The Chalice (Luna Vampire Series)

by Christine Asher

"Princess, you'll need to adapt to your strength..."

  "Stop it, Petrus," Lucien commanded harshly. "You're not helping her."

  "You may be correct," he mumbled, finishing with the code and opening the door. "I'll go find William so we can begin our investigation. Stay with her while I'm gone."

  Silently nodding in reply, Lucien waited patiently for the door's lock to engage. Then he plopped down, pulled me into his arms, and spoke in a soothing voice. "Hey, girlie, you're safe. And, no worries, the guy would've died regardless. If you hadn't killed him, Petrus would have."

  "I didn't mean to, though," I sniffled. "I swear."

  "I know, hush, you're safe now." Slowly, he rocked me from side to side, similar to how mothers quiet their young. "You had no choice. It was self-defense."

  "Could he, um, could he have truly killed me? I mean, vampires are basically immortal, right? So, I might've lived through it without hitting him."

  "No, your reaction was appropriate. Vamps aren't death-proof. A stab to the pulmonary cavity would've incapacitated you, giving him the chance to cut off your head and remove your heart. And, once they've been separated from your body, well, there's no chance of recovery."

  I burrowed my face into Lucien's chest, entrusting myself to his firm embrace. Where had this strong, wise protector come from? Yesterday, he'd appeared as timid and malleable as Amelia.

  "I was a tad nervous yesterday," he responded. "The bonding has been an adjustment for me too."

  Jeesh. I knew he'd heard my thoughts during the feeding, but now? Would I ever get privacy? Sigh. "I assumed vampires were the only ones who could eavesdrop at will."

  "No worries. According to our instructors, it's quite rare for mind to mind communication to occur between slaves and their masters. It's either facilitated by the blood link at feeding time or the vampire's adrenaline level in emergency situations. Therefore, once your anxiety decreases, it'll end."

  "Well, that's good to know." Note to self, remain calm at all costs. "Seriously, though, don't think of yourself as a slave and me as your master. It doesn't feel right."

  "Sorry, girlie, they kind of hammered it into us. I'm trying my best."

  "You keep mentioning a school, so your teachers tortured you?"

  "No, certainly not," he chuckled, amused by my speculation. "I've watched movies portraying human schools and ours is fairly similar. The difference is that we're taught skills to serve our vampires instead of preparing to work in human society."

  "Were you kidnapped then? And raised at some sorta vampire owned boarding school?"

  "No, nothing like that. My mother, father, brothers, and sister are all living on the compound. In fact, my two older brothers are Lord Adrian's personal blood slaves." He paused momentarily, giving me an opportunity to reply. However, when I simply gaped at him with an appalled expression, he continued unfazed. For real, what was I supposed to say? It's cool you were raised at a vampire brainwashing camp, yeah sure. "It really wasn't that bad, girlie. I learned about the outside world from the internet and satellite television. My teachers even encouraged hobbies. And, considering my aptitude with computers, they arranged for me to take online classes from the University of Colorado."

  "College? How old are you? I mean, you two can't be much over eighteen."

  "True," he agreed. "I'm nineteen and Amelia's eighteen, the average age for being bonded to, uh, a friend." He raised his eyebrows and chuckled again. "You see, I started college at sixteen which enabled me to complete my bachelor's degree in computer science two months prior to traveling..."

  Without warning, the main door burst open and a group of guards marched in. Quickly, I wiped the tears from my face and propped myself up against the wall. Out of Lucien's arms. I refused to let that asshole William see me being a sniveling baby, it was bad enough that Lucien and Petrus had seen me in such a state.

  "Princess, are you well?" William asked, doing his best impression of somebody who actually gave a damn.

  "Yep, no thanks to you," I sneered, rolling my eyes dramatically.

  "Glad to hear it. Stay here, we'll handle everything."

  "Yeah right, I'll trust you when pigs fly. We're coming." And with that, I jumped to my feet and hurried toward my bedroom. If he wanted to keep me away from the body, it definitely wasn't for my own good. That loser'd be the first one to hide shit from me.

  "As you wish," he answered, hot on my heels as I flung the door open and rushed inside.

  Immediately, I was accosted by my attacker's body resting lifelessly in a heap. A blood stain that began on the wall near the ceiling, slid disgustingly to the floor making the point of impact more than obvious. And, as a result, I had to bite my lip to stave off another bout of crying. Noticing my unease, Lucien grabbed my hand and gave it a supportive squeeze.

  "Petrus, did you permit anyone entry this evening?" William asked, removing the corpse's ski mask to reveal a seemingly average joe. Well, if you looked beyond the thick layer of congealing blood, that is. Our mystery man had short auburn hair, creamy white skin, a neatly trimmed mustache, and a hint of wrinkles.

  "No, not since I came on shift," Petrus replied gruffly. "Nonetheless, he could've gotten in earlier and waited to strike."

  William rubbed his chin contemplatively. "If that's so, it implies we've had a grave breach of security." Punctuating his words with a grunt, he bent over to rifle through my attacker's pockets.

  Meanwhile, Petrus pushed up the guy's sleeves and said, "He's not branded. So, he didn't enter the facility using normal channels; every human's mark is checked at the gate."

  "All except for the unbranded slaves that were intended for the princess," William added, placing his hands on his hips after finding nothing.

  A twinge of shock slid across Petrus's typically emotionless face. "You think Lord Adrian might've smuggled him in?"

  "No, sir, Lord Adrian only brought Amelia and myself," Lucien interjected forcibly. "No other unmarked humans accompanied us from court. Plus, I don't recognize the guy and I would if he were from the compound. I grew up there."

  "Speak when you're spoken to, boy," William growled in harsh reprimand. "Know your place!"

  Oh, that's it. "Learn your place, you pathetic Tsedaka wannabe!" I exploded, promptly moving to my companion's defense. "If Lucien has something to say, he's allowed to say it!"

  "I'm sorry. Forgive me, princess," William apologized, backpedaling into a deep bow.

  "Whatever, you can quit the brown-nosing." God! I despised the low-life. "Just explain to me how Adrian has anything to do with this mess."

  "He's in charge of the blood slave operation which gives him the power to grant unmarked humans entry into high court. And, princess, humans could never gain access on their own."

  Instead of responding, I sneered at him hatefully while I analyzed my predicament. Adrian had stayed the night to supposedly help me fall asleep, then he'd vanished before the attack. Convenient timing, if you ask me. On top of that, he could've used his freaky powers to poof the guy into my room unbeknownst to the guards. And he ran the slave operation?

  I was absolutely disgusted with myself. No, a better word would be, horrified. Yep, horrified. My intuition approved of Adrian and he wound up being a scummy slave trader with a hit out on me. Fucking wonderful. I sure can pick 'em!

  "Luna, it's not as it appears," Adrian thought to me, invading my mind. "He isn't one of mine."

  "All guilty people deny their crimes," I thought back to him.

  "I didn't tell you about breeding the slaves because I figured you might not understand. And, sadly, my assumptions were correct."

  "Get the hell out of my head, you damn liar!"

  "Luna, please, I'd never hurt you. You must realize that, especially after last night."

  "Go! Now! Or I'm gonna tell everyone how you've been coming around, acting like my friend, and using your powers to cozy up to me."

  "No, please, don't do that. I'll go. One day you'll discover the truth, though. A
nd, when you do, my door will be open. Merely think of me and I'll be at your disposal."

  "Don't get your hopes up, buddy," I replied, ending our conversation. Seriously, no guy pulls this kinda crap with me and gets away with it. No matter how dreamy and magical he is. The sleazy jerk.

  Despite my rage, I decided to keep Adrian's activities a secret for the time being. I didn't know who to trust or, conversely, who not to trust. And, until I came to some firm decisions, it'd probably be a good idea for me to keep my mouth shut. Having information that others lacked, might save my life.

  Beyond that, the guards already suspected Adrian and would protect me from him, so I failed to see the benefit of incriminating him further. Whatever happened, the need for a hasty escape was becoming increasingly apparent. Plus, regardless of his motivations, Adrian had been correct about one thing. My life really was in danger.

  I wanted no part in these idiots' struggle over the throne. They could take their stupid position of princess and shove it...

  Chapter 12

  "You need to feed," Lucien insisted, the moment we entered the bathroom. You see, my sidekicks and I decided to hold up in the tiny space after William had finished inspecting the body. He'd ordered a set of goons to constantly guard my main door, one on the inside in my living room and one on the outside in the hallway, before leaving with Petrus to do a bit of investigating.

  For security purposes, this new arrangement was quite prudent. However, for my escape, well, it totally sucked. And, in order to talk freely, I'd fibbed to the inside guard saying that my slaves were gonna assist me with a bath. I only prayed that the closed bedroom and bathroom doors combined with the sound of running water would muffle our conversation. It'd have to do, considering my ruse was the closest thing to privacy we were gonna get. Sigh.

  "I am feeding," I protested, pausing to swig a little of the Mountain Dew I'd snagged from the bar prior to our sequestering. "And Amelia made me a sandwich. See, I'm eating." For dramatic flair, I shoved it into my mouth and removed a chunk large enough to make chewing difficult.

  "You're hungry because of your wound," Lucien argued, his face covered with tension. "Eating regular food can be beneficial at times. Nonetheless, drinking from us is the fastest way to heal yourself. It's what we're here for."

  Amelia nodded in wholehearted agreement. "You really will need the energy our blood provides, Luna."

  "Look, my cut's already beginning to scab over," I huffed, shifting to give them a good view of my arm. "Seriously, I'm not chomping on either of you guys. So, drop it, 'kay?"

  "At least let me clean and bandage your wound," Lucien reasoned stubbornly. "We are in the bathroom; we've got the supplies. Plus, if it gets infected, the healing will slow even further."

  "Yes, mother!" I scoffed, rolling my eyes with the understanding that I'd better throw 'em a bone. Otherwise, they'd just keep harping on me. "Oh, I guess, since we're stuck in here and all."

  Smiling like he'd won a great battle, Lucien rifled through the medicine cabinet, found the necessary accoutrements, and then delicately untied my tourniquet. "This is going to burn," he sympathized, giving me hardly a second's warning before pouring a steady stream of alcohol over my wound.

  "Crap!" I howled, jumping away from him. "I don't remember a cut ever hurting so bad!"

  "He stabbed you nearly to the bone; you've probably never had an injury this severe. Come here, I'm almost done. No more alcohol, I promise."

  Reluctantly, I allowed him to resume his work as I swigged more pop and downed the last bite of sandwich. And, sadly, my stomach kept growling long after it was gone. Surprise, surprise. Regardless, I refused to share the news. They'd want me to feed. Shit! What if they'd just heard my thoughts? C'mon Luna, stay calm.

  Inhaling several deep breaths, I quietly observed their hovering for any sign of comprehension. Fortunately, Lucien continued unfazed, meticulously bandaging my arm while seeming absolutely clueless to my inner turmoil. The same with Amelia, she simply stood there holding out pieces of tape in his direction. Thank god.

  "So, um, the attack proved to me how dangerous this place really is," I whispered, moving on to more pertinent matters. "I've gotta break out of here, asap. You guys are welcome to join me, although, you'll need to retrieve the pass code."

  "It's not safe to leave high court without guards," Amelia murmured. "What if whoever's behind the attack catches up with us? We're human; we can't possibly provide you adequate protection."

  "Amelia's right, girlie. Guards are a must," Lucien affirmed, finishing with the cleanup and releasing my arm.

  "But you told Petrus you completed combat training. Isn't that good enough?"

  "True, I've been taught defensive maneuvers," he replied, gazing into my eyes poignantly. "Still, as a human, I don't possess the strength to fight a vamp attacker. And vampires are most definitely the source of your problems."

  "Why have the training then?" I blurted. "If it doesn't help..."

  "All male slaves are prepared so that a select few of us can become guards. It's the highest honor."

  Hmm, I felt the proverbial wheels spinning in my head. "Let me get this straight, you're telling me that you actually want to be a vampire?"

  For real, I was coming up with a pretty decent plan. I knew the power a maker had over their makee, and, once I changed him, he'd be my ally for life. He also could fend off the guards during our escape. And, if he was into it, well, why not? I mean, going from a slave to a guard must to be an improvement, right?

  Lucien beamed. "Yes, it's been a..."

  "No, Luna, your body is too fragile," Amelia interrupted, her freckled face filled with unease. "You've only recently been transformed yourself. No vampire ever attempts to share the gift until they've lived at least a decade." A burgundy glow flourished across her cheeks. "Beyond that, we don't have the proper facilities. What if you turn into a black demon, Lucien?"

  "Oh, quit freaking out. Since we're fed non-genetically modified foods, the chances of me emerging as a mutation are virtually nonexistent."

  "It's not worth it..."

  "Okay, okay, hold on," I grumbled, raising my hands to silence their bickering. "First of all, what in the hell is a black demon?"

  "Well, it'll take a little explaining," Lucien admitted, grinning and sitting down beside me on the edge of the tub. "In short, a black demon is a change gone wrong. To truly understand, you'll have to learn how vampires are made. It's not the metaphysical, devil worshipping, voodoo you see in the movies."

  "Yeah, it's genetic modification. They taught us about it in school," Amelia acknowledged, flopping onto the floor. "Essentially, vamps feed and their saliva transmits a virus that modifies a human's genetic code to create the blood slave bond. Then, when the slave ingests the blood of their master, a separate virus is transmitted, further modifying the slave's genetic code into a made vampire."

  "Huh, so how'd the born vamps get started? Were they some freak of evolution?"

  "No, born vampires aren't descended from humans. They came to earth from a more technologically advanced planet," Lucien explained. "Their world, Ascetilli, located in our constellation Ophiuchus, underwent a global catastrophe. I don't exactly recall what."

  "I think their sun died," Amelia added. "Anyway, the important thing is that in order to travel through space in state similar to hibernation, they genetically modified themselves into the race we recognize today as vampires. When they arrived here, human societies were basically hunter-gatherers and they assimilated into our villages, most leading normal human lives."

  Lucien wrinkled his nose. "Well, as normal as they could while managing to cope with the side effects of the modifications. All too quickly, they discovered their need to feed on human blood, their godlike powers, and their ability to create a sub-race of vampires from humans."

  "Interesting story and, um, totally not far-fetched," I quipped, raising my eyebrows sarcastically. Regardless, whether they were spouting fact or fiction, I was rapi
dly growing desensitized to the bizarre revelations. Bloodsucking vampire spawn? Sure. Half alien from Ophiuchus? Whatever, no biggie. "So, uh, in other words, you're saying that Tsedaka altered my DNA by first drinking my blood. Hence, the wounds on my neck and wrists. After which, he pulled a repeat by forcing me to consume his blood from the chalice."

  "Correct. Although, do you remember where your transformation occurred, Luna?" Amelia questioned, sitting up a bit straighter.

  How could I forget? Sigh. "Yeah, they imprisoned me in a dingy cement pit."

  "And for good reason," she warned. "You might've mutated and that would've endangered everyone at high court."

  Glaring at her, Lucien shook his head vehemently. "No, Luna had to be in a secure room because she probably ate genetically modified foods, much the same as all humans. Nonetheless, my case is different, seeing that Lord Adrian feeds us organic produce which is strictly free of GMOs."

  "Maybe I'm a tad slow," I admitted. "But what does a person's diet have to do with becoming a black demon?"

  "They never existed until ten years ago when genetically modified corn and soybeans came on the market," Lucien explained, adopting a somber tone. "If humans eat these types of foods within seventy-two hours of the change, it appears to disrupt the process of gene evolution. I wish I could explain in more detail. Regrettably, I'm not acquainted with the exact science. It wasn't my specialty..."

  "Black demons are horrid creatures," Amelia broke in, pursing her lips and fidgeting uncomfortably. "They share several characteristics with made vamps, namely strength and their need to avoid the sun. However, rather than feeding from humans, they require blood from other vampires. And they attack involuntarily, similar to rabid dogs."

  God! Tsedaka was such a prick. I mean, by the sound of it, he'd nearly turned me into a monster. The deranged cocksucker. "So, how big of a risk do you think we'd be taking by changing you," I asked, squinting at Lucien.

  "A very small one, girlie. I wouldn't be willing to go forward with it otherwise. The only realistic downside I can see is that the procedure will weaken you."