” she grumbled, unsurprisingly tired after having overexerted herself. We’d get to that soon.
“I’m not good at respecting people’s boundaries.” Especially hers, because I wanted nothing at all between us.
“Yeah, if I hadn’t already known that it would have been perfectly obvious when you barged in. So, why did you?”
“I wanted to see you.” I shrugged. “You were upset. I didn’t like it.” I reached for the object tucked into the back of my jeans. “And I brought you something.” She blinked at the object I held out to her. “Take it. I had Fletcher register it to your Amazon account.”
Accepting the brand new Kindle, she swallowed hard. “You didn’t have to do this. I would’ve bought a new one when I had the chance.”
“Now you don’t have to.”
“That’s really sweet of you.” She held the Kindle against her chest. “Thank you.”
She rubbed at her forehead. “I’m actually not in the mood to talk about my past. Perhaps I could interest you in a smart-ass comment instead.”
I advanced on her. “Imani, I know enough about your prick of a Sire to know he needs to die. Slowly. Painfully. There’s more to the story. Tell me what you didn’t say earlier.”
“So you get to be a closed book but I have to tell you everything?”
“I just want you to share with me.”
“Share? All right, how about I keep the pin and you have the grenade? Sound fair?”
That was one thing about Imani—when she was tired, she could be snippy as hell. Still, I would have pushed her to share if she didn’t look so exhausted and vulnerable. “We’ll postpone that conversation. You look ready to drop. I’m surprised you’re conscious.”
Her lips flattened. “Blame that bitch from the bar.”
“No, baby, I’m blaming you. You worked yourself too hard during training, even though you knew you were already weak. It was a wonder you didn’t pass out. Don’t do that again.”
“Don’t work hard?”
I curled my hand around her chin. “Don’t play with me, baby. You know exactly what I mean. If there was some kind of surprise attack tonight, you would be no good to yourself. You’d be off your game, and that could lead to you being hurt. None of that is okay with me.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re dangerously exhausted.”
The amber tint in her irises flared. “I’m fine.”
“You’re lying, and you’re shit at it.”
She stepped back, breaking my hold on her chin and flashing me that oh-so-haughty look I knew well. “I can so lie. And if I want your opinion, I’ll give you some forms to fill out, all right?”
“Baby, you need to drop that little attitude.”
“Oh, really?”
Fractured Page 4
