Longing for You

by Jenny Frame

  “Why are you keeping her from me? I found her, I tasted her, she’s mine.”

  Alexis grabbed Josie’s T-shirt and pulled her up to her full height. “Katie is not yours and never will be.”

  “Why do you care so much?” Josie spat. Alexis stayed silent and Josie said, “Is she your girlfriend?”

  “Katie is not my girlfriend, but she is off the menu for you and always will be, newbie.”

  A smirk appeared on Josie’s face. “Oh, I get it. You’d like her to be, wouldn’t you? Well you’re out of luck. She’s mine. I tasted her blood and claimed it. She tastes so sweet. I think I’ll make her moan while I drink her.”

  Alexis couldn’t hold her restraint any longer. She was sick of other vampires feeding on Katie and hiding her emotions. All of her repressed anger rose up in a flash, and she smashed Josie against the wall, still holding her T-shirt. Josie’s body made an indentation in the wall, and the plaster crumbled to the floor.

  She grasped Josie’s jaw and squeezed tightly. “If you get within a hundred yards of Katie, I will take the head from your body, and you will die a vampire death. Do you understand me?”

  “Put her down, Duca.”

  Alexis turned to the side and saw Byron standing in the room. She had been so caught up in her fury that she hadn’t heard her enter.

  “Duca?” Byron said firmly.

  Alexis took a breath and the red mist started to fall from her eyes. She let go of Josie and went to stand by Byron.

  Josie slumped against the wall. “Who are you?”

  “Byron Debrek. Leader of the Debrek clan.”

  Josie got up and sat on the chair. “Is this how you treat all the people you help?”

  “Your behaviour couldn’t have been exemplary if you made my Duca react like that. My people tell me you won’t accept the blood we have provided for you.”

  “I want the girl from last night. I need her blood.”

  Byron straightened her tie. “That will not be possible. This hunger will get better if you let us help you, and we will give you safety and purpose within the Debrek clan. But it’s up to you to take it. It’s a dangerous world out there for a new vampire, but you have to want your place with us. The Debrek clan is run with respect and consent above all. Is that something you would like to be a part of?” Josie just stared at the ground. So Byron said, “I’ll leave you to think about it. Duca? You’re with me.”

  * * *

  “I know it was stupid, but…” Katie sat on the end of Amelia’s bed talking about last night.

  Amelia was sitting at her dressing table. “But what?”

  “I just can’t walk away from someone in pain,” Katie finished.

  “No one is asking you to. I couldn’t either, but call Byron or Alexis or Bhal, even, and they will take care of it for you. Do you know what it would do to Byron if anything happened to you?”

  “No, I never thought about it.”

  Amelia got up and sat beside Katie on the bed. “She would be devastated. You know how much she loves your family, and now that your mum and dad are away working for her parents, she feels it’s her reasonability to take care of you. Not to mention how hurt our Duca would be.”

  “Alexis?” Katie snorted. “She took great pleasure in telling me what an idiot I was.”

  “She was concerned, Katie, as we all were. She asked Byron to remind you that you were mortal, unlike most of us, and if anything happens to you, there’s no second chances. I agree with her. I think she really cares, Katie.”

  “She has a funny way of showing it, but I take your point. Tell the Principe I’ll be more careful,” Katie said.

  Amelia hugged Katie. “Thank you. We all love you and care about you.”

  * * *

  Later that day Amelia and Byron travelled to the bookshop that the informant had told them about. The Portal was London’s oldest occult bookshop, and Amelia had to admit that she was nervous, and somewhat scared.

  Ever since the Grand Duchess told her she was half witch and that her parents weren’t her true parents, Amelia had been desperate to find out about her past. But she was also scared about finding out the truth. It would change everything she felt certain that she knew about herself.

  Amelia grasped Byron’s hand tightly as they walked up to the bookshop door.

  “Don’t be nervous. I’m with you,” Byron said.

  Byron held the door open for Amelia and the bell on the door rang. They walked in and looked around at the shop. It was a typical old, dusty independent bookshop, which didn’t look as if it had many customers. There was a counter and till at the other end of the shop.

  Amelia and Byron walked up there and found an older black woman with salt-and-pepper coloured ringlets, and a young woman beside her, who was currently scowling.

  “What do you want, vampire?”

  “Piper, no,” the older woman said.

  Byron straightened her tie and said, “I’m Byron Debrek. I contacted you about some information we needed.”

  “Yes, yes. My name is Magda, and this is my granddaughter Piper.”

  “Charmed,” Byron said somewhat sarcastically. “This is my wife, Amelia Debrek.”

  Magda suddenly looked very interested. “Tell me, what was your maiden name, Mrs. Debrek?”

  “Honey, Amelia Honey.”

  Magda looked to her granddaughter in some kind of silent communication, then held her hand out to shake Amelia’s in greeting.

  Amelia took Magda’s hand, and she felt a warm shot of electricity go up her arm. Magda herself shuddered.

  “Welcome, Amelia.”

  Magda turned to Piper and said, “Bring some chairs for our guests.”

  Piper rolled her eyes but did as she was asked. Byron declined the chance to sit, but Amelia hopped up on a stool.

  “You knew Rose, vampire?” Magda said.

  Byron shifted uncomfortably. Amelia knew who Rose was—a former lover—and it was natural that Byron had many lovers over the centuries, but she didn’t like to think about it too deeply.

  “Yes, that’s right,” Byron replied.

  Magda smiled. “One of the very best witches in our coven’s history. She left extensive books and papers preserving her thoughts, view, spells, and insights, and in one such notebook, she told us to expect a woman named Amelia.”

  Amelia was too shocked to speak, but Byron said, “She did? What did she say?”

  “Simply that whoever the high priestess was when Amelia came along was to help her because she had a very special future.”

  Amelia looked at Byron. This was what she was afraid of, learning something overwhelming. Byron took her hand and squeezed it.

  “How did you find out you had witch blood in you?” Magda asked.

  “The Grand Duchess told me,” Amelia said.

  Magda chuckled. “The most powerful witch in the world who married a vampire—a bit like yourself, Amelia.”

  There were parallels between her and Byron’s great-great-grandmother, Amelia supposed.

  The Grand Duchess, then simply Lucia, had fallen in love with Byron’s great-great-grandfather Cosimo. She’d insisted that she would only be with him, and marry him, if he and his clan would vow to only take blood by consent. That became the Debreks’ sacred vow.

  “Can you tell me more about my past?” Amelia asked.

  “First of all, have you ever used your power?”

  “Only a few times, when I’ve been angry or threatened.”

  Magda looked at Piper, then back to Amelia. “We’re starting from scratch then. Okay, first of all, do you know the New Forest area in the south of England?”

  “Of course I do. I was brought up not far from there,” Amelia said.

  “I’m sure you have been there too, vampire?” Magda said to Byron.

  “Yes, a few times in my travels.”

  “Excellent. Go to the New Forest. It’s a place long associated with witchcraft and the occult. An ancient coven met there, and there are
witches’ cottages where they lived and worked. When you’re there, open yourself up, listen, feel the energy. There’s an ancient magic drawn from the sacred land of the New Forest. If you do that, come back, and I will instruct you in witchcraft and magic.”

  Amelia felt in that moment that if they went there, nothing would ever be the same.

  * * *

  Drasas was nervous. She had agreed to meet Madam Anka, but she couldn’t fight the feeling she was doing something behind Victorija’s back. After Asha delivered Madam Anka’s message, Drasas did as Asha suggested and researched the witch.

  What she found were whispers of legends, a woman who wielded great power, a woman who drew her power from the ancient Celtic dark gods but hadn’t been heard of in a long, long time. Drasas was intrigued and so agreed to meet her at a local park.

  She went on her own and made sure no one knew where she was going. Drasas wandered over to a bench by the duck pond and sat down. The park was full of happy, smiling families, humans running, humans feeding the ducks. It was sickening.

  “Hello, Drasas.”

  Drasas felt a shiver down her spine. That voice was like honey. She turned to the side and saw the woman to match the voice.

  “Madam Anka?” Drasas croaked.

  Anka smiled and held out her hand to shake hers. She had light brown skin and dark hair tinged with blond highlights. Drasas took her hand and gasped. Anka’s eyes changed to yellow for a split second, then returned to normal.

  Drasas’s heart was pounding. This woman had such a powerful, sensual aura, and it was enveloping her.

  “Please call me Anka.”

  Anka’s bone structure, her dark make-up, and those eyes all drew Drasas in.

  “Thank you for meeting with me,” Anka said.

  “My pleasure, Anka. How can I help you?”

  Anka lifted her hand and indicated to all the humans around them. “Look at them, Drasas. What do you see?”

  “Pathetic, weak humans,” Drasas said.

  “I see we are of the same mind, Drasas, and yet who is hiding in the shadows? Vampires, witches, fae, werewolves, all of us who are the most powerful creatures in the world are skulking around, when those humans should be worshipping at our feet.”

  Drasas turned around and said excitedly, “Yes, exactly my feelings.”

  Anka placed the tips of her black polished nails on Drasas’s leg and stroked her thigh up and down. A fire was ignited in her sex with the barest touch. Drasas had sex on offer whenever she wanted from the vampires under her command and any human she fancied, but nothing had ever felt as exciting as that barest touch from Anka.

  Anka suddenly pulled her hand away, and Drasas hated the loss. She wanted more.

  “I represent a group that believes the time for living in the shadows is over,” Anka said. “There was a time when the high priestess and other paranormal creatures were worshipped by humans, and now we are nothing.”

  “Who is in your group?” Drasas asked.

  “Oh, small groups of dark witches, some werewolves, many shapeshifters, and more flock to us every day. We wish to bring a new age of darkness to the earth. One where we are the masters.”

  “How can I help?”

  “I would like a powerful vampire clan to join our numbers. One without the sickening ideals of the Debreks,” Anka spat.

  “I agree with that wholeheartedly, but why come to me and not Victorija? She is a born vampire.”

  “Ah, yes. A born vampire, the most powerful vampires in the world,” Anka said.

  Drasas felt a pang of jealousy. She would never experience the fear of others that kind of power caused. She would always just be an ordinary turned vampire.

  “I’ve heard that Victorija has been indisposed lately and that you have been virtually running the clan.”

  Drasas sat a little taller in her seat. “Yes, I have been. Ever since my Principe visited the UK and killed her grandmother, she’s been different. She can’t satiate her hunger and has no interest in striking back at the Debreks.”

  “The Debreks,” Anka said with disdain. “They behave like the human world they are part of. They don’t deserve the power that the Debrek bank brings.”

  “I’ve been telling my Principe that we need to strike against them while they are distracted, but she won’t listen,” Drasas said.

  “Well, how about this. I visit your Principe, help you find out what’s wrong with her, and help you—I mean, help your clan step out of the Debrek shadow.”

  Drasas got the feeling she shouldn’t be planning this without Victorija’s knowledge, but the Principe was ill, something was weakening her, so she had to step in.

  Anka touched Drasas’s cheek, and she shivered. “I can make you great, Drasas. Imagine dark witches fighting alongside your vampires. It could be great.”

  Anka had Drasas in the palm of her hand. She knew this was the perfect way into the Dred clan.

  “I could be great…” Drasas said.

  “Off you go then. I’ll visit you and Victorija soon.”

  Once Drasas left her, Asha stepped out of the shadows. “Is she everything you thought she would be, Madam?”

  “Oh yes. All that and more.” She looked down at the gold ring with a purple stone on her finger. “I’ve collected werewolf, witch, and fae power, and now I need a born vampire’s power. I need Victorija for that, but I’ll control Drasas, and she’ll make it so easy.” Anka laughed.

  Chapter Seven

  Katie walked through the entrance hallway of the Debrek mansion. It was eleven o’clock and everything was quiet. Once Byron and Amelia retired to their room, most of the staff finished for the night, apart from a security team patrolling the house.

  Katie had dismissed the housekeeping staff and was on her way to the kitchen to make a cup of herbal tea before bed. She walked downstairs to the kitchen, and only Dane and a junior chef were left.

  “Evening, Katie, can I get you anything?” Dane asked.

  “No, I’m just going to make a cup of tea.”

  Dane stretched her arms and yawned. “We’ll leave you to it then. Goodnight, Katie.”

  Once Dane and her junior chef left, the large old kitchen was quiet as a grave. Katie pressed the kettle on and got a mug, teabag, and spoon. She brought them back over to the kettle and waited for the kettle to boil.

  Katie liked this time of night for its quiet solitude. The Debrek house was always a busy place with vampires and housekeeping staff milling around, not to mention the decorators they had in at the moment causing mess everywhere.

  But this was her quiet time. She would often sit here in the empty kitchen listening to the radio, alone and absorbing the quiet, but tonight she was tired, so she was going to take her tea back to her room and look at her iPad in bed.

  The night before she hadn’t had much sleep after the incident with Josie, the pain in her wrist and the nagging feeling that Alexis was right about being careful keeping her awake. It was annoying when Alexis was right—plus, she had to admit her body wanted Alexis. Since she was a teenager, she’d had complicated feelings over Alexis. Now her crush had developed into need and want, then hurt, anger, and frustration.

  “Alexis.” Katie sighed.

  No matter what stage she was at, Alexis always managed to stir up her passionate emotions, whether anger or want.

  Katie filled her cup up with water. Hopefully the camomile tea would soothe her to a restful sleep. She felt a breeze and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

  There was someone behind her, and she felt fear. It couldn’t be one of the Debrek clan—she would never feel fear because of them—and Alexis was more likely to make her heart speed up with excitement than fear, she was loath to admit.

  She heard heavy breathing and forced herself to turn around slowly. It was Josie. She looked worse than when she had last seen her. Her eyes were red and dried blood was caked over her mouth and chin.

  “Josie? Hi, aren’t they looking after you in th
e basement?” Katie knew this was a dangerous situation. A dangerous situation of her own making, she heard Alexis say in her head.

  She had to keep Josie talking and hope either someone came down to the kitchen or she found her chance to run.

  “They were, are, but I had to see you, Katie. Last night is engraved on my mind, and I wanted to thank you for looking after me and giving me your blood.”

  Katie could see Josie’s eyes fix on her jugular vein. Her heart beat furiously. This was bad. How are you getting out of this one?

  “I’m happy to help. The Debrek clan is happy to help,” Katie said.

  Josie reached for her cheek and caressed it. “I need your help again, Katie. I’m so hungry, and I can’t get your blood from my mind.”

  “But it’s not a good idea. Didn’t Byron and Alexis explain that to you?”

  Josie slid her hand from Katie’s cheek into her hair and grasped it tightly. “I know what I need, Katie, and it’s in you.”

  “You have to have consent to take blood in the Debrek clan. That was explained to you, and I do not consent, Josie.”

  “I don’t care about your stupid rules. I take what I need.” Josie’s teeth erupted, and Katie knew she was trapped. She pushed her hand behind her and felt her mug of tea. Maybe she had one chance to get away.

  Katie grasped the handle of the mug, and just as Josie was about to strike, Katie threw the mug and its contents over her attacker. Josie squealed in pain and covered her face with her hands as the boiling liquid scalded her skin. Katie ran as fast as she could up the kitchen stairs and into the entrance hall.

  She had to get upstairs to get help. Katie didn’t look back but ran up the grand staircase and made it to the landing. She looked down and saw Josie below in the hallway.

  “Come back. You’re mine!”

  Katie had to get to one of the bedrooms. Suddenly Josie jumped from below and landed right in front of her.

  “You didn’t think you could outrun a vampire, did you?”

  Katie didn’t have time to think. What happened next was a blur, until she felt Josie’s fangs bite deep into her neck, and her strength ebbed away.