Harsh Light of Day

by Jaye A. Jones

HARSH LIGHT OF DAY

  Harsh Light Vampires Series

  Book One

  By Jaye A. Jones

  PUBLISHED BY:

  HARSH LIGHT OF DAY

  Copyright 2013 Jaye A. Jones

  CHAPTER 1

  I wondered what privacy would be like.  Were there really people out there who could be alone as much as they wanted whenever they wanted?  I’d never experienced such a thing.  I couldn’t even imagine that kind of freedom.

  He thought he was sneaky, but I always knew when he was there.  And he was constantly there.  I felt Declan’s gaze track me around the room, his ice blue eyes prickling my skin with the familiar sensation my body had learned to recognize.

  For years we played this game.  I’d act like he wasn’t neurotically watching my every move.  He’d continue to stare like the obsessive lunatic he was.

  Why didn’t he ever get bored?  Two decades of the Lena show.  All Lena, all the time. 

  It wasn’t like I went anywhere interesting.  Nowhere to go.  I didn’t exactly have any fascinating hobbies.  No hobbies to have.  The things I liked to do weren’t even allowed, and usually made Declan stop breathing while he loomed in the shadows everywhere I went.

  I existed for making Declan nervous. 

  There was somewhere I was supposed to be.  Declan too.  But as long as I was rebelling, he would stay with me, keeping his icy eyes on me like a hawk.

  May as well do what I wanted to do.  May as well be as uninteresting as I could be.  Maybe this would be the time I’d finally make Declan so bored, he’d leave me alone.  Or fall asleep so I could do terrible, hilarious things to him.

  I grabbed a book from my hiding place, and faked like I didn’t hear his sharp inhale.  He figured out what I had planned, but he stayed in stealth-mode. 

  I beamed with sadistic satisfaction.  Such a powerful creature, and the most frightening thing in the world to him was seeing little old me reading a little old book.

  Sure, it was dangerous.  But today, I didn’t care.

  As I opened the door from our private chambers into the shadowy hallway, book firmly in hand, I could see his wide-eyed gawk as his stealth-mode slipped.  Point to Lena. 

  Times like these, I wished I remembered how to smile.

  **

  The stone, torch-lit corridors of the Castle echoed with the voices of Declan’s immortal family. It was before sunrise, and they were winding down from a night of feeding and the expected conversation, just as they had done countless, identical nights before.

  Declan was painfully aware he and his young consort were the only members of the family not in the Main Hall with the others.

  Lena sat on the floor and read by firelight, struggling with the dancing shadows in the private nook she had chosen moments after being summoned to the feast. The privacy it allowed meant she had to sacrifice good lighting. Acute, vampire eyesight or not, reading small text in a shadowy corner was not the circumstance she would have preferred had she a choice.

  But there were no choices for Lena in this shadow world.

  Declan hid in the darkness a few feet from her, watching her struggle, shift positions, and grunt her frustration at everything around her—the walls surrounding her, the noises of their family down the hall, the vexing flicker of the torchlight.

  Her contempt for the vampire existence was like shards of ice thrust through his already cold, immortal heart.

  “You’re stalking me again,” she mumbled, not looking up from her book.

  A few years ago, she never would have known Declan was lurking. But she was clever. Often too clever.

  Bowing his head before stepping from the shadows, Declan replied, “It is necessary.”

  “I’m reading. What trouble do you really think I can get into?” she asked, her eyes accusatory slits.

  “You should not be reading in a public location. If he catches you—”

  “Yeah, if he catches me he’ll call me pathetic and treat me like garbage like every other stupid day,” Lena said, her defiant eyes peeking over the top of her book. “I’ll risk it.”

  Lena flippant distain caused a sense of sinking deep inside her sire. What she said was true. Whatever punishment she might endure if caught would be nothing new. Their Master had never been kind to her.

  Declan bowed his head again. There was nothing more to add to this conversation they had shared so many times before, so he skipped the argument to the end.

  “Our private quarters would be wiser.”

  Lena shot up and slammed her book shut, the sound of it echoing far down the long corridor, making the chatter from the Main Hall cut off.

  “Can’t you ever leave me alone?” she hissed and stormed off, stomping away like an ill-tempered child.

  Declan followed, keeping himself hidden once again. He still believed she would not know he was there as long as he focused, as long as he did not want her to know. Declan always had had the gift of concealment, as far back as he could remember. He’d mastered it, was wholly confident in his ability to remain unseen. But Lena was getting better at detecting him, at sensing his presence.

  Soon, he would need to find alternative means to watch over her.

  As Lena turned the next corner, Annabelle and Lennox were waiting. Their matching, light blonde hair and pale blue eyes were a blur of light as Declan slammed backward into the shadows.

  The pair held hands as they typically did. They stood as close as possible, arms interlaced. Their union was the strongest Declan had ever witnessed. Of the hundred or so vampire mates he had met, Annabelle and Lennox had something of their own, stronger and more apparent than any other. It was almost tangible in the air around them.

  It should not have, it was not fair it did, but seeing them and feeling their bond never failed to sadden Declan. He felt his heart tighten as he peered at the back of Lena’s head, expecting something he was beginning to fear would never come.

  When Lena saw the couple, she aptly hid the book she had been reading behind her back and threw up her hands, greeting them with a grumble.

  She should not have books at all. Any connection with the outside world was prohibited. Though Annabelle and Lennox would not divulge her whims, it was wise for Lena to hide it. If nothing else, so they would not have to decide whether to condemn her, or lie for her.

  She might enjoy tempting the possibility, but Lena was bright enough to know when boundaries could be pushed. And when they could not.

  “What is wrong, little one?” Annabelle asked, her tone and expression stoic. “Where have you been all night?”

  “I feel like being alone today.”

  “When don’t you feel like being alone?” Lennox teased.

  Lena did not reply and Declan knew the reason. She did always want to be alone. And she did not hide her feelings as well as she wished she did.

  “It was twenty years ago today,” she mumbled. “I want to spend my birthday by myself. Is that so crazy?”

  The muscles along Declan’s shoulders bunched. He had hoped this would be the year Lena forgot this day. Any other young vampire would have already given up their remaining human memories. But not his Lena.

  Annabelle shook her head slowly, her lips pursed together so tightly they disappeared. “You’re asking for trouble when you do this.”

  “I can’t stand being watched all the time.”

  Annabelle’s eyes jumped to the shadows where Declan hid. She could not know exactly where he was. She could not see him, nor sense him. But Annabelle assumed Declan was there, following Lena around, as he generally did.

  “You must start learning to fake it then, my little one,” Annabelle said with a nod,
returning her eyes to Lena.

  Annabelle always balanced on the line of what was and was not appropriate to tell Lena. As the youngest member of the family, Lena was not allowed to know truths about the immortal existence. Not yet. Though she hid it well, and tended to be subtle, Annabelle told Lena about certain things she should not have known about, being still so young.

  Declan was secretly grateful to Annabelle for those crafty indiscretions.

  Someday, Lena would know how much Annabelle helped her with those subtle hints ever since the day she was turned into a vampire, ever since she moved into the Castle. Twenty years ago, today.

  Someday, she would realize how much she was cared for.

  Someday, Lena would know why Declan watched her as he did, keeping her at a distance but always in sight.

  He had to believe it was true.

  “Colin would like to see you,” Annabelle said, stepping aside so Lena’s path was clear to the Main Hall.

  “Fantastic.” Lena ducked her head to hide her grimace from Annabelle.

  Reaching out, Lennox wrapped his knuckles against Lena’s shoulder. The simple gesture the two often shared seemed intended to reassure. Lena’s eyes softened, and she began to walk.

  “Where is that child?” Colin’s voice roared from the Main Hall, and Declan sighed as she did not pick up her pace at their Master’s words. She sauntered, possibly even slower than before, taking her time in defiance.

  “You yelled?” Lena said with a roll of her eyes and an upturned lip after entering the room.

  The Main Hall was the heart of the Castle. It had little in the way of furniture or decoration. Only a long, wooden table and matching benches on either side served as seating on the floor. The only other objects were Colin’s. He lounged upon his makeshift throne, which was nothing more than an old-fashioned chair that would be found in a professor’s study atop a stage elevating him above his family.

  Colin looked down from his platform now and stared at Lena. Declan could feel the hostility Colin had towards her, but it did not show on his face.

  “Where were you?”

  “Down the hall. God, like there’s anywhere to go in this place.”

  She had so much disgust and hatred in her voice, Colin could not miss it. And would not allow it.

  “You pathetic child,” Colin hissed, rising from his chair. “You are part of this family. It is time you act like it. When there is a feast, you will attend. That is final.”

  “Aren’t six vampires worshipping at your feet enough for you?”

  “The time for your infantile behavior has come to an end,” the Master roared. Only Lena could encourage him to raise his voice.

  Colin’s consort Viola took a step forward, her long arms flush with her sides. Her slender neck craned toward Lena and her frigid eyes narrowed. She had been in the shadows behind Colin. Declan was not positive, but he did not think Lena was aware she had been near at all.

  She was so new to their ways. Lena still had yet to attain even the most basic vampire abilities.

  Of course, her determined resistance had a part in her stunted growth.

  Viola leaned toward her sire and whispered. Declan, being in the far corner of the large room could pick up some of what she said. The important word, he heard clearly.

  Book.

  Although he did not know for certain what would happen, Declan felt a desire to emerge from the place he hid and stand in front of Lena. It would be unwise. And pointless. But the desire was there nonetheless.

  Yet he was able to resist. Inactivity had become so very easy. Even as Viola stepped down from the stage, glided to Lena, and clasped her arm in a crippling grip, Declan remained focused, remained hidden.

  “Give it to me,” Viola growled. When Lena did not oblige immediately, Viola spun her around with one yank of the wrist and snatched the book she had stuck in the back of her pants.

  Declan closed his eyes. They were doomed.

  “Where did you get this?” Colin growled, standing in front of Lena now, his inexpressive face looking as angry as it ever could.

  “How do we get anything in this prison?” she spat, looking their Master disrespectfully in his eyes.

  “You get things delivered, don’t you? How? Where does anything you get come from? How can we stay hidden like we are? Why don’t the humans ever come to investigate this creepy old place no one ever enters or exits?”

  Colin fumed and looked as though he was going to lose control and hit her. This was not the first time she had asked these questions and gotten no answers. Declan suspected she continued to ask not necessarily because she wanted to know, but because it made Colin so angry.

  Viola, still holding Lena’s arm, nodded to her sire. Declan had not seen nor heard his orders, but Viola knew what her consort’s wishes were.

  Viola flung Lena around, lifting her off the ground and tossed her like paper into the far wall. Viola and Colin were already out the door by the time Lena hit the floor.

  Declan knew Lena would not be hurt. It would hardly even give her any discomfort, only immobilize her for a few moments. So he followed Colin.

  It was evident where he was headed. The room Declan and Lena shared was usually private. The other members of the family respected the intimate quarters of a mated pair. But Colin was their Master, and Lena’s insolence negated her privacy.

  They found her hiding place within seconds. All they had to do was smell for them. Pages and leather and ink smelled like nothing else in the Castle, which smelled of fire and granite.

  The stones in the far corner of the room looked askew. The mortar had been stripped away and the wall behind the stones hollowed out. At least one hundred books were stacked into neat piles that Viola quickly knocked over and scattered.

  “Were you aware of this?” Colin yelled, and Declan realized he had let his guard down. He had stopped focusing, and was clearly present in the room to the other vampires.

  “I was not,” Declan lied

  “You could not smell them?”

  “It never occurred to me to try.”

  He lied well.

  “No, I suppose not,” Colin muttered, then took another look into Lena’s small library. “How has she figured out how to have things delivered? She must have been doing this for years.”

  Though he was not sure it was wise to say anything, Declan offered, “Lena is clever. If she wants something, she finds a way.”

  The Master did not like this answer, and something lit in his unblinking eyes. Declan knew what would happen next. The contraband was forbidden. And Lena had to be punished.

  “Help us,” Colin commanded, and Declan obeyed.

  Colin said us, but did not move. He left the dirty work to his consort Viola, who was more than willing to carry out any sinister task he asked of her.

  Declan followed Viola’s lead and began pulling all of the books from the hiding place in the wall out to the middle of the room.

  “Pull down the torches,” Colin ordered. They were in Viola’s hands immediately.

  Excitement glowed in her inhuman eyes. The words were barely out of Colin’s mouth before Viola had the flames on the books. “Burn them all.”