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

by Jonathan Yanez

  “What … what did I just see?” Sloan spat out more saliva onto the white floor in front of her. “What was that?”

  “A future you will be part of.” The woman didn’t offer a hand. Instead, she allowed Sloan to struggle to her feet by herself. “Now I’m going to wake you up. When I do, I’ll offer you a pitcher of warm blood. It’s rabbit blood. And you will drink it, because without that, you’re going to lose yourself again. Are we understood?”

  Sloan just nodded.

  “Good. Three. Two. One.”

  Sloan sat bolt upright in a room she didn’t recognize. It was spacious, with a window overlooking the ocean and a salty breeze ruffling ceiling-high curtains.

  “Drink this.” The same woman from her dreams handed Sloan a massive clear pitcher of dark red blood. “Hurry, before you make decisions you will regret.”

  Sloan remembered her life—the images of most of it where she was alone, and now the most current ones where she was alive with friends and Kade who needed her. The memories of the impossible future that lay ahead also pushed her to drink the rabbit blood.

  Without another thought, Sloan accepted the pitcher from the woman and drank greedily. The hot liquid poured down her throat, and the feeling was like being filled both physically and mentally. With every gulp, Sloan felt more alert and energized.

  She drank so fast, the blood ran down her chin. Red drips stained her clothing. Sloan couldn’t care less. The feeling was intoxicating. Only when the pitcher was drained did Sloan bother to look up.

  “Well, we’ve bought you some more time, but you need to feed at least once a week so you don’t reach the edge.” The woman accepted the pitcher from Sloan and placed it on a white nightstand. “Animal blood will do for now, but we should be able to engineer a substitute for you sooner or later. At the very least, some kind of appetizer for you to make the feedings less frequent.”

  “You still haven’t told me who you are.” Sloan licked at her red lips. She was full, but at the same time, she loved the taste of fresh blood on her tongue. “Why are you helping me?”

  “My name is Croft, but that will mean nothing to you. Now hurry up”—the sorceress motioned for Sloan to rise from the bed—“Theo will want to know how you are, and we have a war to plan.”

  Realization hit Sloan like a bucket of cold water. At once, she knew who the woman reminded her of, and at the same time knew she was right in making the assumption.

  “I knew you looked familiar.” Sloan rose, shaking a finger at the woman. “The red hair, the freckles, and your weird personality. You’re an Ahab. You’re Abigail and Elizabeth’s mother.”

  Croft looked Sloan up and down. For a fraction of a second, her features softened. But just as fast as they did, the scowl returned. “That bolt of magic must have hit you harder than I thought.”

  “Why did you leave them?” Sloan wiped the rest of the blood from her chin. She advanced on the sorceress. “You abandoned them to a madman.”

  “You have no idea what you’re talking about.” Croft’s eyes flashed a burning anger. “Not all of us have the luxury of changing sides in a fight and still being called a hero.”

  Sloan pressed the subject harder. “They don’t even know where you are. They lost their father. They could use a parent right about now.”

  “An orphan lecturing me on parenting? Just because you never knew yours doesn’t mean you’re an expert on the subject. You don’t even have children.” Croft moved toward the door. “Now, can we move on from the subject? We have—”

  “No, we can’t just move on.” Sloan moved next to Croft and pushed the door Croft was opening, shut again. “I want answers.”

  Croft trembled with rage under her black cloak. For a moment, Sloan thought she had pushed the sorceress too far.

  “I left because I had a duty to protect the magical world. I kept my daughters and my husband in the dark because I did not want this burden to fall on them.” Croft’s hands trembled at her sides. Yellow matter began to form around her knuckles. “But I’ve failed, haven’t I? A power-hungry witch is tutoring one of my daughters, and the other is training to fight in a war the likes this world has never seen before. Thank you for reminding me of my failures.”

  Sloan wasn’t sure what to say, so she said the only thing that came to mind: “Okay, now we can go.”

  Chapter Eight

  Sloan

  “I’ll cry with you. There’s no reason to keep it in.”

  “I told you,” Aareth growled. “I’m not hugging you and crying on your shoulder.”

  Sloan walked into the apartment area where the refugees of Term had been allowed to remain. It was a tall, cream-colored building with hundreds of units. In the interim, it was working, but Sloan understood the necessity to get these people out.

  “Elwood and I are worried about you,” Edison pushed his friend. The two stood at the entrance to the apartment. “It’s not healthy to hold it all in.”

  “Go cry with Kade,” Aareth noticed Sloan, despite the darkness the late hour brought. He motioned her over.

  “I’ve already tried.” Edison kicked at the dirt ground with his shoe. “He said I should come and comfort you.”

  “How’d the meeting go?” Aareth asked. He seemed grateful to be free of the crying debate with Edison. “Sorry I couldn’t make it. I was … I was saying good-bye to Ashley.”

  “It’s all right.” Sloan waved away the apology. Feeling uncharacteristically full of energy at the moment, she was realizing she had made up her mind about the proposed alliance with Azra. “Jack and the Ahab sisters are alive. I think we can trust the people here in Azra. Well, ‘trust’ might be a strong word, but we can at least go one with them for now. We share a common goal.”

  “That’s great that the kids are safe. What brought about the change of heart?” Aareth raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Last time we talked about this, you were less than enthused.”

  “A war is coming, whether we do something about it or not.” Sloan bit her bottom lip, trying to put her feelings into words. “With the right boundaries, maybe we can give Azra and the people fighting against New Hope a chance of winning this thing.”

  Large, dark wings flapped overhead. A moment later, Kimberly came down with a heavy thud. Elwood hopped off her shoulder, waving to his friends.

  “The hour grows late, normal human.” Kimberly looked at Edison. “If we are going to finish our experiment, we should make all haste to do so.”

  “Oh, right.” Edison gave Sloan a sly glance. “The top secret experiment we’re working on.”

  When no one made a move to take the bait, Edison continued. “I said, the extra top, very secret experiment we are working on to help Sloan with her situation.”

  He paused again.

  Nothing.

  “I said, the super, extra—”

  “For all that is holy, man”—Aareth threw his large arms up into the night sky—“I’ll ask. What secret project are you working on?”

  “Well, I can’t tell you that, or it wouldn’t be a secret.” Edison’s face split into a Cheshire grin.

  Aareth moved in with open hands as if he were ready to strangle his friend.

  “Wow, well, I think we should talk about our decision for tomorrow and leave these three to work on their project.” Sloan grabbed Aareth by the arm. “Come on.”

  Aareth let himself be led away as the others headed in the opposite direction.

  Sloan and Aareth walked in silence as they headed up the long stairway toward the battlements. The sky was clear. The breeze had just picked up enough to play with Sloan’s hair as it passed.

  The wall surrounding the city of Azra wasn’t massive or impressive in size. It was meant to keep every day citizens out, not an army. If it came to defending the city, the wall would need to be raised and thickened. As it was, it was only four stories off the ground. Sloan could practically jump that now.

  Sloan and Aareth found a spot away from the Azra guards standing
vigil on the wall.

  “You okay?” Sloan asked, leaning against the stones that made up the battlements. “I’m not really good with this kind of stuff, but I want you to know you’re surrounded by friends.”

  “Thanks.” Aareth wasn’t interested in making eye contact, either. He joined Sloan, resting against the chest-high railing that protected against those on the wall from falling over. “Today was rough. I feel like an emotional wreck, but somehow, along with the pain is a sense of peace I can’t explain.”

  Sloan didn’t have words. She nodded along with Aareth’s answer, listening to the flapping Azra flags. They were long triangles, all white with a gold edging. A golden square in the center of the flag with four figures represented their sigil: a bear, a lion, a gargoyle, and a human.

  “I think I know what you mean.” Sloan finally broke the silence. “It’s like things are far from being all right, but you know you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing.”

  “That’s right.” Aareth let out a long sigh that quivered at the end. It was uncharacteristic of the former inspector-turned-assassin. Sloan had the idea that Aareth had already shed his fair share of tears that day. He talked like someone emotionally exhausted.

  “She’ll come back.” Sloan finally looked over at her friend. “Or I’ll go hunt her down myself and drag her back to you.”

  Hearing Aareth laugh was good. It had been too long since Sloan had been in the presence of his deep chuckle.

  “She’ll be back.” Aareth smiled at Sloan in the dark. “But, thanks. We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I remember when I first met you. You couldn’t keep your sword sheathed around me. You were always threatening to decapitate me.”

  “Oh, right.” Sloan felt a smile creep over her lips. “Well, you were kind of a drunk assassin back then.”

  “Yeah, I guess I was.”

  “How’s that werewolf been treating you?” Sloan asked, as casually as if she were asking someone how their day was. But this was the reality the two now found themselves in. “Do you think you have it under control?”

  “Control is a strong word.” Aareth shrugged his massive shoulders. “I think I have a better handle on it now. I’ve accepted what I am. How about you?”

  “Same.” Sloan moved a strand of her hair that the sea breeze had blown into her face. “I’m still learning to control the urges, but I think—I hope—I have a plan now to keep it in check.”

  “It’s good to hear.” Aareth turned to go. “I’m exhausted. I think I’m going to turn in for the night. Are you going to stay out here?”

  “Yeah, sleep really isn’t my thing anymore.”

  “Oh, right.” Aareth began his descent down his stairs. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, to begin whatever testing Azra has in store for us. Try not to worry. Things are going to be okay.”

  Sloan remained on the Azra battlements for a few hours longer. She took comfort in Aareth’s words of the future being brighter than their past. If she really knew what the next few weeks would bring, though, she wouldn’t have been so eager to meet the future.

  Chapter Nine

  Sloan

  “This is not just all right.” Edison stood back, staring at the Azra lab that had been provided for him. “This is amazing!”

  Sloan and Aareth walked in behind Edison and Elwood. The building they entered sat right next to Azra’s capitol building. Located on the hill, it also commanded an impressive view of crashing waves on the sandy shores. The left side of the room was practically all open windows to highlight the sea.

  Inside, the building was made up of an assortment of rooms with so much testing equipment, Sloan was left to wonder what most of the tools actually did. Edison, on the other hand, seemed like a child at a chocolate factory. Elwood seemed just as excited, and chattered away in his gnomish tongue.

  “Yes, yes, Elwood, I see it.” Edison went over to pick up what looked like a giant thermometer. “The craftsmanship is exquisite. I’ve never seen one so large.”

  “Is that in case we run a fever?” Aareth went over to examine the tool his friend held. “You’d have to open up pretty wide to get that thing in.”

  “Oh, no. I mean, it is for taking someone’s temperature, but”—Edison pointed it toward Aareth’s bottom—“it goes in through the other end.”

  “Edison…” Aareth’s face went a shade darker. His voice deepened. “I don’t ever want you coming near me with that thing. Even if I’m dying, just let me die. I swear, if you stick that thermometer in my—”

  “Good morning, everyone.” Theo walked through the door, accompanied by Croft and Sasha, his bulky frame magnified by the slenderness of the two women beside him. “I don’t want to stay long and interrupt the process, but I just wanted to thank both of you for your willingness to help. I know a lot of thought went into the decision.”

  “As long as we take down the queen.” Aareth folded his arms over his chest. “That’s all I’m worried about.”

  “Of course.” Theo waved his arm in Sasha’s direction. “Sasha is on her way back to New Hope. She wanted to ask you something before she left.”

  “I wanted to know if you have anything to take back to Jack or Abigail?” Sasha produced pen and paper from the folds of her cloak. She looked expectantly at Sloan as if she were going to say something profound. “I could also take back any message you have for the soldiers still in the queen’s army, those who are on our side.”

  “Tell them all to be safe.” Sloan found herself at a loss for something more inspiring to say. “Tell the soldiers to get out of the city as soon as they feel like their position is compromised. Tell Jack and Abigail to train hard and that we’ll see them soon.”

  Sasha wrote furiously on her pad.

  “Tell them we’re with them.” Aareth scratched at the underside of his jaw. “We might be miles apart, but we’re all fighting the same battle.”

  Sasha nodded. She turned to the last members of their party. “Are you all right?”

  Everyone turned to see what she was talking about. Edison had the stupidest grin on his face, staring at Sasha with the same look he had given the Azra lab when he had first walked in.

  Elwood kicked him hard in the shin.

  “What?” Edison snapped out of his trance, blinking his eyes like he was waking up from some kind of trance. “Oh, right, yes. Tell them I think you’re beautiful. What? No. I mean, I’m beautiful. Tell them I think they’re beautiful.”

  Sasha raised an eyebrow.

  “You’ll have to excuse my friend.” Aareth coughed into his hand, trying to hide a smile. “He’s still learning how to interact with people.”

  “If we can move on from the childish antics”—Croft rolled her eyes as she pushed past Theo—“there’s a mountain of work to be done, and we have very little time.”

  “Right. We’ll leave you to it, then.” Theo ushered Sasha out the door. His bulky frame followed behind the spy.

  “So, where do we start?” Aareth looked around the wide-open room, his eyes gravitating to the giant thermometer.

  “We start at the beginning.” Croft wasn’t even looking at them. She had found a notebook and pen on one of the many tables in the room. “Edison, I need to know everything you do about the Vampire Project. Don’t leave out a single detail.”

  Sloan

  “I feel like I’ve been defiled and used.” Aareth and Sloan exited the lab building together. The sun was already setting past the ocean’s horizon. “How many times did they poke you?”

  “I lost track.” Sloan looked down at her arm where her healing factor had already kicked in and covered the insertion holes from the needle. “I had it easy, though. You’re the one with the impenetrable hide. I don’t know if I could have bitten myself hard enough to draw blood.”

  “You would have.” Aareth looked down to the meaty part of his bicep, where a white bandage was taped to his arm. “All for the grea
ter good, right?”

  “Let’s hope Edison and Croft can figure something out, and fast,” Aareth said as he and Sloan made their way to the bottom of the hill.

  On the way back to their apartment building, they passed rows of white houses with cream roofs, and people walked about, waving or nodding their hellos. Children even laughed and played in the streets.

  “Does Croft remind you of anyone?” Aareth looked over to Sloan with a scrunched brow. “I swear I know her from somewhere.”

  “Yeah, um … you should probably ask her.” Sloan looked away.

  “You know something, don’t you?” Aareth raised a brow, lowering his head to try to catch her gaze. “You can’t even look at me right now.”

  “Well, do you want me to lie to you, or do you want me to tell you I do know but that I can’t tell you?” Sloan met his gaze with a stone-cold stare. “It’s not my place. You can ask her tomorrow if you want, when we report for pin cushion duty again.”

  “I might be offended, if I didn’t know you’d do the same for me.” Aareth pointed with his chin toward the large apartment building where the refugees from Term were temporarily housed. “It looks like Theo is already making good on his promise.”

  Sloan followed Aareth’s gaze to where a group of Azra guards were helping a Term family move from the apartment. It was nice to see Theo following through on his word and helping to relocate the families of Term to more permanent residences. The bad taste in her mouth came from wondering if Theo would have done the same if they had refused Croft’s experiments.

  There was something off about Theo. What it was, though, escaped Sloan. But she knew she had to figure it out before it was too late.

  Chapter Ten

  Jack

  “Again!” Saber’s shout filled the room. “This time like you mean it!”