Reborn to Bite (Vampire Shadows Book 1)

by Mark Gronwald

  Lorenzo sat back. "The blood bond is complete."

  Sabine coughed. "What the hell is going on?"

  "The blood bond is the strongest link two vampires can share. You are linked telepathically, and you can share energy. Melina and I share such a bond, as do Ethan and Deirdre."

  Sabine shook her head, trying to block out Claudia's thoughts, since they were coming rapid-fire about how they should execute her. "How do I make it stop?"

  Lorenzo shook his head. "It lasts until one of you dies. But you can block her, if you focus and you are the more powerful. I wonder who is more powerful: you or Claudia?"

  "She is," Claudia said, and slumped against the wall.

  "So now I'm bonded to a vampire for life?" Sabine asked, her voice raising.

  Lorenzo shrugged. "I did warn you. It didn't seem to faze you at the time. As it happens, the bond will help you in a fight with Neville."

  Sabine recalled the night of the ceremony, and how Neville had hated their blood bond. "He doesn't have blood bonds with any of his vampires."

  Lorenzo nodded. "He's incredibly powerful, but hates sharing his power. The old saying about strength in numbers might give you an edge if you still intend to face him. We need to resolve this fight with Heather though, as we owe her our protection, but she can't go around killing and maiming us."

  Sabine watched as Claudia curled into a ball, moaning about wanting to die. She looked between Shelby, Lorenzo, and Claudia, thinking that her life had just taken a momentous turn for the worse. She focused, and slowly the image reel of Claudia's dismal thoughts dimmed until it disappeared. "She has so much emotion, so much regret. I didn't think vampires felt those things."

  Lorenzo blinked before schooling his stunned expression. "How long have you been a vampire?"

  Sabine narrowed her eyes, realizing too late she'd revealed something. She swallowed.

  Claudia whispered loud enough that they all heard. "Neville turned her a year ago, against her will. Then had her resurrected, and killed again."

  Sabine cursed. "I didn't need that broadcast."

  Lorenzo and Shelby turned to stare at Sabine.

  Lorenzo shook his head. "So you were indeed center-stage for his last experiment."

  "And she walked on Holy ground, Lorenzo," Melina said entering the room. "You saw her wearing a cross."

  Lorenzo shook his head. "We'll discuss this later."

  Sabine crossed her arms. "So emotions. Not normal?"

  "We typically lose them," Lorenzo replied. "But we retain the parts of humanity that mean enough to us to fight for them. I sense that Claudia is feeling much more than she did before."

  "I don't want to live," Claudia whimpered. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she got to her knees and stared at Sabine. "Please, Mistress."

  "Can I have a minute alone with Claudia?" Sabine asked.

  "Certainly," Lorenzo replied.

  "We'll be right outside," Melina said, walking out with Lorenzo and Shelby. Shelby's eyes were dilated, and she smiled with distended fangs.

  The room fell quiet after they shut the door. Sabine squatted down to regard Claudia as her eyes adjusted to the near-pitch darkness.

  Claudia nodded to Sabine. "I don't care if you make it quick or not."

  "I'm not going to kill you."

  Claudia started sobbing. "I didn't want to feel again. On top of everything else!"

  Sabine grabbed Claudia by the face, and sent a surge of power into her, causing the chained vampire to twitch, but the crying stopped. The idea that she could control Claudia so easily gave her a guilty thrill.

  "I know how you feel, Claudia."

  Claudia took a shuddering breath and gulped, clearing her throat. "Yes, Mistress. You saw through the blood bond."

  Sabine stood and paced. "No, I knew before. There was a time not too long ago when I didn't feel I had anything to live for."

  Claudia nodded. "Yes, Mistress."

  "You and I are apparently stuck with each other for the rest of our lives, and this stupid telepathic link will mean that I'll be tuned into your feelings all the time. I don't like the idea of feeling depressed again right after I just found some tiny bit of happiness. So I need you happy. Got it?"

  Claudia choked on a sarcastic laugh. "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride."

  Sabine clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. She counted to ten before speaking. "I was on a slab of concrete, watching a vampire threaten to kill my only friends in the world, when I decided I didn't have anything to live for. A lot has happened since then, and I don't feel that way anymore."

  Claudia nodded.

  "I had an epiphany. Living for myself was a lonely and meaningless existence. I decided that I needed to live for others. I decided that I need to protect the human world from vampires like Neville."

  Claudia stared at the floor. "I used to care about someone, but then Neville took him away."

  "You need to devote your life to something new," Sabine said. "Then maybe you can be happy."

  Claudia sighed. "I think I've existed for five times as long as you have, Mistress, but I haven't felt alive since I was your age. I know what you're saying is true, but I murdered those innocent people. And I miss my husband."

  "We need to work on healing the damage you've caused."

  "Yes, Mistress."

  "But we can't do that with you locked up."

  Claudia stared as Sabine opened the door and left her in the cell.

  Sabine walked up the stairs to where everyone was gathered in the kitchen around a blood-splattered Heather, who stood defiantly with her arms crossed.

  Esmerelda glared at Heather, and Heather ground her teeth, ignoring the older witch. Sabine got the feeling that words had been exchanged before she came out.

  "Is she dead?" Heather asked, tapping a foot on the floor.

  Sabine shook her head. "You changed your aim at the last second so we could save her."

  Esmerelda let out the breath she was holding.

  Heather's face twisted in anguish as tears started rolling out of her eyes. "I couldn't do it. All these years I had that spell ready for this moment, and I blew it."

  "You didn't blow it, Heather," Sabine said, coming closer. "You gave us a chance to heal you both."

  Heather sniffled and wiped her nose. "You can't make this right, Sabine. Nobody can. She killed my parents."

  "Claudia wanted to die because she felt her life had no meaning. You almost gave her what she wanted most."

  Heather snorted and threw up her hands. "Great."

  "She needs a purpose in life, and I think that purpose should be to protect you."

  "No," Heather said, crossing her arms.

  "I think she should take over Lorenzo's promise and dedicate her life to being your personal bodyguard."

  "Hell no."

  Sabine sighed. "Otherwise, we keep her locked up for eighty more years and neither of you get to heal. Seems kind of pointless to me."

  "Not my problem."

  Sabine looked to Lorenzo. "Lorenzo? How many vampires are upset enough with Heather to come after her?"

  Lorenzo shrugged. "Most of them."

  Heather took a ragged breath and wiped a tear. "I can protect myself."

  "They might go after your daughter too," Sabine said, figuring vengeful vampires might play dirty. She felt a pang of guilt playing on Heather's motherly instincts, but it was for her own good.

  Heather's pulse sped up.

  "Claudia would be your family bodyguard. Her entire life's purpose would be to protect you and your daughter when the vampires are out. Trent, do you think one of the boys might be willing to do daytime guard duty for thirty bucks an hour or so, in case the vamps have minions or something?"

  Trent shrugged. "Sure. Julie is a great kid. But you'd have to get them away from the bike messenger gig."

  Heather watched them for a few moments as she mulled it over, rocking back and forth. She muttered something about getting to make the vamp
ire pay for years, and the evil of the spell she'd held for so long inside her. She mumbled something about feeling lighter without the corruption. "Peace and harmony. The way of the witch, and all that. I couldn't help but be merciful, even twisting a sorcerer's battle spell."

  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She looked at each person in the room, and finally met Sabine's eyes. "Fine. I have no idea how I'll break this to my daughter."

  Lorenzo cleared his throat. "There is one minor problem with this."

  They all looked at him.

  "She was sentenced by Neville. Sabine can't just release her without incurring his wrath."

  "Bring it," Sabine said, her fists clenching.

  "Is there an allowance for deferring the sentence?" Esmerelda asked.

  Lorenzo caressed his chin, and his mouth curled into a smile at one edge. "There are multiple precedents, but mostly in time of war."

  "Great! Then we'll defer her sentence until Neville's death," Sabine said, clasping her hands together. "And then we can ignore it."

  "The last hundred vampires to fight Neville died," Lorenzo said. "We tried to tell Claudia's husband this. If you go against him, you'll die."

  Sabine smiled. "Maybe all those victories will that'll make him cocky."

  Sabine released Claudia from her cell, and enlisted Shelby to get Claudia cleaned up and dressed. Sabine insisted that Heather sit in the living room and bond with Claudia, who appeared a short time later in a set of Shelby's sweats.

  Heather and Claudia talked about Claudia being in total isolation and darkness for the last twenty years, with no news of the world. How empty Claudia had felt, and how very sorry she was about what she had done.

  Heather nodded. "Did you spend any of that time thinking about my parents?"

  Claudia blinked and nodded, still numb and reluctant to believe she was free. "I wish I could go back to that night and make it right. Or the month before, so I could have stopped my husband from facing Neville."

  Heather told Claudia about her daughter Julie and world events, and Claudia listened quietly.

  Sabine watched for a while before heading off to listen to her voice mail from Kim and Gabe. She texted them back to tell them that she'd be heading home soon. Lorenzo announced that everyone should be packed and ready to go in two hours, then drove to the airfield to fuel the plane.

  Having nothing to pack, Sabine decided to take the opportunity to grab a shower. As she finished and turned off the water, she heard a knock on her door. She wrapped the towel around herself. She felt out into the hall with her mind, and sensed Trent. His scent trickled in from under the door.

  She opened the door and looked up at him. "Hi Trent, what's up?"

  Trent looked at her in the towel and opened his mouth to speak. Nothing came out for a second until he pulled his eyes back up to hers. He held up her bag with the guns. "Um... I brought you this. I thought you'd want it back. Found it when I went for a run."

  Sabine smiled up at him and tried to read his mind.

  He threw up a quick mental block. "Hey-"

  She tried to take over control of his body, and he fought it. They struggled back and forth until she was convinced his defenses were strong. She gave up the attack.

  "You mind telling me what the hell-"

  She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room, shutting the door behind them. She looked up into his eyes and smiled. "I wanted to be absolutely sure that you won't go Renfield on me."

  His breath caught. "I was worried about how you're taking all this."

  She took a deep breath and let it out. "Truth?"

  He nodded.

  "I'm freaking out. I have no clue what I'm doing. What am I gonna do with a vampire tied to me for the rest of my life? What about the vampire hunters? I'm scared that vampires all over the city are going to be gunning for Heather, and I'm not sure how to beat Neville."

  Trent nodded. "You've been looking really tense."

  "That's an understatement," Sabine said, dipping her forehead onto his chest.

  "I could give you a massage, maybe loosen you up a little." His hands reached up and gently began kneading the muscles on the side of her neck.

  She closed her eyes and moaned. "Oh God, that feels good." She soaked up the feeling of being touched, letting herself become putty in his hands. After a moment, she looked up at him and smiled. "Exactly how much loosening up did you have in mind?"

  He reached down and claimed her lips with a fiercely passionate kiss, exploring her mouth.

  She responded, opening to him. Welcoming him, challenging him.

  He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly against him. Her toes curled as their tongues played together and she ran her fingers through his hair. She could feel how excited he was, his heat warming her cool skin.

  She pulled up his shirt and he lifted it over his head. She ran her fingers through the hair on his chest as she kissed him again, then pulled away from his lips when she felt her fangs descend. She tenderly kissed the side his neck, and he stiffened. She ignored his reaction and took in the smell of his skin; his unique scent that she so desperately wanted to associate with being safe and protected. The urge to sink her teeth in was almost overpowering, but she knew she shouldn't. This man was the first man to honestly care for her since Doug.

  Before the night Doug ran away.

  She stepped back, shaking her head and trying to let her mind clear a little, and push the unpleasant memory aside. She let herself focus in the present, on the hunky werewolf standing half-naked in her bedroom. Doug would never want her if he knew the truth. Hell, he hadn't wanted her when she was human. Hope wouldn't change that. She brought herself back to the present. "Sorry... you mentioned something about giving me a massage?"

  He smiled at her. "I got distracted."

  "Well I'm not letting you get off that easily," She said, walking over to the bed and lying face down.

  "Apparently not." He smirked as he approached the bed and watched as she loosened her towel while making sure it still covered her.

  "I've never had a massage by a werewolf before," Sabine said, turning her head towards him and grinning.

  "If you play your cards right, I'll give you the deluxe treatment."

  She chuckled. "I suppose that comes with a happy ending?"

  He cracked his knuckles and pulled the towel away. "Oh, yeah."

  CHAPTER 14

  Sabine sat in the frigid hangar, a mile outside of the sleepy little desert town. The early November wind filled the air sock out on the tarmac and rattled the corrugated walls of the hangar. With the hangar door open so Lorenzo could prep his airplane, she didn't envy the witches shivering next to her in the small furnished corner of the building.

  Heather and Esmerelda wore borrowed jackets. Melina had overcome their objections by insisting that it saved her from packing them. The witches had decided that wearing a vampire's elegant castoffs beat the heck out of freezing to death. Unfortunately, borrowed jackets didn't cover their legs or their faces.

  "Thank God we're leaving. I miss home," Heather said, rubbing her coffee mug and letting the steam warm her face.

  Sabine smiled politely, sipping her own coffee. Her mind was still reeling over what had happened with Trent. She felt liberated, sated, and... normal. She felt better than she had in a long time. The intensity of what she had shared with Trent had gone beyond her imagination, almost to the point of scaring her. At some point it got a little hazy, and she thought she recalled fur sprouting on Trent, but she'd been drunk on werewolf blood at the time.

  He had slipped out while she washed up again, and she hadn't seen him before they packed into the car to leave. Maybe distance after intimacy was a werewolf thing.

  Trent came into the hangar, carrying two arm-fulls of suitcases. Parts of her started to tingle as she watched his muscles bulging.

  She and the witches watched as Claudia, Shelby, Ethan and Deirdre walked into the hangar, rolling more suitcases.
The newcomers parked their luggage next to the plane and made their way over to the seating area. All but Trent – he busied himself loading the bags into the plane.

  "We will not fit comfortably in Lorenzo's plane," Ethan said, pointing a thumb at the plane and looking dapper in a modern suit and long coat. It was definitely a departure from the Highwayman outfit. Deirdre wore an elegant dress and coat that matched Ethan's, down to the shoes. Sabine remembered the wild look with leaves in Deirdre's hair, and thought that this was somehow less appropriate.

  "It seats eight, and there are ten of us," Deirdre added, reinforcing Ethan's concern.

  "And there's all that luggage too," Shelby said, joining them. The young blonde had the belted thigh boots from Halloween night, but this time matched with black leggings and a brown and black striped mini dress, black vest, covered with a brown leather coat and black gloves.

  "I don't mind sitting on Trent's lap," Sabine said, her eyes distant as her mind started wandering.

  Heather choked on her coffee. She took a moment to catch her breath before shooting a questioning look at Sabine.

  Melina walked up to join them, a smile brightening her Mediterranean features. Her long dark hair cascaded over a stylish black leather jacket with fur collar and matching fur-covered boots with a tight black mini dress. "The seats are actually quite spacious. Most of these planes have more seats. We chose this one because it was less cramped," she said. "I would share a seat with Lorenzo, but that might make flying the plane complicated."

  Claudia came up to join the group as well, looking the most casual of the group in sneakers, jeans and a hoodie. "I can sit on the floor if someone needs my seat. I've spent the last twenty years sitting on the floor." Her thoughts rang in Sabine's mind. I don't deserve a seat.

  The emotion echoed on Claudia's face.