The Complete Vampire Project Series: (Books 1 - 5)

by Jonathan Yanez

  Kimberly ignored Kade’s question. “This isn’t the time for romantic excursions. I’ve arranged for a town meeting. Word of the deaths of the New Hope militia sent to Term is spreading like wildfire. We need to decide what we’re going to do when New Hope retaliates.”

  “How is news getting to New Hope so quickly?” Sloan found herself wondering. Another question immediately followed. “How do you know all of this?”

  “The queen has her spies among us.” Kimberly raised a brow to Kade.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” Kade shook his head. “You, above all people, should know I’m no friend to the crown.”

  “Be that as it may”—Kimberly motioned for Sloan to follow—“we need to have a meeting. Half of the town leaders want to stay and fight, the others want to run to Azra. We need the opinion of someone who has been in service to the queen.”

  Sloan’s stomach went from a twisted up knot to one of ash. She felt lightheaded and sick as she looked over at Kade. His face was twisted in confusion as he looked from Sloan to Kimberly.

  “What are you talking about? Charlotte’s not a member of the queen’s army.” Kade stared at Kimberly’s raised eyebrow for a moment before turning toward Sloan. “Are you?”

  The way he asked the last question like a kid who already knew the answer but hated hearing the news, almost broke Sloan’s heart. How could she have come to care for a stranger this much in the space of a few days?

  “I’m sorry.” Sloan took a step toward Kade. “I should have told you sooner, but there was no time. I didn’t think you would understand. I didn’t think—”

  “You can just stop there.” Kade raised his hands, backing away from the picnic area. “You can just say you didn’t think, and that would sum it up perfectly.”

  “Kade.” Sloan took another step toward him. “You have to let me explain.”

  “Like you said, there’s no time.” Kade turned his back disappearing into the woods. “Your military expertise is needed.”

  Sloan felt so sick now, she thought she might vomit. Her mind was already replaying the scenarios that could have prevented what just happened if she had just been a little faster with her honesty. A part of her wanted to go after Kade, but she just wasn’t that type of girl. She wanted to explain to Kade what was going on, but she refused to chase after him.

  “You humans and your relationships.” Kimberly had plopped herself down in the middle of the picnic area as Sloan and Kade parted ways. She was shoving mystery meat sandwiches and chips into her large maw. “I’ll never understand you. Your kind is so dramatic. You should take a page out of the gargoyle handbook when it comes to relationships.”

  Sloan could hear Kimberly going on in the background, but her thoughts were still on Kade. She’d have to figure out a way to talk to him again. Give him some time, and then talk to him. If he still hated her for her past, there was nothing she could do about that.

  “You see, when a male gargoyle likes a female gargoyle”—Kimberly was tearing through the food like she hadn’t eaten in weeks—“he’s expected to present her with his proof of manhood. You see, he shows her his—”

  “You’re not being helpful at all.” Sloan screwed the gargoyle with a stare. “Let’s get to this meeting you’re talking about.”

  Sloan didn’t wait to see if Kimberly would follow. Instead, she started walking into the forest toward the path that would lead them back to town.

  “And I get that the queen has spies, so she gets her news quicker than we thought, but how do you know that she knows?” Sloan ducked under a low-hanging branch.

  Kimberly rose from her spot on the blanket and crashed through the forest behind Sloan. She talked around a mouthful of food.

  “You should really reconsider your matrimony to the shifter Kade. He has access to delicious treats.”

  “Kimberly, I need you to focus past your stomach for a moment. How do you know that the queen is aware of what happened in Term. The news should at least take another day or two to get to her.”

  “The queen is not the only one who has spies. I have a small but determined network of my own informants that let me know what goes on beyond the borders of Term.”

  “So, the queen already knows.” Sloan started strategizing already.

  “That means, if they start preparing for an attack now”—Kimberly picked up the train of thought—“they can be here at the very soonest in two days.”

  “No.” Sloan remembered the vampire super soldiers that were capable of traveling at speeds close to her own. “They’ll be here tomorrow. They’ll come with the night.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Jack

  Green magical power flamed in his right hand. He held it hidden under the wooden table in the bar. Panic seized at his heart, but at least now he had access to his magical ability. As the two guards came closer, the adrenaline that coursed through his body subsided.

  The pair of soldiers making their way to him were Sergeant Harrison and Private Pia. Jack kept his guard up, but allowed the magic in his hand to die away. These two had been his friends at the palace. If they were going to turn him in, they would have had their weapons drawn and come in a larger number, not looking over their own shoulders to see if anyone was watching them.

  “What are you doing here?” Private Pia gave Jack an unexpected hug.

  Even Sergeant Harrison looked relieved to see him.

  “What do you mean?” Jack returned the private’s embrace, not quite ready to tell her everything that had happened to him. It would be better to see exactly how much they knew first.

  “When Sloan told us to warn you and we couldn’t find you”—Sergeant Harrison shook his head; his eyes looked tired—“we thought you might already be dead.”

  “Sloan?” Jack had to remind himself to keep his voice down. “What happened to Sloan and Aareth? Is the queen holding them prisoner, as well?”

  Over the next few minutes, the trio exchanged stories of what had happened to them since the night of Jack and Abigail’s capture.

  “When Harrison and I came to warn you like Sloan asked”—Pia shook her head—“you were gone. We were interrogated by some of the queen’s soldiers as to what Sloan told us, but we were able to fake ignorance. As far as we were concerned, we were following the orders of our captain.”

  Jack let out a long breath through his mouth. Sloan was gone, so were Aareth and Edison and Oliver Livingston. They were all wanted criminals, and what had happened to Aareth, who knows what kind of condition he was in now? Would he stay that violent wolf-creature that Pia had explained him to be, forever?

  “One thing’s for sure…” Harrison lowered his voice so it was barely audible above the din in the bar. “Everyone’s out looking for you. You can’t stay here in New Hope. The word has been put out to bring you back, dead or alive. The queen is supposed to formally address the army later tonight about what’s going on with Captain Sloan.”

  Jack’s mind was reeling with the new information. Should they go find Sloan and the others? But then Abigail was right. They couldn’t just up and leave Elizabeth.

  These thoughts were tearing through his mind like a mage-powered locomotive, when Abigail pushed through the crowd. She was followed by yet another soldier. Unbeknownst to them, it seemed like Jack and Abigail had found a bar that was a local hangout for the militia. Lieutenant Baker followed in her wake.

  “Well, isn’t this lucky?” Abigail smiled at the two soldiers seated with Jack. “Exactly who we needed to talk to.”

  “Jack.” The Lieutenant went over and embraced Jack’s hand with a firm grip. “You came at the perfect time. My battalion just got off duty. This is a favorite local bar we come to when we get off our rotation.”

  “Well, I’m glad we ran into you and not another group of soldiers.” Jack released the Lieutenant’s hand. He looked over his shoulder at the crowded room. He could see other off-duty soldiers now, but they were too busy with their own drinks to
care much about what strangers were in the bar.

  “We need to make this quick.” Lieutenant Baker took a seat at the table. His head was on a swivel as he looked around for anyone eavesdropping or too interested in the gathered group. “This place isn’t safe. We need to talk, but not here.”

  Jack hated himself for thinking anything but the best about the three soldiers gathered at their table, but was he one hundred percent sure they could be trusted? After all, he had already been duped by the queen, which proved his trust radar was off.

  “I agree,” Sargent Harrison said, catching motion by the door. “We need to get out of here before someone spots them.”

  “Hey! Hey! Stop right there!”

  The blood in Jack’s veins turned ice cold. A group of soldiers had just entered the bar and were looking straight at Jack and Abigail. Already they were shoving their way through the crowded room, raising their rifles.

  Lieutenant Baker rose and grabbed Jack by the collar with both hands. “Twenty-nine ninety-nine Martelle Street.” His words were calm and quiet, but his face had twisted into a sneer. “You can trust the owner there. I’ll contact you when it’s safe. Now hit me and run, because your life depends on it.”

  Jack’s mind was forced to process the information in a second before his fist was sailing through the air. His right hand made contact with the Lieutenant’s left temple. Lieutenant Baker stumbled back under the weight of the blow.

  Jack could see Abigail doing the same to Sergeant Harrison and Private Pia. She threw Pia into the table and shoulder-checked Harrison as she ran toward Jack and the rear door.

  To their credit, the two soldiers did an amazing job of selling the act. Private Pia tumbled off the table, while Harrison grunted and doubled over.

  “Someone stop them!” screamed the soldiers who had just entered the bar.

  Their voices were barely audible now above the shouts from others and Jack’s own beating heart. Jack and Abigail ran as one, pushing their way to the back of the room.

  Twenty-nine ninety-nine Martelle Street, Twenty-nine ninety-nine Martelle Street, Jack repeated to himself.

  Jack and Abigail finally reached the rear exit and blew through the back door. It led into an alley where yet another handful of city guards stood smoking. Their surprised expressions told Jack the men had not been waiting there to ambush them. It was pure stupid luck.

  Jack skidded to a halt as recognition crossed the men’s faces. It was too late to try to go the other way down the alley. The guards chasing them had piled out of the bar and now blocked their escape.

  “We’re ordered to bring you in, dead or alive,” huffed the soldier leading the charge through the bar. “You have three seconds to decide.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Sloan

  “They’re not going to take you alive, and if they do, you’ll wish you were dead.”

  Despite the number gathered, the room was as silent as a tomb.

  Sloan understood she wasn’t doing anyone any favors by sugarcoating the truth. They needed to know what they were up against. At the very least, they needed to be informed of what was about to descend upon them.

  Sloan’s eyes made contact with every town representative in Kimberly’s office. There were business owners, heads of family, and even a few elected officials. These people weren’t fighters, and in Sloan’s opinion, they needed to run. But this wasn’t something she could come out and tell them; they had to decide for themselves.

  “And you know all of this because you were in the queen’s army up until a few days ago?” The voice came from a tall, thin man who reminded Sloan of Elijah Ahab. He had a bad comb-over and suspenders that held up his pants.

  “That’s right.” Sloan met the man’s stare head-on. “I was a captain in her army until I found out what her true purpose was for laying her locomotive tracks. She wants to invade the Outland and bring every city under her rule from Term to Azra. But that’s not the most pressing thing right now. If Kimberly’s intel is right, then the queen knows what happened to her men here. She’ll unleash a new kind of super soldier on you. With their enhanced speed, they’ll be here tomorrow night.”

  A ripple of murmurs passed through those gathered. Kimberly’s office used as a meeting room held the gathered occupants, but it was standing room only. Those who did murmur were close enough for Sloan to hear their words of doubt.

  “Can we trust her?”

  “How is she so sure of when they will come?”

  “Enhanced soldiers?”

  “Listen.” Sloan’s voice filled the room again. “I have no reason to lie to you. Frankly, I don’t even have a personal tie to Term, besides that I was fooled by the queen for far too long and now I owe her a taste of her own medicine. I’m going to be here when she sends in her first wave of super soldiers, and I strongly advise you to leave Term. We may be able to hold off the first wave, but trying to wage a war against New Hope at this point wouldn’t be smart.”

  “What she’s saying is true.” Kimberly stood next to Sloan. A full foot taller than anyone else in the room, she dwarfed her guests. “The queen does have these advanced fighters. I’ve gotten reports of them, and I was able to fight one in the ring last night before we were interrupted by the rest of queen’s soldiers.”

  There it was. If the people gathered hadn’t put two and two together yet, they sure knew what was going on now. All eyes in the room immediately fixated on Sloan. Everyone judged her based on their own predisposed assumptions.

  Sloan hated the idea of having to stand there while others made the decision. She was used to leading and being obeyed, but a lot had changed. Now, she was at the mercy of strangers as they debated amongst themselves.

  “If you don’t mind”—Kimberly leaned down to whisper into Sloan’s ear—“I think the final decision should be made by the people of Term.”

  “I can take a hint.” Sloan crossed the room and left through the large wooden door.

  She had done her part. Whether the citizens of Term decided to leave or stay was on them. Sloan was reminded of the redundant saying she had heard years before and since then had taken to heart. She could only control those things she could control.

  What she needed to focus on now was finding her mage sword taken from her by Kimberly’s men the night before. After that, she needed to scout the outskirts of Term. She understood New Hope’s battle strategy; heck, she had written half the book on it herself. She would need every advantage she could get.

  “How did it go?”

  Sloan was making her way down the stairs when she was caught off guard by Ashley Brookhaven’s question. Was she still going by Ashley, or was it Brenda now?

  The woman sat on one of the long couches. Her favored weapon, the two-handed mage sword, was out in front of her. She was staring into the steel’s shiny, mirror-like surface.

  “We’re asking a lot of them, whether they decide to stay or go.” Sloan landed on the bottom step. “The last thing I want to see is them getting slaughtered by the force the queen will send.”

  “It can never be simple.” Ashley drummed her fingers across the flat side of her blade. “I just came out of a meeting with Edison and that little gnome of his. I think they took enough blood to fill a pitcher.”

  “No results yet?” Sloan guessed.

  “Nothing I don’t already know. I don’t have a heartbeat. Whatever was used to resurrect me wasn’t science-based. I doubt Edison will find anything helpful despite how much Aareth wants him to.”

  Sloan waited for Ashley to say more, but she didn’t. The woman’s shoulder-length brown hair fell over her face, obscuring her expression.

  “Do you ever feel like you should want one thing or another, but you just don’t, maybe can’t?” Ashley asked, still looking down at her sword rather than at Sloan. “Aareth says we had this amazing life together, and part of me wants to believe it. There’s an itch in the back of my mind that can even almost remember, but every time I try to grab onto i
t, it escapes through my grasp. I might as well be trying to catch the morning mist in my palm.”

  Sloan took a seat next to Ashley on the couch. The woman still didn’t look up. It was as if she were mesmerized by her own reflection in the sword, or maybe she just wasn’t used to talking about the way she felt.

  That was fine for Sloan. Among the many things she hated discussing were the weather, politics, and her own feelings. But right now, the moment just felt right.

  “I don’t know if I can say I know exactly how you feel,” Sloan started, finding her own gaze on the far wall, where a stack of weapons lay piled. A pile of weapons that including her own sword. “But tonight, I knew what I should do. I know what I want to do, but it’s just not in my nature. I hurt someone tonight and I don’t even know how it happened. Things were moving so quickly, I don’t even want to feel responsible for it but I know I should.”

  “Look at us.” Ashley finally raised her gaze from her sword, an empty smile on her lips. “A heartless woman and a super soldier sharing their innermost thoughts. Is this what normal women do?”

  Sloan shrugged. She stood up from her seat and made her way to the pile of weapons. Her own sword was on top, the slightly curved blade with the pommel that guarded her hand. Her saber that she had killed dozens of men and women with. “I don’t know what normal women do. I’ve never been one. I’m going to go take a look at the town’s perimeter, though if you want to come, I—”

  The barely audible chatter that could be heard from the upstairs meeting, died. A door opened somewhere above. Heavy footfalls could be heard pounding down the steps. Kimberly’s strong grey frame appeared a moment later.

  “They’ve voted.” The gargoyle looked seriously at both women. “They’re going to leave Term. The exodus is going to take some time. They’ll need volunteers to hold off the vampire soldiers when they get here.”