I struggle to my feet, knowing I’ll have to repeat the mate-bond ritual again tonight whether I want to or not, and make my way downstairs to the command center. “What is it? You sounded serious.”
“Come, take a look at this. I’m not sure what to make of it, besides the obvious.”
I glance down at the screen to see…
Vivian,
This message is part of an early warning response system. If you’re receiving it, I and all my employees have been out of contact with our computer system for over 24 hours. Please check and see if we’re all okay.
This is not a test, nor is it a joke. If we’re not able to get to a computer, or a phone, something is seriously wrong, and you’re my back-up plan. If you don’t reach me personally, fly here. We need you.
~Cy
A cold, tendril slips down my spine. Whatever has happened, it can’t be good.
“Were you able to get a hold of him yesterday about the list?”
“No, I wasn’t. I left a voicemail and figured we’d hear from him or my Aunt Cali later today.”
“Did you try your Aunt’s cell?”
Asa nods, his expression grim. “What do you think it means?”
“I think it means he’s in danger and we better get the hell out there as quick as we can.” My mind starts to whirl with all the small tasks that need to be completed before we can get in the air.
The worst part is we aren’t quite ready to get on the road to track down my turns, but it looks like we’re getting underway whether we like it or not. “Call the pilots, wake them up. Call the hangar, tell them to prepare the jet.” I check my watch. “We need to be in the air as fast as possible. Worst case scenario, if something happened to him on his property, we won’t have a lot of time before the local authorities get on the scene, if they’re not there already.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Asa says, reaching for the phone. “Who else is going?” There’s a hint of eagerness in his voice.
“Let me talk to Rafe and I’ll let you know.”
His face falls, correctly guessing what the answer will turn out to be. Hey, I did warn them that no one would be flying with the three of us to find my turns.
Rafe? I ask telepathically, through our mental connection. Wake up, love. We’ve got trouble with a capital T, and we need to start packing.
I take the basement steps two at a time, using vampire speed to get to the top as fast as I can. I zip through our kitchen, down the hall, and into our bedroom, right as Rafe is stretching in bed.
“What’s up, liebling?” He glances at the clock. “It’s not like you to wake me after only an hour of sleep.” His expression changes to concern, “Is it Jon, is he okay?”
I touch Jon’s erratic mind. “He’s okay for now. Not sure after I tell him what’s happened.”
“Okay, out with it. What’s going on?”
“Cy has an emergency notification system set up via his computer system. It’s basically an automated SOS.”
“Really? Did you know he’d done that?”
“Nope, not at all. But here’s the issue—it went off. He’s in trouble, and by the sounds of it, so is his entire seethe.”
“Shit. What do we do? We’ve got our plates pretty damn full as it is. Asa hasn’t finished scanning all the journals yet. And last I checked, we only have one facial recognition match from the sketches so far.”
“We don’t have a choice, Rafe. He’s on the list. His distress call may very well be related to Rolando and Persephone. And after what just happened with Candy, I’d say it probably does relate to them.”
He runs a hand over his tired-looking face. “Crap. I guess we don’t have a choice then. Should I start packing?”
“Yes. We need to leave immediately.” I stand and head for the closet. “Who do you want to come with us?”
“Jon, obviously. There’s no way I’d leave him here alone in his current state.” Pain laces his tone.
“Agreed. He shouldn’t be alone, and we need him. No matter what, he’s our most trusted friend. I can’t imagine going anywhere without him guarding our backs.”
“That’s settled,” Rafe says. “Let’s pack, keeping in mind we’ve got one grieving werewolf joining us and a group of manipulator vampires gunning for us.”
“And how do you pack for that?”
“Weapons. You pack a lot of weapons.”
*
A personal note from C.J.: If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review on the product page where you purchased it. Reviews help readers discover new series and perhaps try an author they never heard of. Thank you!
Other Titles by C.J. Ellisson
The V V Inn Series:
Death’s Servant (prequel story)
Vampire Vacation
The Hunt
Big Game
Death Times Two
Blood Legacy
Blood Reckoning (coming soon!)
Romance Titles:
Vanilla on Top
Vanilla Spice
Avoiding Mr. Right
Loving Ms. Wrong
Johnny Living Dangerously (erotica)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C.J. Ellisson is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author, who writes supernatural suspense, mystery, and romance. She lives in northern Virginia with her husband, two teenagers, three dogs, and two cats—reporting to love the energetic zoo that’s become their home.
When forced to give up a career due to her decreasing health, C.J. turned to writing in 2009 and claims the escape helped save her sanity. She battled severe chronic illness for years and has finally reached the end of her long-term treatment.
Instead of dozens of pills, IVs, exhaustion, and pain, C.J.’s life is now filled with writing, exercising, eating healthy, and running a novel-writing club at her daughter’s school. It all leads to a fun-filled, busy day, and she’s incredibly grateful to be so involved in life again.
C.J. loves to hear from readers! Connect with her at:
@CJEllisson
CJEllisson
www.cjellisson.com
[email protected]
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Unlike other books, I do not have a laundry list of people I’d like to thank. Plain and simple, I’m thanking YOU, my readers.
I almost quit. I gave up several times. I wanted to walk away from writing.
My readers kept me going. And for that, I will be forever grateful. Thank you.
GLOSSARY
Asa ~ the fledgling vampire sent by Cy, who was turned in Afghanistan while serving in the Army.
Blood Bond ~ a term used to describe the exchange of blood between either a human and a vampire, both ways, or a master vampire and a member of their seethe. It enables telepathic communication between them through the bond, if desired.
Blood Coffee ~ a mixture of half-blood and half-coffee, favored by undead everywhere.
Blood Donor ~ a person who willingly donates blood via a bag, or direct from their body, to a vampire for sustenance.
Bonded Mate ~ a deeper connection than a servant, this bond allows the non-vampire to stop aging and share a significant amount of power associated with the bonded vampire. A complex ritual and exchange of large amounts of blood must take place for this bond to occur. The only way to break the bond is through death or a rare, deep mind manipulation severing the link.
Bunny ~ Paul's wife.
Candy ~ A newer member of Romeo’s pack, who lived with them disguised as a male werewolf named Spike.
Cali ~ Cy's bonded mate, and a werewolf. She's also Asa's aunt.
Companion ~ a human who has donated blood to a vampire and been accepted into the vampire's care for future feedings.
Cy ~ Vivian's contact in New York, whom she turned when she discovered him close to death in an alley outside his bar over forty-five years ago.
Diane ~ Dr. Cook’s adult daughter and a witch.
Dr. Margery Cook ~ the onsite doctor on the property shoul
d a problem with a human arise.
Drew ~ one of the new member’s of Vivian’s seethe.
Dria ~ the master vampire who narrates the first book, aka Vivian and Alexandria.
Eric ~ a new werewolf from Romeo’s pack.
Enforcer ~ a highly skilled vampire assassin, used as an instrument of justice by the Tribunal.
Fledgling ~ term used for a vampire under the age of five years.
Jonathan ~ Vivian's werewolf servant and the head groundskeeper on the property.
Liebling ~ German endearment, meaning darling.
Manipulator ~ a rare breed of vampire able to mind control other vampires. Usually hunted down and killed by their own kind to ensure they do not gain power over their fellow vampires.
Master Vampire ~ a vampire who heads his or her own seethe, or is independent of a seethe. One not requiring the blood of a master to gain in power, but has accumulated enough strength to hold their own in a battle where an older vampire may try to drain a younger one for his or her blood.
Mate ~ see Bonded Mate.
Michelle ~ aka Chelly, an employee at the inn, who also doubles as a blood donor, Pat ~ a new werewolf, originally from Romeo’s pack.
Old Blood ~ a term used to describe the blood a seethe member gets from a master to increase an individual’s own power. Contains the added benefit of increasing a vampire’s perceived undead age if the blood is strong enough and consumed regularly.
Paul ~ a gourmet chef imported from the lower forty-eight, married to Bunny and a newly-turned vampire who is also part of Vivian’s seethe.
Rafe ~ Vivian's bonded mate for sixty-five years, and co-owner to the inn.
Rogue ~ term used to describe a vampire who has either gone a little bat-shit crazy or who has been deemed a criminal by the Tribunal.
Rolando ~ part of the Tribunal of Ancients, located in Argentina.
Romeo ~ Jonathan's old Alpha, but not the Were who changed him.
Seethe - A vampire family, or group of vampires, with a master vampire at its head.
Servant ~ see Vampire Servant Tommy ~ an employee, originally from Australia, who mainly works the front desk and organizes the blood donor list for the guests.
Tribunal of Ancients ~ the governing body of ruling ancient vampires, entrusted with maintaining the secrecy of the existence of vampires from the human race.
Turning ~ term used for when a human has been changed into a vampire.
Vampire Servant ~ a human, or Were, who has donated to and ingested the blood of a vampire. A mind connection can be established (and broken), allowing telepathic communication. The servant feels a desire to protect and serve the vampire above his or her own needs.
Vivian ~ the nickname for Dria, a play on words from The V V Inn.
Were ~ shorthand for werewolf.
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Preface
1. Chapter One
2. Chapter Two
3. Chapter Three
4. Chapter Four
5. Chapter Five
6. Chapter Six
7. Chapter Seven
8. Chapter Eight
9. Chapter Nine
10. Chapter Ten
11. Chapter Eleven
12. Chapter Twelve
13. Chapter Thirteen
14. Chapter Fourteen
15. Chapter Fifteen
16. Chapter Sixteen
17. Chapter Seventeen
18. Chapter Eighteen
19. Chapter Nineteen
20. Chapter Twenty
21. Chapter Twenty-one
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Glossary
Sharpen the Blade (The V V Inn Book 6) Page 20