Reborn to Bite (Vampire Shadows Book 1)

by Mark Gronwald

  Shelby said "That's okay Claudia, I can sit on Ernesto's lap."

  "Here we go again," Melina said, rolling her eyes.

  "What'd I miss?" Sabine asked, looking to Melina.

  Melina gave a long-suffering sigh. "Shelby is on a mission to make Ernesto smile. By torturing him, apparently."

  "I think he'll eventually come around," Shelby said.

  "He has a lover, Shelby. When we get back to the city, he will smile," Melina predicted.

  Shelby sighed. "I have no idea what he sees in a mortal. We're vampires. We'll never grow old. She'll grow old and die, and he'll have to find someone else. Why would he do that to himself?"

  "You said you had a puppy when you were younger, no?" Melina asked.

  "Buster, my golden retriever. He ran in front of a car when I was twelve. He's the reason I was obsessed with life and death to begin with, and why I wanted to be immortal."

  "Maybe he plans to turn her into a vampire?" Heather asked.

  Melina sat in a chair beside them. "He offered. She refused."

  "I totally don't get it," Shelby said. "When I found out there really were vampires, I couldn't wait to be one."

  "Lana is not you, Shelby," Melina said.

  "I'm glad he gave her a choice," Sabine said. "That's more than Neville gave me."

  Melina leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. "It is forbidden to turn humans against their will. There are very strict rules. The penalty for such an act is death."

  Sabine sipped her coffee before responding, thinking about Neville. "Who enforces a death penalty?"

  "A Master or Mistress of a House, in the case of House members or Rogues; or the Council if a House Master is the perpetrator."

  "I see," Sabine said, "and what if the perpetrator is the regional representative to the Vampire Council?"

  "Accusing Neville can be fatal," Claudia whispered, sitting on the ground.

  They sat quietly for a few minutes. Trent finished loading the bags and started helping Lorenzo and Ernesto prep the plane.

  Ethan sniffed the air, and approached Sabine. He stared down at her cup, smelling the air again. "What are you drinking? It smells like coffee."

  Sabine nodded and took another sip, cradling the cup and enjoying the warmth.

  "Interesting," Ethan said, returning to his wife. They seemed to share a silent conversation.

  Shelby sighed. "Deirdre, are you planning to sit on Ethan's lap?"

  Deirdre turned with a look of disdain. "I don't believe we should be asked to share a seat. You are the youngest. You should sit on the floor with Claudia since she seems not to care about comfort."

  "Isn't Claudia older than you, Deirdre?" Shelby asked, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

  Deirdre snorted. "By one year. That hardly counts when you're nearly a hundred-fifty."

  "So by your logic, you and I should sit on the floor, being that we're the youngest," Shelby said, grinning wickedly.

  Deirdre glared at her. "You're a baby. Lumping me in the same category with you is degrading."

  Sabine decided that she liked Shelby.

  Shelby shrugged. "Whatever Sabine decides will be fine with me."

  Sabine took a sip of coffee and looked up, to see them all watching her. "Heather, it's your fault we're here in the first place. Claudia, it's your fault Heather was feeling a vengeful wrath against vampires. You two need to share a seat."

  Claudia bowed her head. "Yes, Mistress."

  "I could find another way home," Heather said.

  "I'll share a seat with Trent, then we all fit," Sabine said, patting Heather's shoulder. "You don't want to hang out in this town waiting for a bus. Your daughter needs you."

  The vampires started chatting about where they might live when they returned to the city. Since their previous house had been confiscated and sold off, they needed a new lair.

  Ethan gave the witches a wary glance before he opened his briefcase. He pulled out some papers and handed them to Melina.

  Melina looked through them and nodded. "The one you marked with a post-it note as your choice looks like my favorite as well. It would be the most secure. I'm surprised it's not already owned by a vampire."

  Melina handed the stack to Shelby. "What do you think, Shelby?"

  "Oooh. This Victorian is so cute!" She said, flipping through the sheets. "That gaudy stinky mansion Ethan picked looks passable I guess."

  Sabine smiled at Shelby's attitude as Ethan grabbed the papers and returned them to his case.

  He glared at Sabine. "Before we return, shouldn't we decide who's in charge here?"

  "I thought I was," Sabine said, crossing her arms.

  Melina nodded. "Claudia is under your power through your blood bond; and Lorenzo and I are under your power bond. You'll need to bond the rest before we leave, to make the Family cohesive."

  Lorenzo walked up. "The plane is ready, everyone. We will undoubtedly need to meet with Neville over the petition to re-establish our territory. Sabine, you could challenge him to a duel then; though I would not suggest such a thing if your power is not enough to stand up to us. He is much older, and much more powerful."

  "I don't know if I want to lead a Family of vampires," Sabine said.

  "Sorry, but for three of us you already are," Lorenzo said. "The other four need to join the fold. You need all the support you can get."

  "Sun Tzu would probably recommend that," Sabine said.

  "Who's Sun Tzu?" Shelby asked.

  Melina laughed. "A Chinese philosopher whom you'll have centuries to study."

  "Great," Shelby said, crossing her arms. "You know I hated studying ancient philosophers. Damn General Ed requirements–"

  Melina patted the blonde on the shoulder. "Studying the lessons of the past prevents us from making the same mistakes in the future."

  Sabine pondered the vampires, and wondered why it seemed like her choices were disappearing. She could always walk away. She could move. She could give up on Doug and these people. But then she'd never be able to look Neville in the face and tell him what an asshole he was. She might not even be able to look herself in the mirror. If the only way to do that was to join this bunch of blood-suckers, then she guessed she could do that. They weren't that horrible. In fact, they seemed nice.

  She took a deep breath and let it out. "Okay, I guess I'll take on the rest."

  "Great," Lorenzo said. "When you're ready, we'll begin the power contest."

  Sabine put down her coffee cup and shook out her hands. "Ready."

  The next second, wave after wave of vampire energy assaulted Sabine's mind. She realized that the whole family was attacking her at once – all except Claudia, who was bolstering her through their bond. She held the rest back, concentrating on a castle wall around her mind to keep them out. The power crashed against the walls, battering her.

  "You can't just defend, Sabine," Melina said, looking much calmer than the others. "You must attack. Don't worry about hurting us. Just let go like you did before."

  Sabine felt the well-spring of fierce energy inside her broiling like a miniature tempest, aching to be freed. She knew she couldn't control it, remembering the bikers. She thought about how she'd opened the flood gates on her power before, and how closing them had hurt so much. Her power might want to come out as "all or nothing", but she didn't want to end up fainting again. She had to do something. She felt Claudia trying to send a telepathic message to help, and followed the suggestion. She imagined opening the flood gates half-way, and let the power flow.

  Shelby's mind fell under Sabine's control first. Then Deirdre, Ethan, and Ernesto.

  Sabine felt her power colliding with Lorenzo's, and locking in a complicated dance with Melina. They worked together, resisting her in ways she didn't understand.

  You'll have to use all your power, Mistress, before you run out, Claudia said into Sabine's mind. They will try to outlast you. The older the vampire, the longer they can use their powers.

  Sabine di
d feel her power draining quickly, and sensed no weakness from Lorenzo or Melina. Melina's glamour held a simple message: It's okay to submit to us. We'll protect you. We'll nurture you. We will be the parents you always wanted.

  That last part made Sabine grind her teeth. Melina was too good at this. She'd somehow gotten past Sabine's defenses and known exactly what to say. Could she live with that? No. I'm done being a follower.

  Sabine opened the flood gates, and pushed with her hands, screaming at the intensity of the power flowing from her.

  Melina collapsed to the ground and fell under Sabine's power.

  Sabine approached Lorenzo and put a hand on his shoulder. As they stared one another in the eyes, she felt Lorenzo's defenses crumble. She turned to look at the others in the hangar, and saw the blank looks on Heather's and Trent's faces. Esmerelda was sweating and shivering, her fingers steepled in front of her and glowing with some kind of blue light.

  Sabine dropped to her knees, the last of her power leaving her like wind out of a popped balloon. Claudia rushed to her, and fed her some energy through their bond. The little bit Claudia gave her was enough to keep Sabine from passing out, but the pause was enough to break the spell on everyone. Claudia helped Sabine stand, holding her by the arm for support.

  The other vampires all stared at Sabine. Then they knelt, each putting one knee to the floor.

  "We are yours to command, Mistress," Lorenzo said.

  "I didn't expect you and Melina to turn on me," Sabine said in a shaky voice. "I thought because I had bonded you before that you were on my side."

  "The power bond only works as long as you maintain control. It can be broken easily if you're not paying attention. It was important that you understand – vampires under a power bond are likely to seek every opportunity to escape it."

  "And when I'm challenged is the best time," Sabine said.

  Lorenzo nodded. "Exactly."

  Sabine remembered back to the ceremony with Neville, and how he hated using a blood bond. He only used a power bond on his followers. Interesting. "Let's get going."

  As everyone stood and filed towards the plane, Heather turned to Sabine, who had taken up the rear of the group. "Thank you, Sabine, for saving my life at the rocks and at the church. And for saving me from the taint of killing Claudia. I know you wanted to walk away from all this."

  "I just figure you owe me, big time. Either that, or you could just be my friend for life and we'll call it even."

  Heather nodded. "I have no idea how I'll repay you. For everything." She glanced at Claudia. "But crazy as it sounds to me, I think I'd like being your friend." She chortled. "My ex-husband will have kittens if he finds out I became friends with a vampire."

  "I'm guessing he-"

  "Left me because of my obsession over the wards and the anti-vampire crusade? Yep," Heather finished. "Our daughter is kinda peeved with me as well."

  "Maybe you can mend some bridges?" Sabine offered.

  Heather smiled. "We'll see."

  CHAPTER 15

  "Are you okay?" Sabine asked Trent, adjusting herself in his lap to look at him. The rest of the passengers in the tiny plane sat quietly, occupied with reading or looking out the windows. Trent hadn't spoken since takeoff.

  He stared straight ahead, not meeting her gaze. "I'm fine."

  She took in the rigid line of his jaw, and thought about trying to read his mind, but she had trained him well and it would mean a fight that she didn't have energy for. "You don't look fine. You look stressed out. Is it me? Did I do something wrong?"

  "It's not you," he said, glancing at her and then closing his eyes. "I just need some rest."

  She swallowed back the bulge in her throat. Letting him into her heart had been a mistake. Trent was backing away. She took a shaky breath and got up. Fine. If he didn't want her, it was his loss. She should have trusted her first impression. Jerk.

  Sabine spent the rest of the flight loading everyone's contact info into her phone and trying to think about anything but Trent's rejection.

  When they landed, Esmerelda's husband Mike was waiting for them with a van as promised. He and Esmerelda hugged when she reached the van. Mike's gaze raked the vampires with obvious suspicion before landing on Sabine. He gave her a small nod.

  Sabine left them to load the van and approached Lorenzo as he secured the plane. Learning about the care and feeding of her new Family might be enough to keep her mind occupied.

  "The blood we had at the house before we left – will that be enough for everyone tonight?" she asked.

  Lorenzo watched the others as they took their bags to the van for a moment, considering. "It could be, but I think we all miss the city. We will most likely split up and hunt near the hotel, as a sort of homecoming."

  Sabine remembered the vampire hunters and her heart thudded once. "What exactly does a hunt involve for this group?"

  "You must know, Sabine. Surely, you have hunted."

  "I mainly pretended to be an easy victim. When someone attacked me, I'd control him and drink from him, then wipe his memory."

  "While that sounds very interesting, it's a lot of work. We find someone who appeals to our tastes, and use glamour to lead them to a secluded place and partake from them."

  "And after?"

  Lorenzo shrugged. "We let them go. They don't even realize it happened."

  Sabine watched the others as they loaded their bags in the van. "So, nobody dies during these feedings?"

  Lorenzo shook his head. "Accidents happen, but it is very rare. We try to pick carefully, avoiding the weak, and we avoid drinking too much from any one donor. Killing while feeding can become... addictive."

  Sabine didn't want the vampire hunters and these vampires to meet without her there. She needed to find out where the hunters would be. "Is there any way I can convince you to keep everyone in tonight?"

  "You have but to order it, and we must obey you."

  "And if I just make it a request?"

  "Then we are free to choose to disregard it," Lorenzo said, a smirk on his face. "For myself, as long as what you ask is reasonable, I would tend to cooperate. If for no other reason than being grateful that someone else is in charge now."

  "You didn't like being Master of the house?" Sabine asked.

  Lorenzo put a hand on Sabine's shoulder, leaning in to whisper. "Many of the vampires I know take an interest in things unrelated to power. To distract us from the thirst and the potential for corruption."

  "Like what?"

  "I love to fly," Lorenzo said, patting his Beechcraft King Air. "My goal is to fly every plane ever made."

  Sabine smiled. "How is that going so far?"

  Lorenzo's eyes lit up. "Oh! If you get me started, we shall never get home. I have loved almost all of the planes I have ever flown. I didn't even have to glamour some of the owners, so enthusiastic were they to share the experience. With my new-found lack of responsibility, I intend to indulge my obsession and locate some of the newer planes that have come out in the last few decades."

  Sabine's heart warmed at his enthusiasm. "I look forward to hearing your stories someday. Tonight, I'd like to ask though that you and the others please stay in."

  "Of course, Sabine. I am patient. Ethan and Deirdre may not be as agreeable."

  Sabine nodded and patted his shoulder. "I had guessed as much. Thanks, Lorenzo."

  ***

  Mike stopped the van at The Fairmont Hotel, and Sabine got out with the rest of her new vampire Family. Claudia was going on to Heather's place, so she stayed in the van.

  Sabine hesitated until they had their bags out of the van and sent the bellhop away before addressing the half-dozen vampires. "I want you all to stay in tonight. No hunting."

  Ethan and Deirdre glared at her, letting their eyes communicate their discontent over being told what to do. Just as Lorenzo had predicted, Ethan challenged her. "Is that a command, or a request?"

  Sabine sighed. Even though it went against her grain to command p
eople who were a hundred years her elders, she had to bite the bullet and take charge. They were counting on her to be strong. "I need to make sure everyone's safe, since you're my responsibility now, and I can't be with you until later."

  "No need to explain yourself, Mistress," Lorenzo said, stressing her title as he stared down Ethan. "Unless it is a request. If you command us, we are Bound and must obey."

  Sabine gauged the feeling she got from their auras, sensing that only Lorenzo and Melina were happy to oblige. Shelby had mentioned on the flight over that she was itching to experience vampire life in San Francisco, and Ernesto missed his lady love. Sabine took a calming breath. "I command you all. Stay in. No hunting. Ernesto, feel free to have Lana come visit."

  As the words left her mouth, Sabine felt a tingling, like a shiver down her spine. The reaction on the vampire's faces told her that something had happened.

  What was that? Sabine wondered.

  Claudia's thought came to her mind. The magic of the power bond. Not as strong as our blood bond, but not without a small effect.

  The vampires gathered their bags to head into the hotel. Sabine watched them enter, worried about the burden of leading them. She got back in the van and nodded to Mike.

  You will grow accustomed to it, Mistress, Claudia thought.

  We need to talk about boundaries, Sabine thought back, wondering how to block Claudia out more consistently. She focused, and was rewarded with a sense of blissful seclusion.

  A welcoming committee waited for them outside Heather's squat three-story Spanish-style home, standing in the driveway that led down to a sunken garage under the left side of the house. The two levels above ground were covered with windows, and centered around an arched front door. Heather's daughter stood beside several women Sabine recognized from the earlier gathering of witches. Julie looked like a miniature ten-year-old version of Heather, complete with matching facial features and blonde hair.

  As Mike stopped the van, Heather jumped out and ran into her daughter's embrace. Sabine saw a tear streaming down the girl's face as she hugged her mother. The witches bristled when Claudia stepped out of the van, followed by Mike, Esmerelda, Sabine and Trent.