by Michelle Fox
“Yes. Your father is a vampire. An ancient, powerful one. And I knew him once. Vampires live so long, we all meet one another sooner or later.”
My father was a vampire? What? I frowned and rubbed my forehead trying to make sense of everything. Losing my virginity was not supposed to end in a paternity test. This wasn't some cheesy talk show, it was my life, but everything had gone Jerry Springer on me anyways.
What the hell?
How had the father I never met suddenly become relevant How did it turn out he was a vampire? I couldn't believe it.
Kristos crossed his arms, a thoughtful expression on his face, reflecting he wasn't the only one trying to process the news. “The thing is, knowing he's your father, I don’t think I was the target that night at the restaurant.”
I blinked at him, unsure of how much more I could take. “What are you saying?”
His eyes locked with mine again. “It was you they wanted.”
“Me?” My voice was a squeak now. I clutched the sheet tight in my hands. “Who would want me dead?”
“Your father’s enemies,” he said his voice flat. “Or perhaps opportunists looking to build up their power base.”
I put a hand to my forehead to try and stop the panic swirling inside. “Kristos, please make sense. I don’t understand.”
“I thought there was something about your blood that seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place it.” He tapped his chin with a finger, thinking. “The attack...well, I never suspected they would want you. You’re human.”
“What does my father’s name have to do with this? I've never even met the guy. He’s missed every milestone in my life and now he's causing people to shoot at me? It's all so random."
“Your father is one of the first vampires that ever walked.” Kristos’ eyes caught mine again. “The last time I saw him, he was going by Devon Desanto. It can’t be a coincidence.”
“Oh my God.” My words came out in breathless gasps. With one trembling finger I touched my teeth, checking for fangs. Just in case I’d failed to notice them these past twenty-five years. “What are you getting at, Kristos? Why would they want me?”
“You’re his blood and some would do anything to have you.”
“Alive or dead?” I couldn’t keep a small quiver out of my voice. The things Kristos said terrified me.
He nodded. “That would depend on their agenda.”
I took a deep breath. “So half the vampire world wants to shoot me and the other half wants to kidnap me?” It sounded insane. This couldn’t be real.
He gripped my shoulders and gave me a little shake. “You don’t understand, you have the blood of the old ones in you. Whoever has you would control you and add to their power.”
“Making me the most valuable pawn on the board. Is that it?” I didn’t play much chess, but the analogy seemed to fit.
“Yes.”
We were both silent for a moment. Kristos watched me, his expression contemplative while I tried not to hyperventilate. This was just too much information. I couldn’t take it all in.
“Wait,” I said as a thought occurred to me. “If my dad’s a vampire does that mean vampires can have babies?”
Kristos shook his head. “No. The Maker was special. Somehow undead yet still able to make life. There’s no other vampire like him and that’s what makes you so special.”
I blinked some more, struggling to absorb it all. “Do I have brothers and sisters?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s possible.”
“That’s just crazy. I don’t believe any of it.” I crossed my arms, holding on to myself as my heart raced like a cornered animal. “It was just one shooting. How do we even know it has anything to do with me?”
He wrapped an arm around me and I leaned into his strength. “I know vampires, Myra. They’ve found you through your father and what happened at the restaurant is only the beginning. It’s true, no matter how much you want to deny it. The real question is, how do I keep you safe?”
“I’ll just go home and act like nothing happened.” In fact, I would go right now and dive deep under the covers of my bed where no one could see me.
He shook his head. “That won’t stop them. You’re not thinking clearly, Myra. They’re on to you now and won’t give up until you’re theirs.”
“What do you suggest then?” I pushed him away and moved to the opposite side of the bed.
He made no move to follow, giving me space. “Let me bring you over.”
I clutched at my throat, eyes wide. “Make me a vampire?”
He nodded. “It would make you stronger, faster and put you under my protection. That would stop most of this madness.”
I frowned. “Most? Not all?”
Kristos shrugged. “Vampires can be very determined, especially the old ones, but I can protect you.”
I said nothing for several long minutes and Kristos didn’t push me. “Is this really the only way?” I wasn't sure I was ready to die and be reborn with a bloodsucking habit.
Before he could respond, the now familiar sound of bullets thudding into the wall hit our ears. I rolled off the bed, dropping to the floor. Kristos followed me, landing on top of my body.
“This is happening?” My voice came out in a panicked shriek. “Again?”
Thud-thud-thud. More bullets sounded.
Kristos remained calm and dragged me over to the wall where he pushed an unseen button. A panel in the wall swished open and he pushed me through into a dark room. Once I was inside, he entered and hit another unseen button to shut the panel. After fumbling in the dark for a moment, he found the light switch and flipped it on.
A dim light illuminated a small room with metal walls. A bank of video monitors on one wall flared to life showing the apartment was full of armed operatives dressed in all black. Kristos watched them with a frown and went to a control panel by the door we’d come in through and hit some buttons. There was the reassuring sound of bolts sliding home and locks clicking in place. “There, we’re the only ones who can open the door now.”
Then he turned his attention to a storage bin set next to the door. Quickly rummaging through its contents he pulled out some clothes and tossed them to me.
“Here, put something on.”
“Where are we?” I kept my voice to a whisper, not wanting anyone to hear us in our hidey-hole. Sorting through the clothes, I found a t-shirt and pulled it on, grateful for its warmth.
“It’s a panic room. We’ll be safe here.”
Relief made me weak. Wrapping my arms around myself, I watched the monitors. The apartment was overrun and all the black clothing made it look like an invasion of ants...that happened to carry semi-automatic weapons. “What about your people?”
He grimaced. “Dead, hiding or running. I won’t know until this is over.”
I gulped. “Who are they? What do they want?”
“I don't know who they are, yet, but I’m fairly certain they're here for one thing. You.” His expression was grim as he watched the men ransack the room I'd stayed in after the first shooting.
“And the only way to stop this madness is for me to become a vampire?” I couldn’t believe I was even asking such a question. It sounded beyond insane when I said it out loud.
“Correct.”
“Have you ever brought anyone over?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Does it hurt?”
Another nod.
Whatever I was about to say died on my lips as something on the monitor caught my eye. The blonde vampire who’d brought me clothes earlier was walking down the hallway toward Kristos’ room, pushing a hooded figure in front of her. With the hood over their face, it was hard to be certain, but the gaunt, feminine frame looked familiar.
“Oh, God,” I said. I knew there was a good reason I hadn’t liked that woman.
“What? What is it?” Kristos reached out to touch me as if searching for a physical wound.
I pointed to the monit
or bank. “I think she has my mom.”
Kristos swore under his breath and slammed the wall with his hand.
“Isn’t she one of yours?” I asked just as she waved forward a bunch of the men. They weren’t shooting at her and my heart sank.
“Not anymore, apparently.” Kristos’ voice was terse.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What does that mean?”
“I brought her over and she should be mine, but there are ways to take over someone’s kin, to become their master. It appears Samira has been stolen from me. Her loyalties lie elsewhere now.”
“What do we do now?” I asked unable to keep the panic from my voice. Vampires were supposed to save my mom, but my current circumstances made cancer look safe.
“They’re trying to draw you out, make you reveal yourself.”
“And if I don’t?”
He looked at me, eyes filled with regret. “Your mom will become expendable.”
I put a hand over my mouth and tears gathered in my eyes. “It’s my life for hers, isn’t it?”
He nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
My lower lip trembled and the tears spilled down my cheeks. On the monitor, I could see that mom was in Kristos’ bedroom now. The blonde vampire shoved her onto the bed and then stalked around the room, hitting the walls as she went.
“She knows we’re in here, doesn’t she?” I flinched as the vampire in question put some muscle into her hits. I fully expected her fist to punch through the wall into our safe haven. Fortunately, the walls held.
His lips thinned and he glared at the video monitor. “She was part of my team. She would know about the panic room.”
“Is there any good news?”
Kristos shook his head. “Not much. We’re safe in here, but your mom is out there. I assume you’re not interested in sacrificing her?”
“God, no!”
We both fell silent watching the blond vampire try to tear down the walls of Kristos’ bedroom. She ripped out the drywall and cast it aside like she was peeling an egg as she tried to reach us.
“I have an idea,” Kristos said. “It’s risky, but I think we can make it work.” He leaned in for a kiss saying only, “Drink.”
I started to ask him ‘drink what?’ but blood poured into my open mouth. He’d cut his tongue with his fangs, I realized. I tried to push him away, but his hands gripped my shoulders like steel.
“Drink of me, love.”
“Are you going to turn me now?”
He lifted his head. “No, I would never force that on you, but I’m going to make it look like I did and buy us some time. They’ll back off if they think I’ve made you my kin. Now drink as much as you can.”
His lips tried to claim mine again but I turned my head. "But they took Samira, right? What's to stop them from taking me anyway?"
He wiped blood off his mouth. "Samira was always weak. I should have never made her. Right now they think you're weak, too. They think they can take you because you haven't been turned yet, that none of our kind have any hold over you. The second I prove that assumption wrong, the game changes."
A wry smile played across his lips. "Not to mention the idea of you as a vampire, one they aren't master of, will give them pause. Your father was one of our most powerful of our kind. There is no doubt you will be powerful, too. It's your birthright. As a human, you are theirs for the taking. You'll never be able to run fast enough or fight back. But if you're a vampire..."
"I can run fast enough and fight back," I finished for him.
He nodded. "And you'll have all of my resources and power at your disposal. I won't let them take you. "
"Why? Why do you care? Why are you doing this for me?" He'd been a gentleman since we'd first met, but even chivalry had limits. He'd saved me, protected me and cared when we barely knew each other. "You don't owe me anything."
"It's not about what I owe you. I didn't lose my sense of right and wrong when I became a vampire." He grimaced. "Some vampires lose themselves to their immortality. They think, if you live forever nothing really matters."
"Does it?"
"I believe it matters even more. We become the choices we make. I try not to forget that."
"So you're a saint as well as vampire."
Another wry smile played across his lips. "I doubt the church would agree with you on that. Now, we are running out of time. Are you ready?"
I nodded. As his lips covered mine yet again, I hoped everything he'd told me was true. That my life hung on every word he'd uttered terrified me, but I gave his plan everything I had, doing my best to swallow his salty blood. It hit my stomach like lead and a wave of nausea almost over took me. I made a gagging sound as my throat recoiled.
Kristos’ grip on my shoulders tightened in warning. “This is our only chance to save your mom. You have to keep it down.”
After what seemed hours of suckling his tongue, he broke contact. Sweeping my hair to one side, he exposed my throat. “Now a fresh bite at your neck to make it look authentic.” I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood as his fangs pierced my skin. This was no intimate foreplay like all the other feedings. There was no arousal to blunt the pain and I whimpered as he sucked at my neck.
Fortunately, he didn’t feed long and a moment later he let me go. I reeled at the absence of his arms to steady me and my stomach heaved, threatening to reject his blood. I huddled against the wall, gasping for air.
“Look at me.” He helped me stand and lifted my chin to meet his eyes. “I’m going to put you into a light sleep. Just look into my eyes.”
I wanted to ask him about clichéd vampire powers, but there was no time. The blonde vampire had found the button opening the door to the panic room. It didn’t work, of course, but I could hear the click of the door trying to open and then jamming up against the internal locks Kristos had triggered.
One second, I was looking into his eyes thinking how beautiful they were, the next I knew nothing as they cast me into a dark oblivion.
Chapter Eight
I woke some time later. I was in Kristos’ bed and when I turned to my side, I found my mother next to me. The hood had been removed and she was asleep, breathing deeply as she dreamed.
Sitting up, I stretched my arms over head, wincing at a throbbing pain in my wrist. Looking at it, I saw two neat puncture marks. I’d been bitten, but why or by who I didn’t know.
Frowning I scanned the room for Kristos, but he wasn’t there. I cocked my head to the side and listened, hearing only silence. No gun shots, which was reassuring.
Wanting to be cautious, I ducked back into the panic room, which was still open, and checked the video monitors. The armed men were gone, but the apartment was a mess of overturned furniture and there were bullet holes everywhere.
Movement on one of the screens caught my eye and I watched as Kristos appeared along with the blonde vampire. I leaned forward and by chance hit a button that turned on the sound, allowing me to overhear their conversation.
Kristos held the blonde's arms pinned behind her back. “The only reason I let you live, Samira, is to carry the truth back to your new master. She’s mine. I’ve claimed her. You’ve tasted it.”
Samira gave him a defiant look over her shoulder. “I will tell him all that I saw and of the blood that I drank, but the truth will only be proven when she rises.”
Looking at my wrist, I wondered if that was the blood she was referring to me. What was going on?
“She will rise,” said Kristos, his voice ringing with authority.
Samira shrugged, her expression insolent. “Your eternity will be forfeit if she doesn’t.”
“Don’t threaten me.” He wrapped a hand around her throat. “I made you, I can unmake you.”
“You made me weak and ripe for the taking. Watch that my new master doesn’t take her too,” she said with a snarl.
In response, he spun her around to face him. Lifting her by the throat until her feet dangled in the air he walked into the main liv
ing area of the apartment. I tracked his movements from the camera in the hallway to the one that showed the living room. With a harsh yell, he threw Samira against the glass window. The glass shuddered but held.
He picked Samira up for round two, whipping her into the air by her hair and back against the glass. It cracked this time with an audible snapping sound. Another hit and it shattered and Samira flew out the window, arms and legs flailing.
Kristos stood at the edge of the broken window and watched her fall, a look of grim determination on his face. A group of men rushed into the apartment and my stomach clenched with fear. They fanned out through the apartment and I searched the console for some kind of alert button but couldn’t find one. I was just about to go drag my mom into the panic room and lock the door behind us when the men hailed Kristos.
“Are you okay, boss?” one of them asked.
“We came as soon as we got the alert,” said another.
The men all had their weapons drawn and scanned the room for threats.
Kristos rubbed the back of his neck. “The threat has been neutralized for now.” He gestured out the window. “Someone took Samira from me. She’s on her way to report to her new master. Have her followed, but be careful.”
“Yes, sir,” said the tallest of the group. His height seemed to correlate to some authority as he quickly gestured to two men who gave a curt nod before jumping out the window after Samira. I guess vampires don’t mind jumping off buildings.
My mother gave a groan and I rushed to her side just as Kristos walked into the bedroom. My mom’s eyes fluttered open and she sat up. “Where am I ?” She caught sight of me. “Myra.”
“Mom.” I sat on the edge of the bed and gave her a hug. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Her brow furrowed. “I was kidnapped.”
I rubbed her back. “I know. I think we’re okay now though.” I turned to Kristos. “It’s over, right?”
He gave a slow nod. “For the moment.”
I sighed in relief. “Thank God.”