“Now you’re just turning me on, little princess. I like it rough; you’ll cry out for me and be begging me to stop at the same time. I always wondered what you’d taste like.” He licked his lips as the scent of lust and anger rolled off him.
“You’ll never get to know. You forget I was trained to fight sick, sadistic, sons of bitches just like you,” I spat back as I strode towards him. I dodged a devastating blow while throwing all my weight at him, taking him down to the ground and landing on top of him with my legs straddling his chest and pinning his arms. I pulled a silver knife from my pocket; my mother had given it to me when I was very young. It’s the one thing I never leave home without.
“Who else is here?” I demanded, the knife pressed against his chest over his heart.
“No one…yet,” his Romanian accent was thick now.
“Who knows you found me?”
“Kara, I called her when I picked up your scent. She’ll be here Wednesday. I don’t believe she will be very happy with you.”
Crap…okay calm down, Sophia, I reasoned with myself. It’s only Friday, I still have a little time. Hunter was right that Kara would be pissed I was spending time with Dante and Tavian, and well, more than just spending time with Dante.
“Oh, and did I mention that she was going to contact Ash? I wonder what he will think.”
My grip faltered, Ash was coming too? Hunter took advantage of my shaking grip at the mention of Ash’s name. He grabbed my hand and with quickness I couldn’t match, he turned the knife on me. I was only able to roll back, lessening the depth in which the knife buried in my stomach. However, Hunter made a costly mistake right then, he threw the knife down and leaned over me.
“I think I will have that taste now,” he said arrogantly as he leaned in to brush a kiss on my lips.
“I don’t think so,” I said in a strained voice as I palmed the knife and struck out, burying it up to its hilt in his chest. His eyes widened in shock and then went blank. I pushed him off me and stumbled back towards the house. I had very little power left and blood was steadily flowing out of my wound. I would heal, he hadn’t caused any fatal wounds, but I would likely pass out. I couldn’t risk anyone finding me like this…so I shifted. I made my way back to the house, running into Sarah and Tavian in cat form.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Tavian! Get a towel; she’s bleeding!”
“Be careful, luv,” Tavian told Sarah as he disappeared into the house.
“It’s going to be okay. We’ll fix you up,” Sarah whispered softly, while making little cooing noises to calm me.
Tavian came back with a towel and wrapped me up. He was cradling me in his arms as he carried me in the house. He went into the bathroom and uncovered my wound to get a better look.
“What do you think happened?”
“I don’t know, Sarah, but something isn’t right.” Tavian sniffed at the towel with my blood on it.
Shit, shit, shit. He knew something was wrong with my blood. I got up and jumped from the counter. Unfortunately, this kitty didn’t land on her feet. I crumpled as I tried to move my own weight. My power wavered and I felt the pull of my body starting to shift. Sarah was kneeling next to me when my body began to shiver and convulse. She screamed and Tavian pulled her back away from me as I became human again. I panted and groaned. It had never hurt to shift before, but this time it was excruciating.
“Is that…Sophia?” I heard Sarah ask from behind Tavian.
“It can’t be. It’s not possible. Sarah, what are you doing?” he yelled at her as she approached me.
“Tavian, be quiet. She’s hurt.” She pushed the hair off my face and looked me in the eyes. “Sophia?”
Her face blurred as tears filled my eyes. I murmured the only words I could get out before everything went black.
“I’m sorry, don’t tell Dante.”
****
“I think she’s waking up,” I heard Sarah say softly.
“Sarah, can you please keep a little distance from her until we find out what’s going on?”
I opened my eyes, revealing that I was back in the guest room. “I’m not going to hurt her, Tavian. I promise.”
He came closer and looked down at me. “I want to believe that, but what I just saw shouldn’t be possible.”
I chuckled as I sat up in the bed, rubbing my stomach. “You mean like vampires?”
Tavian’s mouth opened, but he stopped, biting off whatever he was going to say.
“Yeah,” I smiled softly. “I know what you and Dante are. I’ve known about the two of you long before we ever met.”
“What are you talking about? Who are you?”
“Now you’re asking the right question and I’m going to answer all of them, I promise. There’s a lot I need to explain to you. But first, where is Dante?”
“You asked me not to tell him,” Sarah broke in. “So I asked him to go help Rachel with her car trouble.” She mimed quotations when she said car trouble and winked at me. “So you have about an hour to tell us what’s going on and what you are.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, well thanks for that. You know who I am. The question is what I am.”
“Uh, and how you know about vampires,” Tavian added.
“Right, ok, you guys might want to sit down.”
Sarah sat down on the bed but Tavian remained standing.
“I know about vampires because my father is a vampire. He became taken by my mother, they slept together, she got pregnant and had me, ergo, I’m half vampire.”
“That’s not possible,” he said simply, “vampires can’t have children.”
“My father is no ordinary vampire, Tavian.” I looked to him and saw a little glimmer of hope in his eyes. “How much do you know of Cain and Abel or vampire history?”
He shrugged. “Perhaps not as much as I need to.”
“Perhaps not, so let me tell you a story…”
“Cain is mentioned as Adam and Eve's first child, and was the first human ever born. He was a crop farmer and his younger brother Abel was a shepherd. Cain was always portrayed as sinful, committing the first murder by killing his own brother, after God rejected his offerings of produce but accepted the animal sacrifices brought by Abel. Thus, Abel was the first human ever to die. The oldest known copy of the Biblical narration of the story of Cain and Able is from the 1st century Dead Sea Scrolls. Cain and Abel also appear in a number of other texts and the story is the subject of various interpretations. Abel, the first murder victim, is sometimes seen as the first martyr; while Cain, the first murderer, is sometimes seen as an ancestor of evil. What most people don’t know or don’t believe is how Cain was truly punished.”
Sarah gasped as our conversation from the other day came back to her. “He became the first vampire after spilling his brothers’ blood; cursed to walk the world for eternity, craving blood as punishment for committing the first murder.”
I nodded. “That’s right. Cain had a son before he was turned – Enoch. He turned Enoch, and then Irad, because Enoch wanted a brother. Enoch and Irad are my brothers.”
“Wait, you’re saying Cain slept with your mother and he’s your father?” Tavian asked skeptically.
“Yes, have you heard the rumors of the half-blood princess?” He nodded slowly at me. “So what is she said to look like?”
“Holy Shit!” Tavian shook his head “. . . hair the color of night, skin of silky, golden sand, eyes the color of a stormy ocean and lips the color of Eve’s forbidden apple.” I smiled and raised my brows at him. “You’re the princess; I thought it was just a myth. I know our history and I know of Enoch and Irad, but only a few have ever claimed to have seen…you.”
“Yep, I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with all of you, but there is more.”
“Ok.” Tavian was pretty excited and well worked up now. “I want to know the rest but where does the whole cat thing come in? Vampires don’t shape shift.”
I smiled. “On the contrary,
one vampire does…Cain.”
“What does he become?”
“I only know of two different animals he can shift into: a black panther and a…bat.”
“A Bat, ah that’s just to classic,” Sarah snickered.
“Okay focus, because the rest is important. Irad is looking for me. I ran away from my life with my ex that Irad had arranged for me to marry. Today one of his men found me.” I pointed to my stomach. “That’s where the knife wound came from. I killed him, but not before he called in reinforcements.”
“We need to tell Dante. He can help. He’s not going to let anything happen to you,” Tavian said firmly.
“It’s not that simple. His reinforcement is Kara.”
Tavian’s face went hard and his eyes darkened. “Kara’s coming here? How do you know who Kara is?”
“She told me about you and Dante. I’ve known Kara since I was fifteen. Irad thought she would be a good role model for me. I know how cruel and evil she is and I don’t want you guys to have to deal with her. It gets a little more complicated, Ash – my ex – is coming here too. There’s going to be an influx of very old, very powerful vampires. I need you all to get out of town.”
“No way, we’re not leaving you alone to deal with them.” Tavian was in stoic, hero mode.
“Look, that’s sweet and I respect your need to help, but it would be best, Tavian.” I tilted my head towards the window. “Crap, Dante’s back and there’s more Tavian and I need to discuss. Any chance you can get Dante to take you to the store or something, Sarah?”
“No problem. I’m on it.” She kissed Tavian and ran down the stairs, meeting Dante in the driveway. I heard them head back out.
“What was that about? What don’t you want Sarah to know?”
“The rest of the complicated story and why I need you to get her out of here.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Tavian and Sarah kept my secret as they said they would. I was fully settled in my new home and anxiously awaiting Enoch and Adelaide’s arrival. It was already Monday and Kara would be here soon.
Adelaide was the first to arrive.
“Adelaide, you don’t know how good it is to see you.”
“I can sense it, child.” She reached out and gave me a reassuring hug. “We need to get down to business.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“When will Enoch be arriving?”
“Anytime now. I’ve told him what I intend to do. He’s behind me all the way. He has also contacted my father. He’ll be here tonight.”
“And your father has agreed?” she asked suspiciously.
“He doesn’t know what I’m doing. He’s coming under the pretense that I need his assistance.”
“Then let’s get down to some potion making.”
We mixed all the herbs and powders Adelaide had sent home with me. I also had to drink some form of tea she had mixed up; it would mix with my un-pure blood and help strengthen the spell.
“Now we must wait for Enoch to complete the potion.”
“He’s here.” I sensed him and went running to the door. I flung it open and threw myself in the waiting embrace of my big brother.
He was as solid and stoic as ever in his six-foot frame. He looked back at me with eyes unmistakably the same as my own, and his devilishly dark brown hair was shoulder-length and tied at his neck. He wore an impeccable grey sport coat over a white button down shirt and a pair of black suit pants.
“My little Sophia, I’m so very glad to see you.” He peeled me off him and held me at arm’s length. “You look good; being on your own has made you happy.”
“It has,” I agreed, “but I have missed you, E.”
“And I’ve missed you, so tell me what you need from me.”
“She needs your blood.”
We both looked to Adelaide.
“What do you mean? Like he needs to add a few drops to the potion?”
“Not exactly. I’m afraid the potion calls for the blood of the vampire making the claim. That tea you drank will allow you to absorb Enoch’s blood and make your own pure enough for the spell.”
I looked up at Enoch questioningly.
“If this is what you want, Sophia, I will gladly give you my blood. Are you ready now?”
I nodded and he pulled a silver knife from his jacket pocket and slid it down his wrist. He left the knife piercing the skin so it wouldn’t just close up and heal. He drained nearly a pint of blood into a jug for me. I looked at the jug and made an unpleasant face, wrinkling my nose. Now the truth is, I’ve drank vampire blood and it’s like a well-aged whisky, smooth and heady. But it had been Ash’s blood and it had been under very, very different circumstances.
“Drink up, child,” Adelaide directed as she took the knife from Enoch and slit her own wrist, holding it out to him. Enoch eyed her questioningly.
She smiled. “You just drained a lot of blood for her. I’ll help replenish you.”
He nodded and thanked her as he took her wrist. I drank the pint of blood and then drained about that amount back into the potion. The healing properties in Enoch’s blood kept me from getting dizzy and passing out.
“What’s next?” I asked Adelaide.
“I need the map of the town and we need to separate the potion.”
I handed her the map as Enoch started separating the potion into the five silver vials Adelaide had provided. She laid the map out on my new dining room table, studying it for a few minutes, and then she made five dots on the outer limits of town.
Five vials, five dots.
“Are those where we need to pour the potion?” I asked, pointing to the five dots on the map. She nodded. “And that’s it? It’s done?”
“Not quite, but it’s the first step. Do you see the symbol?” she asked.
I studied the placement of the dots. “It’s a pentagram.”
“Yes child, I’ll pour the potion while saying the spell at each point. We’ll complete the ceremony at the southern-most point, where you will have to seal it once again with your blood. Then your father will need to consecrate the spell with his own blood.”
I looked to Enoch. “When will father arrive?”
“Tonight, I’ll meet him and explain while you guys perform the spell-”
Enoch was cut off by a furious pounding on my front door.
“Sophia! I know you’re in there!” Sarah shouted.
“Luv, calm down please,” Tavian told her.
I opened the door, eyes wide. “What in the world is going on?”
“Funny! That’s what I was going to ask you. What the hell is the matter with you?” Sarah answered as she blew past me.
I turned to Tavian. “What’s going on?”
“She’s mad at you,” he answered dryly.
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I gathered that, but why?”
“Why? Why? Why do you think? You can’t just send us away. You need our help, and if not mine, you at least need Tavian and Dante’s.”
“Ancestor.” I didn’t know the language Enoch spoke, but I knew the word. I’d heard it too many times not to know what it meant. It was whispered with reverence from the dining room where he and Adelaide stood in the archway that led to the foyer.
Sarah stopped her ranting as Enoch approached her. “The Ancestor,” he repeated in English this time. Tavian started towards him, obviously uncomfortable with Enoch’s proximity to Sarah.
I grabbed his arm. “It’s ok,” I whispered. “He won’t hurt her.”
“Sophia? What’s he talking about?” Sarah asked uneasily.
“Uhhh…let’s all sit down.” Enoch never took his eyes off Sarah as we moved into the living room.
“E, that’s enough. You’re going to freak her out, even more than she already is.”
“Of course, I’m – I’m sorry. Its Sarah, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” she hesitated, “what did you mean by the ancestor?”
Enoch turned to me. “She doesn’t know.” It was a statemen
t, not a question. He was staring at her again. “She looks like him; it’s all there, the eyes, the hair, the nose, and lips,” he said as he sat there shaking his head. “Is this why, Sophia? You wish to protect her?”
I nodded. “Yes, E. It has to stop.”
He bowed his head in agreement, and though Enoch had never done anything to Sarah or her ancestors, I could see the shame and guilt he felt for never putting a stop to Irad’s obsession.
“Sophia, who is this? And what is he talking about?”
“Sarah, this is my brother Enoch.” Sarah’s eyes widened, but she was speechless now. “And he’s talking about your lineage. When I came to Maldera Springs, I was just passing through. I saw you at Jitter Beans and caught your scent.” I looked at Tavian. “You smell it too, there’s something about her scent that’s different…sweeter, like ambrosia. Only a few in the vampire community know what that scent means. It’s the scent of the ancestors of Abel.”
“Abel? What do you mean?” she demanded.
“Your mother, and her mother, and her mother’s mother, and so on, are the descendants of Abel. After your mother passed away, to our knowledge,” I gestured between Enoch and myself, “you became the last living descendant of Abel.”
“It’s not possible, I – I can’t be.”
“I know it’s hard to believe. I understand how you feel. I’ve been there. When I was told I was Cain’s daughter, I responded in much the same way. But it is true and Irad’s been searching for you for years now.”
“Why?” she whispered.
“Not for good reasons, Sarah.”
“What about my mother?”
Understanding dawned on her. This was the pain I never wanted to inflict on her.
“Did he have my mother killed? Were vampires responsible for her death?”
“You can’t blame the whole race. What Irad and his men do is no reflection on the good ones like Tavian, Dante, Enoch, and many others.”
“Sarah,” Enoch began, “up until six years ago we believed that Abel’s line was extinct. Until one of Irad's soldiers came to us with a story of a woman he had killed that carried the scent of Abel. He was unable to give any information about the woman and so we brushed it off as the rantings of a fool. About four years later he mentioned that the woman had a picture in her car of a young girl that he was certain was her daughter. That is when Irad started to listen and began a full out search for you. I am sorry that you are the last of my uncle’s line and that I did not intercede sooner, but Sophia wishes to save you and all of Maldera Springs. You should do as she asks.”
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