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

by Jonathan Yanez

  Much like the under-armor Sasha wore, their uniforms were a skin-tight suit of closely linked iron scales that looked like dragon scales. Over it lay a heavier layer of steel plates placed on their shoulders, shins, forearms, and chest, overlaid by a white tunic with a golden bat in the middle.

  Sloan flexed her muscles under the armor, amazed by how the tiny, steel scales stretched and allowed her to move in any way she desired.

  “We should test this armor out first, though, right?” Doyle knocked with a closed fist on his steel armor. “I mean, just to be sure?”

  Sloan unsheathed her mage sword. She didn’t turn on the switch that would channel the mage power into the blade, thus heating the weapon. For all intents and purposes it was only a sword at the moment.

  “Shall we give it a try?” Sloan sliced the air between herself and her former lieutenant. “If you’re not too scared, I mean.”

  “Let’s do it.” Doyle squared his stance and pushed out his chest. “Worst case scenario, my healing factor kicks in. I mean, if you do puncture the armor … right?”

  “We’ll see.” Sloan started a light jog toward Doyle with her sword out in front of her.

  “Wait a minute, what does ‘we’ll see’ mean?” A hint of panic laced Doyle’s words. He shifted his stance, looking for anyone else to help. “I thought for sure we heal. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea!”

  Sloan kept her slash vertical across Doyle’s breastplate. Sparks accompanied the stroke that sent tremors into her arm.

  Everyone, including Doyle, looked on, wide-eyed. The blow had cut through the white tunic, but left no more than a thin line across his dark steel breastplate.

  A collective sigh escaped the throats of Sloan’s squad.

  “Well, I guess that settles that.” Sloan sheathed her blade into the brown leather sheath that rested on her right hip. “We’ll begin with strength and speed training, and then end with our first hunt.”

  The sea breeze did its best to comfort the group of warriors, but the sun’s heat prevailed as they began their drills. Sloan walked the group over to an outcropping of trees mixed with boulders and stones. The location was just within sight of Azra’s walls to the left of the main road. Sloan studied the four members of her company still coming to grips that they were all vampires now and soon would find themselves in a war with their own kind.

  “You’re all stronger now than you know,” Sloan addressed them as they stood in a rigid line in front of her. “You won’t have the luxury of a learning curve. You’ll have to adapt on the fly and learn as you go. We’re two days away from an all-out war. Let’s make the best out of those days.”

  Sloan looked into the small, forested area behind her, eyeing a particularly large boulder. It came up to her waist and sat twice as wide. It had to weigh more than three hundred pounds.

  “Harrison.” Sloan motioned to the rock with her right hand. “I want you to lift that over your head. And give me fifty squats.”

  Harrison moved to obey, jaw set, eyes determined. Sloan realized doubt was already telling him what he could and couldn’t do. Although his training as a soldier in the New Hope army curbed any chance of him arguing a direct order, he was already doubting himself.

  “Don’t think you can.” Sloan walked up beside Harrison as he squatted down next to the rock. “Know you can, and get it done.”

  Harrison gave her a rough nod. His eyes never left the boulder. He squatted down low, then jammed his fingers into the nonexistent space between the boulder and the dirt ground.

  Harrison was a large man, over six feet tall and outweighing Sloan by a good hundred pounds of muscle. Still, the slate gray stone looked like it would be impossible to move, even to a vampire his size.

  Harrison let out a huge exhale of air as he stood up from his squatting position. The stone came off the ground. Harrison’s eyes were huge as he realized what he had done.

  “Come on!” Pia shouted her encouragement with her two other squad members. “Over your head! Don’t stop now!”

  “You can do it!” Babs shouted.

  Harrison threw the boulder up. He caught the base of the stone and lifted it over his head, despite his own amazement. The next moment he began doing the required number of squats.

  “You’re all capable of this and so much more, now that you have increased strength. The Vampire Project was created to usher in the birth of super soldiers. That’s what we are now.” Sloan motioned to the boulders strewn around the landscape. “Let’s get to work.”

  The rest of the day was spent in strength and conditioning drills. The program was more to make sure the new vampires knew what they could now do, as opposed to actually trying to build muscle or speed. The fight was on the horizon. There was no time to teach them new techniques, only time to teach them how to use their upgraded bodies.

  Sprints followed the weight lifting program, and finally the hunt. During their day outside the Azra walls, Sloan had spotted wildlife in the area consisting of squirrels, rabbits, and the occasional deer print. Although taking the lives of animals wasn’t on the top of Sloan’s to-do list, she understood the necessity. They would use the blood for nourishment, then take the rest of the animals back to Azra to be used as food and the pelts for warmth for the rest of the city.

  “So how are we going to do this?” Doyle sided up next to Sloan. “Just grab them and bite in?”

  “I guess so.” Sloan shrugged. There was no reason to lie to her squad now. They knew she had never fed from an animal before. “Let’s make their deaths quick. Come on, let’s get this over with.”

  Sloan penetrated the forest ahead of the rest of her squad. Already she saw a squirrel to her left. Before she could give any thought to her actions, instinct took over. Sloan grabbed a lower rung of the tree and vaulted skyward, then she grabbed the animal, which was actually larger than she thought. From head to tail, it was as long as her arm.

  Sloan snapped its neck and bit into the meaty part as she landed back on the ground. Her canines did her bidding, lengthening at the same time her vision turned red.

  The feeling that came with the blood was one of pure bliss, as if life itself poured down her throat. All around, her squad was following her lead; some had disappeared, tracking their prey, while others, like Babs, were still in her line of sight a dozen yards to her right.

  Babs had also caught a brown squirrel and was experiencing for the first time how important blood could be to them. Sloan thought of how much time they had left to train. The sun was already low in the sky. Maybe she could get one more drill out of them before the day ended.

  “Once you’ve caught—”

  SNAP!

  Sloan spun to her right as two figures joined her party in the woods. One was Leah Eckert, the other a well-dressed man she had never seen.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt your little feeding frenzy”—Leah smiled at Sloan—“but I was wondering if you’d just like to die now and get it over with.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jack

  A sound so horrific, so murderous, it couldn’t have been real reached Jack as his vision blackened.

  So this is what the afterlife sounds like, Jack thought. That’s disappointing. I thought I’d get trumpets, or angels singing, or something.

  Suddenly, the weight was gone from his chest, and the battle sounds died around him as werewolves whimpered in the presence of the terrible roar.

  Jack was able to open his eyes. He was still lying on his back, the pain in his head and chest alive with agony, and he had to blink to realize what he was seeing as his eyes told him the impossible was taking place in front of him.

  A giant, white werewolf hovered over him. It stood on two feet, roaring violence at both Aareth and Kimberly, as well as the pack of werewolves around him.

  Jack had seen enough interaction between animal packs to understand that this was the pack alpha. His heart filled with hope that the alpha was also his father, and that his actions had not been i
n vain.

  A moment passed where nothing happened. Jack could only see the back of the gigantic white werewolf, so it was still too soon to know for sure if it was his father or not.

  The white werewolf finally came down on all fours and the menacing sounds of destruction coming from its throat ended. Everyone else stood or crouched, unsure of what to do next.

  The werewolf who had saved Jack finally turned to face him. His eyes were yellow now, his face nothing like it had been before, but somehow, somewhere, deep down in his soul, Jack knew this was his father.

  The werewolf stared deep into Jack’s eyes before nudging him playfully with a snout as large as Jack’s foot.

  Jack winced past his pain and struggled to a seated position. Fear was a secondary thought to his relief as he extended a hand and placed an open palm on the werewolf’s long jawline.

  The white werewolf pushed into his hand, long, hot breath coming out of his mouth.

  Kimberly and Aareth joined Jack’s side, close enough to be seen out of his peripheral vision, but not so close as to disturb the moment.

  “I knew it was you,” Jack said as he finally moved to regain his feet. Tears streaked down his cheeks as he stared into his father’s eyes. “When you died, it was like losing both parents. I never knew Mom; you were all I knew, and you were always there for me. When you died, I was lost. I didn’t understand how much I loved you until you were gone. I’m sorry, Dad. I’m sorry that all of this has happened to you.”

  Jack fell to his knees. He wasn’t sure what would happen, but before he could second-guess himself, he wrapped his arms around his father’s neck. In that moment, he felt like a child again.

  His father rested his furry head on his shoulder in return.

  “I … I don’t know what you’re going through in there”—Jack pulled himself out of the hug—“but I need you, Dad. I need you to do whatever you have to, to come back to me. Fight it, come to grips with it, make peace with what you are. Whatever you have to do, do it. Please, without you, I can’t do what needs to be done.”

  Tears formed and then fell from the white werewolf’s yellow eyes. It took a step back and began to change. White hair fell in clumps around the beast as it transitioned from monster to man.

  One moment, there was a gigantic white werewolf standing in front of Jack; the next, the father he had come to love and respect slumped naked on the ground.

  Jack took off his long, brown coat and draped it over his father before wrapping him in another hug.

  “I can’t believe you’re back,” Jack repeated, over and over. “I can’t believe you’re back.”

  “I’m here.” Marcus held his son close. “I’m sorry I couldn’t control the animal inside sooner. Seeing you is exactly what I needed.”

  “I don’t want to ruin this sappy moment”—Kimberly took a step forward—“but should we be worried about the rest of the pack?”

  Jack looked up to see the rest of Marcus’ werewolf pack looking to one another in indecision. Some rested on all fours, content to let their leader make his decision, while others stood on their hindquarters, sniffing the air as if the answer was on the wind.

  “They’ll obey me for at least the time being.” Marcus rose, wrapping Jack’s coat around him. “There are those in the pack who will see this as a weakness and make a play for the alpha position, but I think we’re okay for now.”

  Jack wrestled his gaze away from the dozen werewolves who looked at him with half curiosity and half hunger. It was only then that Jack realized Aareth was lying down. He had been so fixated on his father that he hadn’t taken the time to notice that both of his friends had sustained serious injuries.

  Kimberly was a mess of scratches and cuts, and one of her wings was bent at an odd angle. Although the gargoyle hid it well, it was obvious she was in a fair amount of pain.

  As bad as Jack and Kimberly were, Aareth was worse. His black fur was a mass of crimson red, and part of his body had been completely ripped open. It seemed in the fight he had taken the brunt of the attack.

  “Aareth!” Jack ran forward and skidded to a halt beside the werewolf. The forest floor dug into his knees, but all of that was secondary to the scene in front of him. “Aareth, can you hear me?”

  Aareth didn’t say a word. Instead, he transitioned back into a human, and he lay on the forest ground, naked and covered in his own blood. Kimberly limped over, bringing his own coat from her bag and covering his wounds.

  Jack was no doctor, but life in the Outland meant you were familiar with injuries and knew life-threatening damage apart from minor cuts and scrapes.

  “Good … good to see you, Marcus.” Aareth grunted past the pain. “You … you take care of Jack now. Tell my wife—”

  “Shhh…” Marcus joined Jack at Aareth’s side as the two examined his wounds. “Save your strength. You’re going to tell her yourself.”

  Aareth was turning pale. Blood slipped down the corners of his mouth and into the short, black beard that ran over his cheeks. He was shaking now, teeth gritted to stave off a scream.

  Jack lifted the black coat covering his body. He tried in vain to mask his face, but it was impossible. Aareth was covered in angry bruises and bloody bite marks, but one in particular caught Jack’s eye: the bite mark that wrapped around Aareth’s right side—it covered his tan skin from chest to torso, and the open wound was a mess of raw meat and torn skin.

  “He needs a doctor.” Marcus motioned for Kimberly to give him the satchel of clothes she held in her hand. “First, we have to stop the bleeding to buy him some time.”

  “There’s a doctor in Term.” Kimberly grunted as she extended her arm and handed Marcus the bag of clothing. “At least there was one when we left, but that was before Term was an occupied city. There’ll be a vampire garrison there now.”

  A dozen different scenarios rushed through Jack’s mind, each one ending with Aareth dead if they decided to do nothing. A tiny voice in the back of his mind kept reminding him that this was all his fault.

  Aareth only came to help you, the voice poked at him. If it wasn’t for you, he’d be fine. Now, he’s going to die because he helped you save your father.

  “We have to try.” Marcus pressed Aareth’s shirt into the wound to stop the bleeding. “I’m sorry, Aareth. This isn’t going to feel pretty.”

  Aareth screamed in pain as the makeshift bandage was pressed into place.

  Then Aareth went limp. His chest still rising and falling, but his body finally giving in to the pain and falling unconscious.

  “We have to go into Term.” Jack looked at his father, who was already nodding along with his words. “If Aareth doesn’t get help soon, he’s going to die.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jack

  The blood coming from the scratches on his face, the pain throbbing from the tears on his chest were all an afterthought. What mattered most now was getting Aareth some help.

  The sun had risen while they made Aareth as comfortable as possible. He was lying under a tree, his minor cuts washed with water, the major wound on his torso bandaged as best as it could be.

  Jack now stood at a crossroads. Who was going to stay with Aareth, and who would enter the vampire-controlled town of Term to search for the doctor?

  The werewolves who were so eager to tear them to shreds not so long ago roved around the forest, licking their own wounds. The glances that some gave Marcus and Jack weren’t as heartening as Jack would have liked.

  Kimberly sat beside Aareth. Her wounds weren’t as bad as Aareth’s, but still worse than Jack’s. She had donned her white cloak and sat in the shade of a giant fir that sheltered her from the morning sun’s light.

  “Kimberly can’t go with you.” Marcus’ eyes, so full of hope a moment ago, were dark once more. “She’s hurt more than she’s letting on. She has to take her stone sleep to recover. I can’t go with you, either.”

  “The pack.” Jack looked around the clearing again. “We can’t trust
them.”

  “They’ll obey me well enough while I’m around,” Marcus agreed, catching the eyes of a few of the massive creatures, who looked away under his stare. “But they’re still struggling to tame their own beasts. I can’t be sure they wouldn’t turn on Aareth and Kimberly if I left them.”

  “It’s okay.” Jack placed a hand on his father’s shoulder. “Keep Aareth alive. I’ll be back with help.”

  “Are we ready to leave yet?” Kimberly interrupted the father and son as she limped up to stand beside Jack. “Our black wolf man doesn’t have a lot of time left. We must be off.”

  Jack shook his head, admiring Kimberly’s will to go on, but unwilling to allow her to be further injured. One of her wings had obviously been broken. With the long, white cloak on her now, it was hard to say what else was wrong, but she was limping.

  “You can’t go,” Marcus told her. “I admire your strength, but—”

  “I’m not asking for your permission, Old Wrinkly Wolf Beast Man,” Kimberly growled. “I’m going. Jack needs to know the best way in and out. He’ll need to know what building the doctor is in. Term is my town. I know it better than any other.”

  Marcus and Kimberly stared at one another for a moment longer, when a third option struck Jack. It was so obvious, it had to be the answer.

  “Dad—” Jack captured his father’s attention. “There can’t be that many vampires still left in Term. I mean, the main force is with Leah Eckert about to make their assault on Azra. How many do you think she left. A dozen, maybe two?”

  Realization glazed over Marcus’ eyes.

  “You’ve raised yourself a smart man child.” Kimberly grinned. “Jack and I can carry Aareth on a stretcher. You and your pack can clear the city.”

  Marcus nodded along with the plan. He ran a hand through his once-brown hair now more of a cross between grey and white. “I think we might be able to manage that.”