Deamhan Chronicles, Books 1-5: Deamhan, Kei. Family Matters, Dark Curse, Maris. The Brotherhood Files, Ayden. Deamhan Minion

by Isaiyan Morrison

  I told him I didn't want the money but he said that humans used it to keep their relationships stable. When I brought up his previous plan about having a sanctuary, his reaction surprised me. He waved me off and said that even if they did come, we had enough money to buy our own protection.

  Finley believed that a change of scenery would help curb my fear, which he blamed my boredom for. So he moved us to a large apartment on the upper class side of the city with furnishings he picked out himself. He bought more fancy gifts for me like a red silk imported couch from China and a large ivory broach.

  “It's time that you stop wearing that horrible trinket and put on something nice,” he said, referring to my mother's amulet.

  “I told you I would never do that,” I replied. “It's for protection.”

  “You don't need that type of protection. Not anymore.” He stood in front of a full length mirror, straightening his white shirt and his dark vest. “We're virtually untouchable now. Hell, we could start siring humans for our sanctuary tonight if we wanted to.”

  “And why don't we?”

  He looked into the mirror, at me. “I thought you were against it?”

  “I was, but that was before all this attention.”

  He examined himself, dressed to impress, before retorting. “You're talking as if you don't like the new place.” He looked around. “I read from human thoughts that these are the best accessories for a woman of this age.”

  “I don't want the best human accessories. I want to hunt.”

  “Then go hunt.”

  “By myself?”

  “Why not? You're a big girl now.”

  “You should come with me. We haven't hunted together in a long time.”

  “Feeling nostalgic.” He turned around. “You know I can't. Not tonight, Maris. I have a fight.” He immediately took a boxing stance and he smiled. “They brought in an Irish boxer from New Jersey. He's been in over twenty fights, all of them ending with a knockout.” He then stood up straight. “I can't wait to see the look on his face when he realizes that he can't knock me out.” He returned to the mirror.

  “How long are you going to keep fighting?”

  He shrugged. “I don't know. Until I get bored.”

  “Or until they find out that you aren't human.” I stood up from the couch.

  “I know. You keep reminding me.” He slipped on his jacket and finished his clothing with a brimmed tall top hat. “Are you going to stop by and watch after you eat?”

  “No.”

  He walked over to me. “Why so glum?” He placed his arm around me. “We have everything we wanted. Our lives are perfect now.” He kissed me on the cheek. “I promise, I will make this right for you.” He then walked for the door. “Don't wait up for me. It'll probably be a long night.” He left the apartment.

  I walked over to the window and pulled back the magenta curtains. I watched the humans walking by. This new world had a grasp on my Finley and it wouldn't let him go.

  That night, I didn't wait up for him. Instead I picked up a prostitute, killed her, and dumped her body in Staten Island. I missed walking under the stars with him and when he returned from his fight that night, he bragged about how three humans volunteered to fight him after he had easily disposed of the Irish boxer.

  “You should have been there.” He leaned back in the couch. “They all tried their hardest to beat me. Arnold said I didn't even break a sweat.”

  “Arnold?”

  Finley looked to me. “Yes. The human who hosts the events.”

  “So you're on a first name basis with him? Is he your companion now?”

  “Companion? He's nothing more than the man who makes sure that I fight and I get my money.”

  “He takes care of you?”

  “Maris, where are you going with this?”

  I huffed. “I don't like this life anymore. I hate this city.”

  He kicked off his shoes. “We came here because we didn't have a choice, remember?” He quickly stood up and approached me. “You told me you wanted to live your life and I'm making sure that you have that opportunity. What more do you want from me?” He held out his arms. “You're no longer in danger.” His eyes turned dark and his fangs dropped. “We have money, we have means. We can take care of ourselves and each other. No longer do we have to worry about where we can shelter our bodies from the sun during the day. You don't want that? You'd rather go back to living on the streets in filthy clothes and running from city to city?”

  “This is just a cloak, hiding us from what we are,” I said. “No matter how many expensive or fancy things we buy, our how much money you earn, we will never be like Arnold or any of them.”

  He took a step back. His eyes returned back to normal followed by his teeth. “I don't want to be like them,” he said. “They are beneath us.” He placed his hands on his hips. “I know you're upset. I can make it right.”

  “Yes, by leaving this horrible place.”

  “No.” He shook his head. “You're lonely. You need a companion.”

  “No, I need you.”

  “You're afraid,” he said, ignoring my previous statement. “Don't worry. I know what will make you happy.”

  His reply stunned me. Only later would I find out what he meant.

  The next night, after returning from a fight, he walked into our apartment carrying a large rolled Chinese carpet over his right shoulder. At first I thought he bought the carpet to please me in some way until I smelled the odor of a human body emanating from it.

  “This should cure your fear.” He placed it on the ground and unrolled it gently. I saw the body of a dead white male, face down, with puncture wounds in his neck.

  “I don't need you to hunt for me.” I folded my arms across my chest.

  “He isn't a meal.” Finley rolled him over onto his back.

  I recognized the face. “I've seen him somewhere before.”

  “Jesse Starling,” Finley answered. “He was the first human I fought after we arrived in Chicago.” He moved Jesse's head to the right. “He's strong enough.” He stood up and placed his hands on his hips.

  “Strong enough for what?”

  “To survive the transformation.”

  “Transformation?” I asked, confused. “You sired him!” I refused to believe what he just said to me.

  “Yes and he'll be the first of many,” Finley replied.

  I grew angry and rushed at him, forcing his body onto the floor. “Why would you do that!?”

  In Deamhan speed he flipped me over and now was on top of me. “Why not?” He let me go and helped me to my feet. “You want protection. Here it is. In a few days he'll either wake up as a Deamhan or he'll begin to rot.”

  “And if he doesn't wake up, you'll just pick another one?”

  “Yes. That's how this works.” He straightened his clothing.

  I looked away, refusing to eye him.

  “You're still not happy?” His eyes wavered.

  “I won't be happy until we leave this place,” I said to him. “I've told you this many times.”

  “And I've never changed my answer. We aren't leaving.” He wrapped his arm around me. “Get used to where we are. This is our home now.”

  I tried to remove myself from him but he held on tight. “Don't you love me? Don't you trust me enough to believe that I'm doing this for you?”

  I remembered what Ruby said about love. “You're doing this for you, not for me.”

  “Just like I'm fighting those humans because I have nothing better to do.” He sighed and looked out the window. “We can argue about this later. The sun will be up soon.”

  But I couldn't sleep. I stared at the ceiling while Finley slept soundly and quietly. Smelling the sun in the sky didn't scare me enough to close my eyes. My mind ran like a nonstop assembly line, thinking of how having a sanctuary of our own would make things better. I tried to understand his ways, I truly did, but deep down he was doing this for himself. It was in his nature as well as
my own. Neither of us knew anything about siring and teaching a new Deamhan. How could we manage a home full of them? Would they all turn out like us or perhaps better? Most importantly, would their actions and the fact that a sanctuary now existed in Chicago bring The Brotherhood and the vampires to the city if they weren't here already?

  As soon as the sun set, I rushed out of bed and into the dining area. Jesse's body still lay were Finley left it. I touched his skin, finding it cold and stiff. His eyes were opened and glossed over. The inside of his mouth turned black and his lips had turned blue. Part of me felt grateful that he didn't survive the transformation.

  “It's only been a day, Maris.”

  I heard him behind me and I looked over my shoulder. “He looks dead.”

  Finley chuckled. “You looked like that when you went through your transformation.”

  I wasn't in the mood for his jokes.

  “But it's the truth,” he argued back. “Even now, you and I look dead. You put on makeup to fit in. I put on clothes to fit in.”

  He had a point.

  “You think that just because I spend my nights around them means I've forgotten that I'm a Ramanga. Just because I'm a Ramanga doesn't mean I have to ignore what it was like to be human,” he said. “I remember what I miss and what I used to enjoy. I remember the sun, fresh baked bread, and water. I remember all of it, Maris.” He walked over to me. “I'm not going to let the opinions of others dictate how I'm supposed to act. I told you before, I never cared about Dictum rules and being subservient to Ancient Deamhan. This is my life now and this is yours as well. It's time to live for our own enjoyment.” He pointed to Jesse's body. “If I have to sire a human or thousands of humans to give you company, then I will.”

  “You sound just like Anastasia.” I walked away from him, toward the huge paned window. “You're doing this for our own survival, just like she did when she betrayed us all in London. Do you think about the effect your actions have on others?”

  “No and neither should you,” he replied.

  “Jesse had a life,” I said. “And you took that away from him.”

  “Once he wakes up, he'll realize that his life is much better now. He'll be immortal. What human in their right mind doesn't want to live forever?” He stomped back to his room.

  I glanced outside, staring at the city starting to come to life. “I never wanted it.”

  “I'm tired of talking about this. I have to get ready for my fight tonight.”

  I decided to not look back at him. Once he left, I slowly returned my attention to Jesse. I grew hungry and the sensation, mixed in with my anger, wasn't a great recipe for any human to experience. I didn't care to think about who I wanted to eat and where I wanted to hunt. I left immediately and I didn't bother to lock the door. I wasn't halfway down the hall when I heard moaning coming from the apartment. Turning around, I listened closely, hearing Jesse lift himself off the ground and taking his first steps. It couldn't be possible! He had survived the transformation! I hurried back to the apartment and opened the door, not knowing what to expect. He stood in the middle of the apartment, staring at his hands with wide eyes that switched colors from black to brown.

  He waited for me to say something but I couldn't. Instead, I surveyed him suspiciously as he snapped his head to the right then to the left, listening to the sounds coming from the street below.

  “You can hear far now.” I approached him.

  He looked at me. “Who are you? What's going on?”

  “You're a Ramanga now. You're one of us.” Stupid Maris. You could've thought of something better to say.

  “How did you do that? How could I hear you?” He placed his hands on his head. “You didn't open your mouth.”

  Already he could read my mind. I sat him down on a flora chair and I made him listen while I began to tell him everything I wanted him to know. I told him about Deamhan and that Finley had sired him. I explained the four types of our kind, how we survived, and how we could be killed. I finished the explanation with our need to feed off the psychic energy in the blood of mammals.

  His eyes widened. “Blood?”

  I nodded. “Yes, it's very important that you feed.”

  Jesse took in the information rather well, better than I expected. However, I didn't tell him everything. I left out Anastasia, Silvanus, The Brotherhood and the Dorvo vampires.

  “You should clean yourself up.” I helped him to his feet, remembering my first night when Brandy bathed me. I walked him into the bathroom. “I'll get you some of Finley's clothes.”

  He immediately hunched over, gripping his stomach in pain.

  “On my first night, the only thing I wanted to do was eat,” I said to him. “Clean yourself and I'll take you out for your first meal.” I closed the door to leave him alone in the bathroom. I heard him turn on the water and mumble to himself through the wall.

  Moments later he walked out, wearing Finley's white shirt underneath his black suit with a matching red tie. He'd slicked back his short brown hair and stood still as if he waited for my approval. I could tell he felt uncomfortable in Finley's clothing from the way he kept readjusting the tie.

  “Everything looks and feels so different.” He held his arms in front of him. “The air and clothing against my skin.” He breathed in heavily. “So many smells.”

  “Humans have a peculiar scent,” I replied. “Some are more attractive than others.”

  “That's what I used to smell like?” He spoke in a childlike tone.

  I nodded. “Yes, unfortunately.”

  He walked over to the window and looked outside. “I can see really far.” He continued to test and question his new abilities. He touched the glass and looked at his finger.

  I placed my hands on his back and slowly turned him around to face the door. “We need to go and eat.”

  He nodded, still studying his fingers like foreign objects. When he moved toward me, he paused briefly and his eyes moved to my crescent amulet. “That jewelry hanging around your neck.” He pointed. “It looks odd.”

  I stepped back. “It was a gift from my mother. You aren't allowed to touch it.”

  “I don't want to touch it.” He looked up at me with the stare of a confused child. “I don't want to be near it.”

  “Let's go. We need to find you something to eat.” It took us a little time to leave the apartment complex. He continued to pause, closely watching everyone who walked by. He gazed at the flickering light bulb on the ceiling overhead in the lobby. When we reached the city streets, he walked ahead of me, again examining everyone and everything around him like any newborn would. I stood constantly on guard, making sure he wouldn't do anything that'd endanger us.

  “Is Finley boxing tonight?” he asked.

  I nodded. “He'll be back in a few hours.”

  He turned to me. “So, he was like I am now when we fought?”

  “Yes. That's why you couldn't beat him.”

  He dropped the conversation as his nose picked up on a scent. He stepped out onto the street without looking for oncoming vehicles. Using his new gifts, he zigzagged out of the way until he reached the other side. He turned around, stared at me, and in Deamhan speed he took off down the street and around the corner.

  I didn't rush after him. I knew I could find him easily because I was older and more experienced. I waited until I saw an opening and I crossed the street, reached the opposite side, and I followed his scent, which took me to one place I didn't want to go: a brothel.

  He stood at the front door, already engaged with a scantily dressed woman whose breasts were too big for the bodice she wore. She had her long reddish hair pulled to the side in a ponytail which draped over her shoulder. Jesse planted his face in her cleavage and she giggled. “You smell so good,” he said to her. His eyes began to change and I pulled him away from her.

  “Change your eyes back,” I whispered in his ear.

  “My eyes are fine.”

  “They aren't. Concentrate and cha
nge them back.”

  He stared at the cobblestone street and his eyes slowly reverted back. “I want to eat her.”

  “Are you sure? We can find a more suitable human for your first meal.”

  “No, I want her.”

  I looked over this woman again, astounded that he wanted her to be his first. Questioning his preferences wouldn't have made him change his mind. His craving for blood drove him and if I prevented him from eating, he'd lash out at the first human who crossed his path. “Look around. We're out in the open. If you want her, you have to take her to someplace quiet.”

  The woman tightened her dull pink shawl around her waist. “What's the problem?”

  I turned back to her. “Nothing.” She smelled of unwashed skin. “How much?”

  She gave her price and Jesse immediately accepted. “Pay upfront,” she added.

  I pulled out some money from my pocket and handed it to her. I shared my thoughts with Jesse. Take her in the alley.

  He stared at me and tilted his head slightly to the left. “How did you do that?”

  I'll show you later. Just take her into the alley.

  “Ready?” she asked him.

  “In the alley,” Jesse said back to her.

  “Alley?” She repeated the word as if she heard incorrectly the first time.

  “Yes.”

  “That will cost you extra.”

  I handed her more money which she stuffed into her purse. She led him to the back of the two-story brick building. From a distance I watched her move to the back corner. She wiped any debris away with her foot and she lay on her back. Jesse stood over her, contemplating his next move, when I heard her speak to him.

  “Come on, kid. This isn't hard to do.” She grabbed his wrist and pulled him down and on top of her.

  He couldn't take his time. He had to do it quick. Now. Do it now.

  His fangs extended and he bit down into the front part of her neck. She screamed almost immediately and in seconds I rushed over to them and placed my hand over her mouth to silence her. He released his bite and blood dripped from his fangs.