by J. E Hanson
“I will be honest with you. This may hurt you, but you should know. We made it to the cave, by fighting through the rogues. There were at least a hundred of them. We actually had Reno cornered at one point. You need to brace yourself for this shock. I think it would be best that this comes from Chris”
A blur jumps in between Louie and me. Christian stands right in front of Louie. “I believe it is not your place, to tell her anything, and that is for me to decide!” Christian clamps his jaw tightly, and he talked through his teeth.
“You need to tell her! She deserves to know the truth about her sister! She will find out sooner or later!” Louie fought with him.
Christian turns around facing me, and he closes his eyes. He reopens his eyes, and he stares at me sadly. “We need to talk in my office, right now,” the tone in his voice alarms me.
I peek over to Louie, and he shrugs his shoulders. I knew instantly that something is wrong. Christian picks me up in his arms and he warps us to the top floor in the castle. I’ve never been on this floor before. We stand in front of a dark oak door that has his name plaque in gold letters.
A few doors down, Sam exits his bedroom. He walks over to us, and then he glances over at me. “Oh, shit! Are you going, to tell her now?”
Christian places his thumb on the touchscreen, and it grants him immediate access to his office. We walk inside his office, to reveal a huge mahogany desk. He has another laptop that rests on his desk, and a rotary phone that sits beside it. The chair appears to be an expensive executive chair. To the right side of his desk is a large burgundy sofa with gold trim. The sofa is Victorian style. When I turn to my left, my jaw hits the floor. The fireplace isn’t my issue. The fireplace has gold with mahogany molding surrounding it.
The picture above the mantle grabs my full attention. There’s a painting of the little girl from my dreams. She’s wearing that exact same ivory dress with the snowy curls. She also stands in the middle of an emerald field full of wildflowers. My shock will not wear off. Her tiny face reveals a set of pearl fangs, and she has a large smile on her face. I immediately recognize those ultramarine eyes. The tingles from this painting shoot through my spine. I pay close attention to every small detail. The name of the artist, who drew this painting, is none other than Christian. His etched his name at the bottom. In two minutes, his office fills with six Enforcers. Ian, Charlie, Erik, Sam, and Louie sit in his office.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost? Are you feeling okay?” Ian asks me with a worried look in his eyes.
I nod yes, but refocus on the painting. Christian distracts me, when he gently tugs on my hand. He offers a seat on the sofa. To my surprise, he sits beside me. The Enforcers stand or sit around us. He has sorrow in his eyes. He closes his eyes for a brief minute, and then he reopens his to face mine. “I want to start out, by saying that I care for you. I am trying to find the right words to tell you, but every time I begin, the words are never correct in my mind. I am sorry for telling you this, but we believe that your sister is no longer alive.”
The shock of this painful news grapples my chest. It is hard to make sense of anything else, after he tells me that. My world collapses around me. Christian hands me her necklace with her high school ring. Her pieces of jewelry have bloodstains on them. The agony of losing another family member is simply too much to bear. The sharp pain digs inside my chest, and steals my breath away. The shrill of agony manages to escape my chest. He wraps his arms tightly around my shoulders. The grief is immeasurable and unbearable. The pain is just too much to ingest. My heart feels as if it will cease at any moment. My lungs feel as though they are about to burst. He gives me his sympathy. Now, there’s nobody left in my family. The only family member I have left is Saber. Saber isn’t exactly alive either. I’m the last one from my family with a pulse. He comforts me in his arms, and he strokes my hair gently as I weep. I take her jewelry, and remember our last conversation together. Ava wouldn’t want me, to react this way. She would want me, to fight back. That is exactly. what I intend to do. My sister wanted me, to enjoy every second, as if it is my last. She wouldn’t want me to live in constant fear. The worst has already happened to me.
“Are you sure she’s really gone?” I hope they would say that this is all a joke. I look for any clues, to tell me that this is a sick joke.
He pulls my teary face to his, and he stares deeply into my eyes. “I am sorry, Jeannie, but she is gone.”
“When will I receive her body?” I shake my head, trying to figure out what to do next.
Sam shakes his head no. “There was too much blood, to assume that she made it out alive. There was nobody left for us to find. We found her blood, and it appears that they drained her. We were two days too late.”
My heart collapses again, and I need fresh air desperately, so I search for the nearest exit, but Christian opens the glass doors from behind his desk. My lungs receive air. My hope, finding her alive quickly dissipates. I try to refocus on anything else, but Ava. I have two options left. The first option is to hide underneath the blankets for months on end. The second option is to continue my training, and kill the fucking animal responsible for her death. I stand straight, and put a stop to my tears. The little scared girl inside of me needs to take a stand against this atrocity. After careful consideration, it is time to fight back. I fumble and place her high school ring on her necklace. I take off the other necklace that Chris gave me, and replace it with her bloodstained jewelry.
The fury escapes my lips. “I’m sick of this bullshit. I’m sick of always feeling afraid! I want this fucker found! I want to be the one, who drives the fucking stake through his stupid chest! I will not rest until I kill him myself!”
Chapter 9
The level of training increases a hundred percent. I work out in overtime and even ignore the pain, by succumbing to it. I start to obsess on how to kill Reno. My anger and emotions will never end. The men start to worry about me. They view my rage as understandable—but troublesome. Tommy tries different meditation techniques with me. It is a struggle not to allow the emotions get the better of me. I’m finally taking a stand, and no longer fear the ‘big bad monster,’ coming to get me. I want to go after Khan and Reno on my own terms. Louie helps me drop more weight, and he takes the time, to give me additional martial art lessons. The rest of the men don’t even know that I’m working closely with Louie, and he gives me private lessons in overtime. I learn additional things from him over the others.
“Don’t put your thumb underneath your fingers! You will break your thumb, if you punch that way!” Louie explains the correct way to punch.
He isn’t afraid to hit my hands, when I do something wrong. He’s not even afraid, to leave a mark on me. Except this time, Brannon notices the brand new black eye.
Brannon grabs my face. “Aye, love. How in the world did you score the black eye?”
“I never paid attention, when I picked a book off the shelf. I didn’t see the book falling and well… you see the aftermath. I hope you remember, when I told you that I’m exceptionally prone to accidents,” I blatantly lied to him.
Brannon shakes his head at me. “You should be extra careful, darling. That’s one nasty black eye. You also have your Coronation tonight. I hope Louie will be able, to conceal that nasty shiner.”
Louie emerges, and he takes my hand. “You are indeed clumsy, girlfriend! What am I going, to do with you?”
Brannon chuckles again. “I suggest making her wear a helmet.”
“Chris and the guys will find out what we’re doing! They will think I’m beating you!” Louie whispers to me, and he worries for nothing.
“You take too much stock, on what he thinks about me. He’s just a guardian, who has no other choice, but to watch over me. My Coronation is in a few hours. What can I expect?”
He pulls me inside his salon, and he quickly applies concealer, to cover my black eye. “Saber believes it will be beneficial, to introduce you to the world. We are all in agreemen
t to at least inform the rest of the world that you’re still alive, and Reno hasn’t won.”
“Does this mean Reno will come after me?”
“Reno will try everything he can, to kill you.”
“Good… I want him, to come after me. My door is open for business,” I boldly state to Louie.
“That’s what we thought you would say. You also have, to deal with the annoying paparazzi. You will make headlines,” Louie informs me.
“I wish the media would ask me, and stop making shit up!” I rolled my eyes after he mentions the paparazzi.
“You know how media works. They love to make money, and hear their voices talk. Pay them no mind. Just let them create their own soap opera. We love you girlfriend. You have to show them how tough you are, and remember to smile and wave,” Louie abruptly changes the subject, “so who is escorting you to your Coronation?” Louie waits for my answer as he applies my foundation.
“I thought it through, and chose Christian to escort me. He’s my guardian right?”
“That makes perfect sense, to choose Christian. The last time I checked he’s still your guardian,” Louie approves of my choice.
I focus on my dress and I chose to design what to wear. Sean gave me a few options to choose. I chose a bright crimson dress with gold trim. The dress is strapless, and it flows to my ankles. My dress is long, but elegant for my Coronation. It has layers of satin, silk, with a trace of lace at the top. I love how the gold trim shines throughout the dress.
It is time for my Coronation. I have a matching crimson corset and a garter belt underneath my dress, with nude stockings. The matching crimson thong slides over my ass. Sean arrives in time, to help me. Louie fixes my hair for me, and he places my hair in a loose bun, with curls draping down my back. He makes sure to level the top of my head, so my tiara can sit there.
The maids enter the salon with a large box. They brought out a large crimson with gold sash. The sash drapes over my right shoulder. They carefully pin my sash, and it flashes with ancient royal symbols, with intricate designs in it. I complete the formal wear, with Christian's latest necklace. The Enforcers keep my sister’s jewelry safe for me. The necklace has ruby stones in the shape of a heart. I really need to repay him for all the kindness he has given me. The way I start to repay him is by choosing him, to be my date for the evening. I think I even surprised him, by selecting him. To me, it makes perfect sense. The nerves slowly calm down. Leo hands me a matching ruby broach, and he snaps at the maids, to pin it on my dress. Leo tests out the new broach a few times, to ensure it still works. He left the earpiece for me, to make my own call. I politely refuse to wear the earpiece for now. I don’t want to know what they are doing behind the scenes. I peek in and notice that all the Enforcers are standing in the foyer. They are wearing expensive suits, and some of their suits are double-breasted. I carefully enter the foyer to reveal the brand new me.
A gold with ruby hairpiece surrounds my loose bun. There are gasps throughout the onlookers. The sash and ruby earrings match. My dress sparkles and shines. My lips are blood red, with a few strands of curls trailing on both sides of my face. I chose to wear a pair of gold with ruby heels. The straps wrap around my ankles. My six-inch heels are open-toed. My fingernails and toenails match the gold within my dress. Nail designs are the latest craze. Louie designs my nails, by putting gold droplets over the clear nail polish.
Christian fidgets at the foot of the steps. He’s exceptionally handsome this evening. He isn’t wearing a double-breasted suit. I notice that he’s wearing a button-down ivory shirt, crimson with gold vest, and a crimson tie underneath his vest. The jacket covers his shoulders, and parts just enough, to reveal his vest. I swear this feels like I’m repeating my senior prom, which coincidentally ended in complete disaster.
~~~***~~~
I remember my prom date never showed up. I remember waiting for hours at my house in Berry, Kentucky. Mesa and Arizona managed to drag me to the prom at the last minute. My date chose the most popular girl in high school. James found me, and tricked me into following him. Unbeknownst to me, I was standing underneath a bucket. The bucket dumps over my head, with red paint covering me. I remember the paint taking an incredibly long time to remove.
~~~***~~~
My nerves start to scatter. My body shrunk to a hundred and sixty pounds. I have an hourglass figure, and my body has definition with great muscle tone. Christian smiles at me. Out of reflex, I smile back at him. Without tripping, I make it to his arm, and slide my hand around it.
Flashes of light snap from every direction. We gingerly stroll outside together, and then we enter the limousine. I sit in the back with Alexander on the other side of me. Majority of the Enforcers are either in the front escort vehicle or behind us in the back escort vehicle. They only allow Leo inside our limousine. He works feverishly on Alexander's microphone.
Leo faces me. “I urge you, to remain calm. There will be people there, to see your Coronation. The hard part for our team is transferring you from the limousine into the building. There will be tons of crazy people there with tons of psycho media, chasing after you. We hired backups for this event tonight. There are a few teams watching you from every single direction, but even that shows no guarantee for your safety. We signed a deal with the two groups, to aid with protection,” Leo instructs.
I try to guess, who are accompanying the Enforcers. “Will you please thank them for me?”
Christian cracks a smile. “You can give them your thanks soon enough.”
The limousine pulls into a street. The mob is enormous with flashes of light shooting from every angle.
Christian gives me a light squeeze. “I know you are feeling a little nervous tonight, but we are here for you.”
Leo nods with approval. “I’m so glad you chose Chris, and not Ian.”
Alexander chuckles aloud. “I am thankful she made the right decision too.”
The limousine parks and the flashes never cease. I remind myself, to look graceful, when I exit the limousine. I worry about tripping, or not smiling. My safety is the last thing on my mind. Alexander exits first and then Leo. They hold their hands out to me. I quickly exit the limousine next. The media screams at me non-stop. They want to ask me tons of personal questions. In a flash, Christian automatically takes over Leo's side. He remains on my left side, and Alexander strategically places himself on my other side. Leo and the others walk behind me, or walk in front of me. The Enforcers have their earpieces in, and they are constantly talking back and forth in their sleeves. The other strange men hold the media back. They wear leather suits with either canary—or baby blue beanies.
I instantly recognize Gabriel from a distance. He’s wearing a baby blue tie. We shift inside the building, after ten minutes of media frenzy.
I am stun by the sheer beauty of the large foyer. Inside the large foyer is a crystal with gold chandelier directly above us.
Gabriel and another man with a canary tie step over to Chris. “That shit was fun! If they are going this crazy for Jeannie, I’m pretty sure they will go this crazy for Ember.”
Christian places my hand inside the crook of his elbow. I remain there until the Enforcers enter through a set of tall oak doors with intricate designs. The Enforcers are scanning the crowd. Christian and I remain at the oak doors, and I never took a good glimpse of the room.
Christian clears his throat. “I have to say something, before we make our entrance.”
I stare directly into those ultramarine eyes. This is the first time; I catch a glimpse of nerves from him.
“I am thankful you chose me to be your escort, but I want to make sure you realize just how beautiful you are tonight.”
My heart hits my throat, and I struggle with what to say in return. Christian takes me completely off guard. “I’m thankful for you. You’re very handsome tonight. I—err... thanks, Christian. I need to make this up to you.”
He kisses my forehead, and then he caresses my cheek. “You have alr
eady made it up to me, by thanking me, and when you entered into my existence.”
I wrap my arms around his neck, and he still caresses my cheek. He’s about to lean in for a kiss, but the doors swing open. I jump out of impulse, and Alexander gives us the signal. I quickly take my place, and return to his right side. I inhale deeply from bitter disappointment. We stroll into the large room together, and there are tables with people sitting around them. Everyone rises to attention as I walk by. The handclaps start, along with flashes of light. I keep a nervous smile on my face. Christian escorts me to the center of the room, where a small stage is.
“This is where I leave you temporarily,” he whispers gently in my ear. I try to hold on to him, but he pulls my hand down.
Zohar wears an onyx suit with a carmine velvet robe. He places me on the small oak stand. The bright lights above us remain on. I think to myself, “This is a little overboard.”
Zohar takes out a claret velvet pillow, and he places it in front of me. He directs me to it. “You will kneel down on the pillow.”
I follow his request, and I hold on to the oak rail in front of me for support. Zohar continues to instruct me, “You will remain on your knees until your Coronation ends.”
Saber enters the room, and everyone that’s a vampire immediately kneels on his—or her knees, except for the Enforcers. He exempts them, since they have to work security. He stands on the other podium with his royal crown upon his head. The vampires stare at each other with curiosity.
Zohar starts to talk through a microphone, “First of all, I would like to thank all of you for arriving on such a short notice. Tonight is the Coronation of Vampire Princess Jeanne Zorelle Justice-Denali.”
I gaze at my grandfather in confusion. He changed my last name! There has to be a perfectly logical explanation for the name change.