When Brandon and I reached the basement, I went over to my blanket and sat down. Brandon stood on the bottom step, watching me.
“Are you okay?” I asked. “It’s not too late to change your mind.”
“It’s not that, I believe in you,” he said, walking closer. “I just can’t wait to see if I wake up like you.”
“Hope you’re not disappointed,” I said.
“I won’t be,” he replied. “But I do have a question.”
“Sure, what is it?”
“What will I eat when I wake up? I don’t care for the whole ‘acid-burning’ thing.”
“Yeah, that was pretty bad,” I said. “Here’s what I was thinking. If it works, then you can feed off of the one that’s next, then I’ll finish up and turn that one.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” he replied looking around. “So, where do you want me?”
“Right here,” I patted the blanket in front of me. He came over and sat down. “Now, I need you to lean back on me, okay?”
“You’re shaking, Renee,” he said as he was leaning back into my arms. “You okay?”
“I’m scared to death,” I said shakily. “What if I do this wrong?”
“You won’t,” he responded, leaning back so he could see my eyes. “You won’t.” With that, he closed his eyes, and relaxed in my arms.
I swept his hair away from his neck, and exposed the pulsing vein. My heart began to race, and my face felt flush. I pulled back my lips, and sank my fangs into his supple skin. He moaned, trying to hold back a scream, and I continued. I let his pure, innocent blood run down my throat, and it was the best I had tasted since that night with Johnny. My eyes flew open, and I ripped myself back.
“No, no, no,” I cried. I pressed my hand against the wound, desperately trying to stop the bleeding. “Johnny, no, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” I sobbed. I lowered my head against the child in my lap, and my body heaved as I wept.
“Renee?” a voice said weakly, waking me from my delusion. I opened my eyes, and saw that the boy in my lap was not Johnny.
“Brandon,” I said, snapping back to reality. “I-I can’t do this.”
But it was too late. Brandon’s face was ashen, and I could feel his pulse slowing beneath my fingers. I had two choices. I could stop now, once again taking the life of a child that I loved dearly. Or I could continue. The second path would lead not only to this little one’s death, but perhaps to something worse. I knew what I had to do, and I could only pray that my choice was the right one.
The End
Here are the first three chapters of the next book in the series, Bloodbreeders:The Revenge, on sale now.
http://www.amazon.com/Bloodbreeders-The-Revenge-ebook/dp/B007A2KK7E/ref=sr_1_23?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1355450512&sr=1-23&keywords=hellfire+publishing
Bloodbreeders: The Revenge
Prologue
I once lived as those who did their biddings during the hours of daylight. I had the love of a large family on a modest farm back in a small town in Texas. Parents that I was so close to. I directed my thoughts away from marriage, so I could help raise my five younger siblings. Then he came, my tall dark nightmare. Was he to blame for their deaths? Or was it those who opened their animalistic mouths and laid their fangs to the innocent throats of my family? My maker would have to wait his turn for me to unleash my anger upon him. There was someone else who was guilty above all others. I would make sure that she paid, even if it meant my own final termination or cost those who have chosen to follow me, with their very lives. Yvette may not have gotten their blood on her hands, but I have heard a great many things, before and after, I escaped her dungeon of torture and perversions. Enough that I felt her death in my palms, like gripping the stems of a rose bush and pulling my tightly closed hand upwards.
I would have my revenge for what was done to my family. I felt the guilt for my part in my beloved family’s demise, and I would walk the night for eternity correcting it. The one thing that I could do was make those who have committed crimes against all who have been unlucky enough to fall prey to the slavers of our kind, pay and pay dearly. I had four young orphans looking up to me as if I had hung the moon, not to mention, two that were waiting for me to save them. I was being asked questions that I had no answers for. Yet, here I sit.
I stared down at the young man that lay dying in my lap and was faced with the most difficult decision that I had ever encountered. In light of recent events, that was saying a lot. During the past few months, my life had consisted of nothing but difficult decisions. I had chosen to accept the love of a stranger. That decision ultimately leading to my death and subsequently, placed me into my new life. I chose to believe that this man had never loved me. That he was using me for some sick and twisted game. A game, in which he would sit back amused as I killed off my family one by one, all being told to me by those who readied a far more sinister plan for my services.
I had chosen to ignore my maker’s warnings about the others of our kind that walked the land that I had called my home, choosing to take their side over his. I had unknowingly betrayed him as well as myself by going with them to Cuba, to their ‘safe-haven’, only to be led into the depths of hell itself. A slave trading ring, where I was caged like an animal, set loose only when it was time for another beating, rape, or rendezvous with some prestigious ‘client’. I had chosen to risk my life and the lives of those dear to me, by trying to escape one last time, and succeeded. I allowed myself to befriend four young orphans, and return to my home in that small town in Texas; regardless of how much I was afraid of what I might find. Despite all of that, this decision, the one that lay before me now, was proving to be the hardest one to make, of all.
Chapter One
As I stared down into Brandon’s lifeless face, it was clear to me which choice I was going to make. Both choices would end in the loss of his life, but only one held the possibility of bringing him back. My only problem was I didn’t really have a clue where to begin. I could remember nothing after Martin fed on me until the time I awoke in my coffin, so I had no way of knowing what he did to finalize my change. Nevertheless, his words kept coming to my mind, “We must take in blood to survive.”
I pulled back my sleeve and bit into my wrist, the same way that I remembered Martin doing the first time that I fed. The blood started to flow immediately. I held my torn flesh to Brandon’s mouth, praying that it wasn’t already too late.
At first, the blood ran out the sides of his mouth, but then I could see his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. That little sign of life was more than I had expected, and once again my tears started to flow, only this time from joy. “That’s it, Brandon,” I cried past the lump in my throat. “You’re doing great.”
He swallowed a few more times. Within seconds his body was once again completely still, with my blood still running freely down the side of his face. “Brandon?” I whispered, shaking him lightly. “Brandon?” But there was nothing. He was gone, and the only thing that I could do now was, wait.
I lowered his body to the floor, saying a silent prayer. I wrapped my wrist in a piece of cloth, cleaned up the blood as best as I could and headed back upstairs. As I emerged from the basement, the three remaining kids stared at me in wonder, not one saying a word. I walked over to the fireplace and took a seat next to them. Ashley leaned over, resting her head in my lap. I stroked her hair absently. Nobody seemed to notice as the night slipped by in utter silence.
Dawn approached quickly and I knew I needed to get back underground. I asked that the others stay upstairs throughout the day, until I came back up the following night. I didn’t want Derek to see his brother in his stay of death. The sight of one’s dead sibling is not something easily forgotten. I should know.
I made my way downstairs, and lay down next to Brandon’s still body. I kissed him lightly on the head, and whispered, “Come back to me, Brandon.” I then rolled over, not even noticing as my consciousness slipped away.
*
**
I woke the next night, not remembering what I had done until I moved my arm and felt Brandon’s body lying next to mine. I sprang up, my memory suddenly very clear. I placed my hand on his chest, looking and feeling for any sign of life. But there was absolutely none. His chest was as cold and inanimate as a block of ice. “No!” I screamed. I pounded my fists against the floor, sobbing violently, that’s when I heard a stampede coming down the stairs.
“Renee, what happened?” Derek asked, breathlessly.
“He didn’t wake up.” I shook my head, unable to meet his gaze.
Derek’s eyes widened and he shot toward his brother’s body. “Brandon,” he yelled, bolting forward. Bo grabbed him, swinging around but holding him firm in his arms. Ashley collapsed to the floor, holding her face in her hands, crying uncontrollably. Bo just stood there silently, holding Derek as he mourned for his brother.
“What have I done? I knew better...” I said as I laid my head on Brandon‘s chest.
“Knew better than what?”
I opened my eyes to see Brandon looking up at me, pale and confused, but alive. I gasped in delight, and pulled him into my arms.
“Oh my God, you’re alive,” I yelled, kissing him right smack on the lips. “You scared the hell out of me.”
Derek was so distraught that he never heard his brother, or me speaking.
“Derek,” Bo said, smiling ear to ear as Derek continued to sob against his chest. Bo said his name a little more firmly, “Derek.”
“What?” he asked obviously perturbed.
“Look at your brother.”
“No, I can’t.” He shook his head violently. “He’s dead. I don’t want...” He was interrupted by a sharp slap from Bo.
“Look, at your brother.”
Derek very reluctantly turned toward Brandon, who raised his hand to wave. Before he could completely get his hand in the air, Derek dove on him. They rolled around, laughing and crying at the same time. We were all sobbing, only now it was from pure relief.
After a few minutes Brandon spoke to Derek—
laughing, “Hey, you’re getting snot on me.”
“Sorry,” Derek replied letting go of him. “You really scared me, Brandon. I thought I would never see you alive again.” When the sentimental moment had passed, a giddy expression crossed Derek’s face. “Oh, let me see your teeth.”
Brandon put his hand to his mouth, exploring his newest asset in amazement. His eyes widened, as a smile spread across his face. “It really worked,” he said in awe. Then he bared them for the others to see. The room filled with astonished chatter.
Then as always, Derek started rambling on a mile a minute. “Did it hurt? What did it feel like? Is it...”
“Whoa, slow down little brother,” Brandon said with a snicker. “One thing at a time.”
“Yeah, Brandon needs to feed,” I explained. “It’s the only way he’ll build up his strength.”
“Do you want me to go find something for him?” Bo asked, grinning devilishly, “Oh, no wait. I have a better idea. Who’s next?”
I took a deep breath, letting out a little chuckle, knowing without having to ask, what he was insinuating and turned to Brandon. “How do you feel?”
“A little weird,” he said. “But, great at the same time.”
“You’ll get used to the weird,” I reassured him. “Do you feel like you’re ready to try and feed?”
“Yeah, I think so,” he shrugged, dusting off his pants.
“Alright then,” I said, turning to face the others. “Bo, I think it would be best if you went next.”
“What?” Derek’s head spun in my direction. “Why Bo? Why not me?”
“Because I need you here with Brandon tonight,” I replied, knowing it was only partially true, I needed Bo to go next. He and Brandon were the largest of the four and I knew they could help me finish up with Ashley and Derek. My body was only used to taking in three or four cups of blood at a time, and after draining Brandon last night, I was already so full I was on the verge of being sick.
“But...” he started.
“No ‘buts’, Derek. Please, just let me do this my way, okay?”
“Fine, I’ll probably be last as usual,” he sulked.
“No, you won’t, Derek,” Ashley said. “I want to go last.”
“Alright, whatever,” he pouted. “Doesn’t matter what I say anyhow.”
“Brother, I need you tonight,” Brandon reached over, putting his hand on Derek’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t want to see this new world without you by my side.”
“You really mean that?”
“Sure, I do,” he said, patting him on the back. “Now, help me up, would ya?”
Brandon let Derek help him to his feet, although he and I both knew he could have done it on his own. It was simply another small gesture to make Derek feel better. Once on his feet, Brandon seemed to take on a whole new persona. He bent his head from side to side, cracking his neck and then stared at Bo with a slight tilt to his head. Brandon’s long brown hair hid half his face, but you could see the raw hunger in that one grayish eye that meet the not so easy gaze of, Bo’s.
“So, how do I do this Renee?” he asked, circling around Bo like an animal stalking his prey.
Bo, who was almost a foot taller than Brandon, followed him suspiciously with his eyes. “Brandon, don’t go getting all crazy,” he said, a hint of fear tainting his voice.
“Bo, Bo, Bo,” Brandon smiled, walking behind him. “Would I do that to you?”
Before Bo could blink, much less answer, Brandon had leaped on his back and the bloodbreeder in him had taken over. He struck, sinking his fangs into Bo’s carotid artery. Bo grabbed him by the hair, yanking with everything he had trying to throw him off, but Brandon held tight. Bo’s legs began to sway and his skin slowly became an almost bluish in color.
“Brandon, that’s enough,” I placed my hand on his back. “Let him go.”
Brandon didn’t listen, his body heaving as he gnawed on Bo’s throat like a wild beast. That’s when Bo collapsed to his knees, with Brandon still holding tight. I grabbed Brandon by the shoulder and pried him off of Bo, throwing him to the side with more force than I meant to use.
Bo fell onto his backside, blood spraying from the open wound with every beat of his slowing heart. He pressed his hand against his neck, but his life fluid squirted forcefully between his fingers.
“I’m sorry, Bo,” Brandon said, terrified and uncomprehendingly. “I couldn’t stop. I tried, but I, I...” his voice trailing away, as he tried futilely to clean Bo’s blood off of his face.
Bo didn’t respond. He leaned forward, and struggled to get back on his knees. He looked past Brandon and straight up at me. “Finish it,” he whispered, gurgling through the blood that was now seeping out the sides of his mouth. He closed his eyes as he forced his legs to hold his weight and pushed his upper body off the ground to stand on his knees. Bo leaned his head back, rocking from side to side, blinking through tear filled eyes, waiting for this madness to end.
I walked over and knelt beside him. I pulled his head to one side and did as he asked. I drank. His body relaxed more and more, until eventually his back was on the floor. I pulled away, turning to Derek and Ashley, who were standing behind us aghast at what they had just witnessed.
“Straighten his legs,” I instructed them. As they did, I reopened the wound on my wrist from the night before and put it to Bo’s mouth. “Brandon, take them upstairs while I tend to Bo.”
Bo swallowed weakly a few times, just as Brandon had. He soon took his last breath and I watched the life slip away from yet another set of innocent eyes. When the others were out of sight, I covered Bo’s body. I tried my best to clean up the blood, but the spray had gone everywhere. After a few minutes of wiping up the mess in vain, I went upstairs to join the others.
As I entered the room, I could hear Brandon explaining his experience to the others. When he saw me, he stopped. He got up and walked over
to me, with his head a little lower than usual. “Renee, I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I really didn’t plan to...”
“It’s okay, Brandon,” I interrupted. “I think we all react a little different to our hunger, and you just reacted by, well, going a little wild.” I smiled to let him know I was sincere and he grinned back. He put his arms around me, and pulled me into a hug.
“You’re my ma now, sorta,” he affirmed very sentimentally. “And I will never leave you.”
“I love you too, Brandon,” I concurred. “I love each and every one of you, but I want us to feel like equals. I don‘t think any of us need to be the boss.”
“But we do need a leader,” Derek piped in. “And you’re tops on our list.”
“I agree,” Ashley said. “Plus, you’re the oldest.”
“Well,” I said, putting my hands up in surrender. “My ma always told me I’d have a brood of my own one day, and now I guess it’s official.” Then I began laughing and they joined in.
“Come on, let’s go out. I don’t want Brandon to waste his first night stuck in this old house. I want to see his face when he experiences the world the way that I do.”
“I can tell my bodies not the same,” he gestured to his teeth. “But, I don’t even feel like the same person.”
“You’re not,” I said, patting him on the back. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Wait. What about Bo?” Ashley asked, as we were getting to our feet.
“We won’t go far,” I responded. “Besides, he’ll never know we left.”
As we walked to the front door, we passed the fireplace, igniting a spark in Brandon.
“Holy shit,” he exclaimed. “Look at that fire.”
The other two jerked their heads toward the fireplace, expecting to see something amazing.
“What?” Derek asked, perplexed. “It’s just a fire. You sure you’re okay, Brandon?”
Living in Darkness (Bloodbreeders) Page 23